KEY CONCEPTS IN

ETHICS AND THE

SENSE OF MORALITY
MORAL AND NON-MORAL
STANDARDS/RULES
LEARNING
OUTCOMES
Students should be able to:
• Define key concepts in the study of
ethics;
• Differentiate moral standards/ rules
and non-moral standards/rules
towards developing sense of
morality;
• Cite examples of standards/rules
that promote and enforce non-
discriminatory laws and policies for
sustainable development.
PHILOSOPHY
• Derived from the two Greek
words “philos” or “philein” (to
love or to desire) and “sophia”
(wisdom). Thus, “philo” +
“sophia” (love of wisdom).
• Wisdom connotes knowledge
directed to the fundamental and
pervasive concerns of existence.
It consists of participation in life
– the way we change things in
order to solve human problems.
IMPORTANCE
OF PHILOSOPHY
IMPORTANCE
OF PHILOSOPHY
• Enables us to think,
conceptualize, analyze,
compare, evaluate, and
understand things
IMPORTANCE
OF PHILOSOPHY
• Able to articulate our
understanding of the
contribution of each
philosopher (traditional
and modern) to
philosophical problems
relating to knowledge,
reality, and value
SOCRATIC METHOD
IMPORTANCE
OF PHILOSOPHY
• Helps us to develop
the ability to form
opinions and beliefs
IMPORTANCE
OF PHILOSOPHY
• Helps us to be resilient
and philosophically
calm in the face of
disorder and doubts,
uncertainty,
indefiniteness, and
chaos
IMPORTANCE
OF PHILOSOPHY
• Deepens our self-
awareness
IMPORTANCE
OF PHILOSOPHY
• Increases our self-
awareness and
awareness of the
world
IMPORTANCE
OF PHILOSOPHY
• Helps us to be creative
IMPORTANCE
OF PHILOSOPHY
• Helps us to be
imaginative
IMPORTANCE
OF PHILOSOPHY
• Provides us with better
intellectual perspective
and outlook
IMPORTANCE
OF PHILOSOPHY
• Gives us the personal
freedom – the freedom
from biases, prejudices
and conviction, and
tyranny of customs that
have grown up in our
mind
IMPORTANCE
OF PHILOSOPHY
• Helps us to refine our
power of analysis – the
power to think critically,
reason, evaluate, theorize,
and justify
MOST IMPORTANT
REASON TO STUDY
PHILOSOPHY
• Transforms us by turning our
mind to the consideration of
the most basic questions
concerning reality, human
existence, and God, we open
ourselves to a world of
possibilities for understanding
the world and our place in it.
BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY
EXAMINING
THE
UNIVERSE:
METAPHYSICS
METAPHYSICS
(ONTOLOGY)
• study of the nature of reality, of
what exists in the world, what it is
like, and how it is ordered
• study of existence or “Being”: the
fundamental questions of reality
(underlying nature)
MONISM
• Being can be only one
principle and one basis of
reality or substance, which
serves as the root cause of
all of existence
MONISM

MATERIALISM IDEALISM
sees “Being” as made sees “Being” and the
out of material world as made out of
component or matter something idealistic
or spiritual or mind
IDEALISM
SUBJECTIVE IDEALISM OBJECTIVE IDEALISM
(George Berkeley) (Plato)
• The world surrounding us is a • The world is all about ideas
collection of sensations: the
content of consciousness
DUALISM
• The universe is based in two
primordial principles or
substance
PLURALISM
The World or Being as
containing many kinds of
substance
Why am I here?
Where will I go later in life?
Is there a God?
What is truth?
What is a person?
What makes a person the same through time?
Is the world strictly composed of matter?
EXAMINING
KNOWLEDGE:
EPISTEMOLOGY
EPISTEMOLOGY
(GNOSEOLOGY)
• Study of knowledge: how
we know about reality and
existence
• it is primarily concerned
with what we can know
about the world and how
we can know it
RATIONALISM

• branch of epistemology
that sees human
reason as the source
of all knowledge and
as the ultimate
instrument we use
when acquiring
knowledge.
EMPIRICISM

• claims that all

knowledge is acquired
through experience
and sees experience
as the source of all our
knowledge
IRRATIONALISM

