ETHICS Situation Ethics – it is therefore wrong to judge the
morality of an act by simply considering the intention
RULES
- guidelines or instruction of doing something
- do not have legal binding
- tells us what to do and what not to do
- for individuals or group
- non-compliance: little effect
REGULATIONS
- directives or statute enforced by law
- have legal binding
- authorized by public
- for the whole public
- non-compliance: penalty or punishment
MORALS
- quality of human acts, acts of good and some evil
- describes one’s particular values concerning what is
right or wrong
HUMAN ACTS
- knowingly and freely, intentional or voluntary
actions
- exercise his intellect and will in performing the act
ACTS OF MAN
- instinctive and involuntary actions
- accomplished without knowledge or deliberation
MORAL AGENT
- person who has the ability to discern right from
wrong and accountable for his action
3 Rational Principles of Life
- Freedom
- Conscience
- Law
Morality of Human Acts depend on:
- Object Chosen – toward which the will directs
itself, finis operis (the end of work), what of an act
- Intention – resides in acting the subject, finis
operantis (end of the worker), why of an act
- Circumstances – contribute to increasing or
diminishing the moral goodness of evil of human
acts.
An evil end can corrupt a good object. Act whose object
is evil can never be a good even if the intention and
circumstances are good. This is because choosing an evil
object entails a disorder of the will.
which inspire the act or the circumstances which supply
the context of the act.
Sin – is an offense against reason, truth, and right
conscience
MORAL RELATIVISIM
- values are determined by the society we grow up in,
and there are no universal values
Self-interest Theory
- Definitional Argument – when we do what we want
to do
- Evolutionary Argument – naturally selfish to
survive
- Hidden Benefits Argument – selfish benefit to help
others
- Punishment Argument – what if I get caught?
ETHICS
- derived from the Ancient Greek word, meaning
"relating to one's character", which itself comes
from the root word êthos, meaning "character,
moral nature". This word was transferred into Latin
as ethica and then into French as éthique, from
which it was transferred into English
- practical science of morality of human conduct
3 Majors Area in Study of Ethics
1.Meta-ethics – concerning the theoretical meaning and
reference of moral propositions, and how their truth
values (if any) can be determined
2.Normative ethics – concerning the practical means of
determining a moral course of action
3.Applied ethics –concerning what a person is obligated
(or permitted) to do in a specific situation or a particular
domain of action
Ethos of MAN
- distinguish what is right or wrong, good and evil
- accountable for his actions
- assume people are trying to do their best
- obligation to do what is good
Principles of Ethics
1. Personal Ethics – might also be called morality, since
they reflect general expectation of any society, acting
and any capacity. (Concern for the well-being of others,
Respect for the autonomy of others, Ttrustworthiness
and honesty, Willing compliance with law, Basic
Justice, being fair, Benevolence, doing good, Preventing
harm)
2. Global Ethics – are most controversial of the three
categories, and the least understood (Global Justice,
Society before self, Environmental stewardship,
Interdependence and responsibility for the whole,
Reverence)
3. Professional Ethics – the rules governing the
conduct, transactions, and relationships within a
profession and among its publics
- Honesty – truthfulness
- Integrity – consistency / accuracy
- Transparency – openness
- Accountability – liable/responsible
- Confidentiality –accessibility
- Objective – meeting conditions
- Respectful – honor
- Within the law
MORAL STANDARDS
- refer to the standards that a person or a group has
about what is right and wrong, or good and evil
a. Moral standards involve serious wrongs or significant
benefits – deal with matters which can seriously impact,
that is, injure or benefit human beings
b. Moral standards ought to be preferred to other values
c. Moral standards are not established by authority
figures
d. Moral standards have the trait of universalizability –
for everyone
e. Moral standards are based on impartial considerations
– free from bias or prejudice
f. Moral standards are associated with special emotions
and vocabulary.
NON-MORAL STANDARDS
- refer to rules that are unrelated to moral or ethical
considerations. Either these standards are not
necessarily linked to morality or by nature lack
ethical sense.
ETHICAL DILEMMA
- a problem involving a choice between equally
desirable or equally unsatisfactory alternatives to
the different or competitive assignment of priorities
and responsibilities, or to a problem without a
satisfactory solution
- conflict between alternatives, where choosing any of
them will lead to a compromise of some ethical
principle and lead to an ethical violation
Deciding what is right or wrong:
- Legal Test – is there a law being broken?
- Stench Test – test of your instincts and determines
the level of morality on a psychological level.
- Front Page Test – how would you feel if your action
showed up on the front page of the newspaper the
next day?
- Mom Test – what would mom think if she knew
about this?
Truth vs. Loyalty
Individual vs. Community
Short term vs. Long term
Justice vs. Mercy
Approaches to Ethical Decision Making:
- Ends Based – actions are ethically right or wrong
depending on their effects
- Rules Based – stick to the rules and principles and
don’t worry about the result
- Care Based – puts love for others first
Steps in Solving Ethical Dilemma
Step one – Analyze the consequences
Step two – Analyze the actions
Step three – Make a decision