Moral and Civic Education
Chapter Two
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FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS OF FRESHMAN
STUDENTS
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Field of Studies:
- Normative
- Non-normative
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Three basic kinds of prescriptive moral theories:
Teleological theories,
Deontological theories, and
Virtue-based theories.
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Chapter Two: Approaches to Ethics
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Human beings ask questions about nature of morality.
We invoke theories to explain the nature of morality.
All moral theories address the questions of:
what is Good,
why it‘s Good, and where the Good is located?
In dealing with morality as Subject Matter , ethics is divided
into two fields: - Normative ethics; and
- Non-normative ethics
If there is anything ―easy‖ about moral inquiry it‘s the fact that
there are only three basic kinds of prescriptive moral theories:
teleological theories, deontological theories, and virtue-based
theories.
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Normative Ethics
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The ultimate concern of the normative theory of obligation is
to guide us in the making of decisions and judgments about
actions in particular situations.
Normative ethics, which is also known as moral
philosophy, is concerned with presenting and justifying
a guide to right conduct/behavior
Normative ethics; Offers theories or accounts of the best
way to live. These theories evaluate actions in a systematic
way, i.e., they may focus on outcomes or duties or motivation
as a means of justifying human conduct.
It also helps you to criticize, grade, persuade evaluate
and encourage something, or somebody
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Cont. …
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BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Teleological Ethics (Consequentialist
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It is referred as ―the end justifies the means.
It believes in purpose, ends or goals of an action,
it stress that the consequences of an action determines the morality or
immorality of a given action. Which means an action is judged as right or
wrong, moral or immoral depending on what happens because of it. One
may have the best intention or follow the highest moral principles but if
the result, moral act is harmful, or bad it must be judged as morally or
ethically wrong act.
In general their views have been of two sorts:
(1) deontological theories and
(2) teleological ones.
A teleological theory says that the basic or ultimate criterion or standard of
what is morally right, wrong, obligatory, etc., is the non-moral value that is
brought into being.
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Cont. …
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Having agreed on one ground or another that the
standard of right and wrong cannot be simply the
prevailing set of moral rules, moral philosophers have
offered us a variety of alternative standards.
In general their views have been of two sorts:
(1)deontological theories &
ones
(2)(2) teleological
A teleological theory says that the basic or ultimate criterion
or standard of what is morally right, wrong, obligatory,
etc., is the non-moral value that is brought into being
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Cont. …
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It is also named as consequentiality principle
(theory).
Teleological theory emphasizes on an end or
goal of an action to judge the morality of the
action.
According to this theory, an action becomes
right or wrong based on the result or
consequences of an action, but not on the
action or the duty itself.
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Deontological Theory of Ethics
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Deontological derives from the word deontology, which
refers to the theory of the study of moral commitment.
Deontological theories maintain that the morality of an
action depends on the factor other than its consequence and
it is why these theories are alternatively called non-
consequentialists theories.
According to these theories, what makes an action right or
wrong is the actor’s conformity to his or her duty.
An actors duty has nothing at all to do with what might or
might not happen –is the duty is not connected with the
result of consequence of an action.
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Cont. …
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This ethics emphasizes on the performance of duty
rather than results as sign of right action
Some scholars refer deontological as Kantian ethical
theory. This is named after Immanuel kant (German
philosopher (1724-1804) who argued that a certain
moral action is performed out of a sense of duty,
rather than simply out of the feeling or the possibility of
some kind of gain
-It means that moral acts should not be conceived from
consideration of their consequences
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Cont. …
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What makes a right‘act right?
The utilitarian or consequentialist answer to this question
is that it is the Moral rightness or wrongness is calculated
by determining the extent to which the action promotes
values such as pleasure, well-being, happiness, etc.
= the end justifies the means.
- In many respects, deontological moral theory is
diametrically the opposite of utilitarianism. Having ―the
means justifies the end" it coined as " .This is a theory that
the rightness or wrongness of moral action is determined,
at least partly with reference to formal rules of conduct
rather than consequences or result of an action.
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Cont. …
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Deontological theories deny what teleological theories affirm.
They deny that the right, the obligatory, and the morally
good are wholly, whether directly or indirectly, a function
of what is non-morally good or of what promotes
the greatest balance of good over evil for self, one's
society, or the world as a whole. They assert that there
are other considerations that may make an action or rule
right or obligatory besides the goodness or badness of its
consequences ---
certain features of the act itself other than the value it
brings into existence, for example, the fact that it keeps a
promise, is just, or is commanded by God or by the state.
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Virtue Theory
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What do we mean by virtue? It simply means a good trait
of characters.
Thus virtuous person is the one who possesses good
traits such as loyalty, honesty etc. the opposite of
virtue is known as vice.