• sees the ultimate

source of our
knowledge as
something irrational
• Voluntarism and
Intuitionism
 • sees human knowing
abilities as perfect and
argues that man can indeed
know the world to the fullest
DOGMATISM
 • claims that humans cannot
know the world to the fullest,
as we are severely limited in
our cognitive abilities
AGNOSTICISM
 • It just doubts the possibility
of getting to know the world,
it does not say anything
positive or negative. It may
SKEPTICISM be possible to know the
universe, but it may be
impossible as well.
How do I know that I know?
Why do I know about it?
What is knowledge?
Do we know anything at all?
How do we know what we know?
Can we be justified in claiming to know certain
things?
EXAMINING
REASON:
LOGIC
LOGIC
• Study of correct reasoning
and argument
• close attention to the way
that we think, noticed the
principles of our
reasoning, and followed
the path to how we make
conclusions.
FORMAL LOGIC
• investigates how conclusions follow
from premises in a topic-neutral way
• use deductive reasoning and the
premises must be true. We follow the
premises to reach a formal
conclusion
• It is a set of formal rules and
principles within a system that
determines the validity and
truthfulness of an argument or
conclusion
• Premises:
1 - Every person who lives in
Quebec lives in Canada.
2 - Everyone in Canada lives in
North America.

• Conclusion:
Every person who lives in
Quebec lives in North
America.
• Premises:
1 - All spiders have eight legs.
2 - Black Widows are a type of
spider.

• Conclusion:
Black Widows have eight legs.
• Premises:
1 - Bicycles have two wheels.
2 - Jan is riding a bicycle.

• Conclusion:
Jan is riding on two wheels.
INFORMAL LOGIC
• associated with informal
fallacies, critical thinking, and
argumentation theory
• What is typically used in daily
reasoning. This is the reasoning
and arguments we make in your
personal exchanges with others.
• Premises:
1 - Nikki saw a black cat on her
way to work.
2 - At work, Nikki got fired.

• Conclusion:
Black cats are bad luck.
• Premises:
1 - There is no evidence that
penicillin is bad for you.
2 - I use penicillin without any
problems.

• Conclusion:
Penicillin is safe for everyone.
• Premises:
1 - My mom is a celebrity.
2 - I live with my mom.

• Conclusion:
I am a celebrity.
Why is it valid?
How do you argue correctly?
What constitutes "good" or "bad"
reasoning?
How do we determine whether a given
piece of reasoning is good or bad?
EXAMINING
BEAUTY:
AESTHETICS
AESTHETICS
(AXIOLOGY)
• Study of art, taste, and
beauty
• It examines aesthetic values
and deals with such notions
as the beautiful, the ugly, the
sublime, etc.
• It also examines the
definition of what art really
is.
What is beauty?
Is it art or pornography?
What is art?
Can nature be considered art, or is it only artificial, i.e.,
man-made pieces that represent art?
If it’s only the man-made pieces that are art, does that
mean that every artifact made by man is art?
What standards should a piece of art possess in order
for it to be considered an artistic piece?
EXAMINING
MORALS:
ETHICS
ETHICS
• Also known as Moral
Philosophy
• One of the most central
disciplines of philosophy
• A branch of philosophy
that involves the
systematizing, defending,
and recommending the
concepts of right and
wrong conduct.
ETHICS
• Study of action or
concerns what we ought
to do and what it would be
best to do.
• Study of the righteous and
virtuous way of living
ARISTOTLE’S
GOLDEN MEAN
• It is a theory that excellence lies
in the middle way between two
extreme states: excess and
deficiency
• It is centered around the pursuit
of eudaimonia, meaning
happiness or flourishing — and
he believed we could
achieve eudaimonia by using
reason excellently in everything
we do.
AREAS OF STUDIES OF ETHICS
DESCRIPTIVE
ETHICS
• empirical study of people’s
beliefs about morality and
the ethical codes applied by
various groups
• investigates people’s ethical
ideals or what actions are
condemned in a societyand
explain actual choices
made by moral agents in
practice
 METAETHICS
• deals with the foundations and
nature of moral values, properties,
and words
1. What is the meaning of moral
terms and judgements? (moral
semantics)
2. What is the nature of moral
judgements? (moral ontology)
3. How might moral judgements
be supported or defended?
(moral epistemology)
NORMATIVE
ETHICS
• deals with systems of
morality and
questions how one
ought to be and act
morally
• studies the systems
of morality and
standards of right and
wrong actions
 - deals with what a
APPLIED ETHICS person is obligated (or
permitted) to do in specific
situations or which
consists of the analysis of
specific, controversial
moral issues
1. Needs to be
controversial in there is
nowhere near a
consensus to a correct
moral answer
2. Needs to be a direct
moral issue
How should you act?
Is it morally right?
What is good?
What makes actions or people good?
What is right?
What makes actions right?
Is morality objective or subjective?
How should I treat others?
ETHICS
IN
GENERAL
ETHICS
• Derived from the Greek word
“ethos” which means
“characteristic way of acting”
– includes cultural
mannerisms, religion, politics,
laws, and social aspirations of
the group or society
• Characteristics belonging to
man as a rational being,
endowed with intellectual
and free-will
ETHICS
• The ethos of man as man is
revealed in the following:
1. Distinguishing between
good and evil, right and
wrong, moral and immoral
2. Obligation to do what is
good and to avoid what is
evil
3. Accountability for
actions where much is
expected of man to
conduct
ETHICS

• The science of morality of

human acts
• The study of man as
moral being, one who is
rationally able to
distinguish between right
and wrong
ETHICS
• It examines how man is
accountable for his/her
actions and its
consequences and
proposes how man ought to
live his life – meaningfully
• it examines and explains
the rational basis why
actions are moral or
immoral
HUMAN ACTS
• Those actions which man
performs knowingly, freely,
and voluntarily
• The result of conscious
knowledge and are subject
to the control of the will
• Can be deliberate,
intentional, or voluntary
ESSSENTIAL
ATTRIBUTES
• Knowingly – it must be
performed by a conscious
agent, and s/he is aware of
what s/he is doing and its
consequences. There is an
adequate knowledge of the
aspired object, attention to
the action by which the
particular object is to be
pursued, and judgement on
the value of the act
ESSSENTIAL
ATTRIBUTES

• Freely – it must be
performed by an agent who
is acting freely, that is, by his
own volition and powers
ESSSENTIAL
ATTRIBUTES
• Willfully – it must be
performed by an agent who
decides willfully to perform
the act
ACTS OF HUMAN
• Those actions which
happen in man
• These are instinctive and
are not within the control
of the will
• Involuntary in nature
(biological and
physiological movements)
BRING OUT ¼ SHEET OF PAPER
QUIZ
• Looking
• Seeing
• Dreaming
• Day Dreaming
• Hearing
• Listening
• Walking
• Sleepwalking
• Defecating
• Loose Bowel Movement
QUIZ
• Blushing
• Laughing
• Hiccups
• Blinking
• Winking
• Studying
• Sitting
• Stretching
• Drinking
• Kicking
ETHICS AS VALUE SYSTEM
• The character or moral nature of a person is greatly
affected by his or her personal principles and
experiences and by the belief or value systems of his
or her surroundings
• It discusses the different systems of moral values and
principles that determine what is acceptable and
unacceptable behaviors.
• It involves ideals, moral obligations, and prohibitions that
people have to observe, follow, and respect
ETHICS AS VALUE (S) EDUCATION
• Moral Philosophy vs Moral Theology
• Values – something a person prizes, cherishes, and
esteems as important to him/her which includes your
ideas, things, or experiences
• Value education aims to guide the individual in
choosing wisely his/her values and in acting upon them
SOCIAL NORMS
• formal/ informal rules
that govern behavior in
groups and societies or
prescriptions for how
one is to act in given
situations; common
guidelines for social
actions; not necessarily
actual behavior
FOLKWAYS
• Norms or standard of
behavior that are socially
approved but not morally
significant
MORES
• ethical and moral norms
linked to the moral value of
being right or wrong
TABOOS
• negative norms and
considered disgusting when
violated
LAWS
• formal body of rules enacted
by the state and backed by
the power of the state
THE ART OF CORRECT LIVING
• Human life does not simply imply merely physical
survival, but it is a vocation towards the refinement of
spirit.
• The demands of daily life includes and derives meaning
from the cultivation of those traits that truly reflect
man’s innate dignity
• Therefore, ethics is an art. It is the breath of life, pulsating
with the desire for growth and development.
• A master plan indicating where man must go and what he
ought to do in order to live well.
NON-MORAL STANDARDS
• Refer to the rules that affect the choices of a person but
are not linked to moral or ethical considerations
• Similar with Ethics, people use value judgement in
dealing with these aspects. Consequently, they can also
affect the way a person develop her or his moral
principles and guidelines, but they do not necessarily
have moral implications.
LIST OF NON-MORAL STANDARDS
• Aesthetics (art, fashion standards)
• Laws
• Rules in games/technical valuation
• Personal experiences and principles
• Etiquette
• Recipe/formula
• Religion
• Traditions and Norms
ETHICS AND RELIGION
• Ethics vs Religion
• Ethics teaches the value of religion, presenting as a duty
to the Almighty
• Religion contributes to the teaching of ethics and
continues to enrich with its moral insights
• Thus, it provides both the direction and motivation of
moral life… they improve both man and human society
ETHICS AND LAW
• Ethics vs Law
• Norms – thoughts and feelings
• Laws – actions
• Ethics is not simply the body of do’s and don’ts in the
manner of laws are. It is personal commitment to
uphold what is true and good.
• It aims to develop “right disposition and inner spirit” for
accepting what is lawful.
MORAL STANDARDS
• Refer to the rules or set of guidelines that affect the
choices of a person and his or her belief system and