Vice means bad traits like being disloyal, dishonest…
hence, virtue Ethics is moral life that is about developing
good character (traits) and getting rid of the bad one.
Thus, virtue Ethics is concerned with those traits of
characters that make a person good..
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Cont. …
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It is a theory that is largely based on Aristotle’s
Nicomchean- Ethics, and is also referred to as Neo-
Aristotelian principle.
The theory focuses on the character of
human life as whole; but not on rightness of
wrongness of a certain act.
Therefore, the central theme of the theory is
derived from an attempt to answer an
inquiry that says “How should I live?” and it
will be addressed by cultivating what we call
”virtue”.
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Ethical Universalism (Absolutism)
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This theory relies on two basic ideas. Immanuel Kant’s work
is more appropriate to understand universalism principles.
According to Kant, if something is right for you then it
will be right for others too; and if it is wrong for you, it
will be wrong for others.
Thus, moral rules (Rule of human conducts) should have a
universal value and should apply to all because of all
humans at least biologically; there are some ethical
(moral) values that are common to all people.
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Cont. …
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Ethical universalism, or what is usually called
utilitarianism, takes the position that the ultimate end is the
greatest general good -- that an act or rule of action is rightif
and only if it is, or probably is, conducive to at least as great
a balance of good over evil in the universe as a whole as any
alternative would be, wrong if it is not, and obligatory if it is
or probably is conducive to the greatest possible balance of
good over evil in the universe. The so-called utilitarians,
for example, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, have
usually been hedonists in their view about what is good,
asserting that the moral end is the greatest balance of
pleasure over pain.
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Cont. …
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It would also be possible, of course, to adopt
teleological theories intermediate between ethical
egoism and utilitarianism, for example, theories that
say the right act or rule is one conducive to the
greatest balance of good over evil for a certain group
-- one's nation, class, family, or race. A pure
ethical altruist might even contend that the right act
or rule is the one that most promotes the good of
other people. We shall, however, limit our coming
discussion to egoism and universalism.
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Ethical Relativism
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According to this theory, it is true that people
in different societies have different customs,
ideas and differ in their judgments
regarding an action being right or wrong.
Therefore, because morality is relative it is
difficult to interfere in judgments of others.
If we consider moral conviction examined in the
light of history and different places, we find a good
deal of variation from culture to culture, place to
place or time to time.
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Egoism: Ethical and psychological Egoism
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Ethical Egoism
We usually assume that moral behavior, or being
ethical, has to do with not being overly concerned with
oneself .In other words, selfishness is assumed to be
unacceptable attitude. Even among scholars, there is
disagreement about what constitutes ethical behavior.
Since very early in western intellectual history, the view
point that humans are not built to look out for other
people’s interests has surfaced regularly. Some scholars
even hold that proper moral conduct consist of ―looking out for
number one,‖ period. These viewpoints are known as
psychological egoism and ethical egoism respectively
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Psychological Egoism
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The main argument that has been used as a basis for
ethical egoism is a psychological one, an argument
from human nature. We are all so constituted, it is said,
that one always seeks one's own advantage or welfare,
or always does what he thinks will give him the greatest
balance of good over evil. In Butler's terms, this means
that "self-love" is the only basic "principle" in human
nature; in one set of contemporary terms, it means that
"ego-satisfaction" is the final aim of all activity or that
"the pleasure principle" is the basic "drive" in every
individual.
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
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Ethical egoism has generally presupposed what is
called psychological egoism.
The question is not whether egoism is strong in
human nature but whether we ever have any concern
or desire for the welfare of others except as a means to
our own, any concern for or interest in their welfare
for its own sake, which is not derived from our
concern for our own welfare.
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Non-Normative Ethics/Meta-ethics
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What is Meta-ethics?
Meta-ethics tries to answer question, such as:
What does good, right, or justice mean?
What makes something good or right?
Is moral realism true? Is morality irreducible, cognitive, or
overriding? and
Do intrinsic values exist?
Normative ethics seeks to discover the general principles
underlying moral practice, and in this way potentially
impacts upon practical moral problems: different general
principles may yield different verdicts in particular cases.
BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
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BY: Bibah Osisked 22.12.22.
Group Assignment
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Date of submission before mid-exam & never think
after !
Be in group of ten(10)
Focus to question and put your answer precisely(T.
Paper 15% and Presentation 10% for each Member)
1.Discuss the evolution and development of Human Rights and Democracy.
2.Explain and justify the central values and principles of democracy.
3.Pinpoint the classifications and categories of Human Rights.
4.Define each and differentiate constitution from constitutionalism.
5.Identify the classifications of constitution.
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