decision-making process in problems and situations
that beg the question of what is morally right and
wrong.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MORAL
STANDARDS
1. Concern with the welfare of beings
2. Reliance on reasoning and not on authority
3. Overriding or hegemonic
4. Impartial, fair, and just
5. Special emotions and vocabulary
CONCERN WITH THE WELFARE OF
BEINGS
MORAL STANDARDS NON-MORAL STANDARDS
• Deal with matters that can • May talk about what is right
seriously injure or benefit and wrong but their
the welfare of beings concerns do not
such as in war, child necessarily affect one’s life
abuse, rape, fraud, murder, or well-being
and theft
EXAMPLE
• Robin Hood is known for
stealing from the rich in order
to help the poor. Can his
goodwill compensate for his
crime against the other? This
is a concern of moral
standards because his actions
affect the lives and well-being
of those he steals from.
EXAMPLE
• Sports like basketball
have set rules to avoid
conflicts and harm in the
court or field. There are
times when a player or
group of players violate
these rules and hurt
another player/s.
RELIANCE ON REASONING AND
NOT ON AUTHORITY
MORAL STANDARDS NON-MORAL STANDARDS
• Rely on reasoning and not • In the context of law and
on authoritative individuals religion, they do not need
or bodies to support and to be based on a valid
justify their cause; cannot reason and sound
be changed nor nullified by reasoning.
the decisions of any
authoritative body.
LAWS ARE NOT
MORAL STANDARDS
• Laws can be generated by
authoritative entities like the
government or a monarch,
hence what is legally correct
may not mean that it is also
ethically or morally correct
because a law can be
created with bias and
prejudice against a group of
people and with advantages
for the privileged.
EXAMPLE
• During the Holocaust between 1945 and 1946, it was legally
enforced that all Jews must be turned over to the Nazi Armies.
They were sent to concentration camps wherein millions of them
died. Years after, the persecutors and Nazi leaders who
participated in the genocide faced trials from their crimes
against humanity.
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
ARE NOT MORAL
STANDARDS
• Religious beliefs are
based on rules set by a
higher being that
followers must observe.
Like legal, concerns, what
might be considered as
right or good in the context
of a religious doctrine
might not be ethically or
morally right.
OVERRIDING OR
HEGEMONIC
 Ok, linisin niyo na
yan kundi gagawin
ko kayong semento
sa subdivision.
OVERRIDING OR
HEGEMONIC
• People have a general moral duty to
obey the law and observe peace and
harmony in the society. However, there
are times when a law or political
proclamation becomes seriously
immoral and threatens the welfare of a
particular group or sector of the society
that calls for a moral noncooperation or
civil disobedience.
IMPARTIAL,
FAIR, AND JUST
• Moral standards must be
impartial, fair, and just.
They also have the trait of
universality.
• There is no exemption to
the moral standards. If A is
morally right for a certain
person P, then it is morally
right for anybody relevantly
similar to P.
IMPARTIAL, FAIR, AND JUST
• The Golden Rule: “Do • Principle of Justice: “It
unto others what you cannot be right for A to
would want them to do treat B in a manner in
unto you” which it would be wrong for
• The Silver Rule: “Do not B to treat A on the ground
unto others what you do that they are two different
not want to be done unto individuals and without
you” there being any difference
between the natures of
circumstances of the two”
IMPARTIAL, FAIR, AND JUST
Case Study from Managed Health Care Connect.com:
An elderly facility started to become concerned that some
of its residents were at increased risk for advancing illness
by continuing to smoke cigarettes. In order to reduce the
risk, the facility enacted a policy that prevented all facility
residents from smoking anywhere on facility grounds.
Three residents decided to stop, and they experienced
enhanced well-being. However, the facility allowed its staff
to continue smoking which made the residents
uncomfortable. (Feinsod and Wagner, n.d.)
SPECIAL • Moral standards are associated
EMOTIONS with special emotions (guilt,
remorse, and shame) and
AND vocabulary (right, good, wrong,
evil, moral, amoral, and immoral).
VOCABULARY
SPECIAL EMOTIONS
AND VOCABULARY
• Talking about moral standards
also uses a special set of
vocabulary such as right,
wrong, good and evil. Aside from
these commonly used words,
there are also three terms that
are often used in ethics such as
moral, amoral, and immoral.
MORAL - Conforming to
accepted standards of morality

AMORAL - Not concerned

about morality

IMMORAL - Not conforming to

accepted standards of morality
BET QUIZ
BET QUIZ
• This is a 30-point quiz.
• This will be done by pair.
• For every number, the pair must bet a minimum of 1 point
and maximum of 3 points so gamble responsibly.
• You will get the corresponding bet if your answer is correct.
However, if it is wrong, you can get a negative point/s.
• Answer - Bet
Evaluate each scenario whether they are
implying to a moral or non-moral standard
1. Anabel and Lea are strolling around the mall when they
saw a beautiful painting. Anabel wanted to buy it, but
Lea insisted that it doesn’t fit to her living room.
2. Claire read a news story about a girl who has been
discriminated at a job interview due to her gender. She
felt that it is wrong, and people should never be
discriminated because of gender.
3. Mark wants to become a musician, but his parents
doesn’t agree. Because of this, he is depressed that he
has to choose between his passion and his parent’s
command.
Evaluate each scenario whether they are
implying to a moral or non-moral standard
4. A person finds a wallet full of cash on the street and
chooses to return it to the owner instead of keeping it.
5. During a difficult conversation, someone decides to be
honest about a mistake they made, even though it might
lead to negative consequences.
6. An employee wears business casual attire to work
because it’s required by the company’s dress code.
7. A driver adheres to traffic rules and drives on the right
side of the road in the U.S., following the law rather than a
moral obligation.
Evaluate each scenario whether they are
implying to a moral or non-moral standard
8. A student witnesses another student being bullied and
chooses to intervene, even though it might make them a
target.
9. Someone chooses to eat a vegetarian diet because they
dislike the taste of meat, not for ethical reasons.
10. A person forgives a friend who betrayed their trust,
valuing their relationship and the importance of second
chances.
ETHICAL APPROACHES

THEISTIC ATHEISTIC
ATHEISTIC ETHICS
• Matter is the only reality.
• Man is matter and does not
have spiritual soul.
• Man is free and must exercise
his/her freedom to promote
the welfare of society.
• There is no life after death.
• Man is accountable only to
the state.
THEISTIC ETHICS
• God is the Supreme Creator
and Lawgiver.
• Man is free and must use his
freedom to promote his
personal interest along with
his/her fellowmen.
• Man has an immortal soul.
• Man is accountable for his
actions, both good and evil.
DIVISION OF ETHICS

GENERAL SPECIAL
GENERAL ETHICS
• About the principles of morality
• Explains the norms with which the moral significance of
the human act is determined
SPECIAL ETHICS
• The application of the principles of General ethics to the
problems and issues confronting a person on account of
his/her circumstances in life, for instance, as a citizen,
neighbor, worker, wife, husband, or child
• The sub-branches of professional ethics like medical,
business, legal, biological, and environmental ethics.
IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS
• Teaches man to act in accordance with his rational nature
by giving him the rules of human conduct
• Enables man to live together with harmony, by furnishing
them with the norms that regulate their relations with
other men, making life in society possible
• Helps us evaluate our own choices and actions
• Helps us produce better actions