2. The Study of Ethics
• Ethics is derived from the
Greek word ETHOS which means –
Characteristic way of acting
Latin word mos, mores which means-
Tradition or custom
3. Major Branches of Ethics
• Meta-Ethics
– the theoretical meaning and reference of moral
propositions and how their truth-values may be
determined.
– seeks to understand the nature of ethical
properties, statements, attitudes, and judgments
– Question: What does 'right' even mean?
4. • Normative ethics
– the practical means of determining a moral course
of action
– Standards of rightness and wrongness
– investigates the set of questions that arise when
considering how ought one to act
– Question: How should people act?
5. • Applied Ethics
– about how moral outcomes can be achieved in
specific situations
– identify the morally correct course of action in
various fields of human life
– Question: How do we take moral knowledge and
put it into practice?
6. • Descriptive ethics
– about what moral values people actually abide by.
– people's beliefs about morality
– research into the attitudes of individuals or groups
of people
– Question: What do people think is right?
7. • Moral Psychology
– about how moral capacity or moral agency
develops and what its nature is.
– Moral development focuses on the emergence,
change, and understanding of morality from
infancy to adulthood.
8. The ethos of man is revealed in the
following:
• He is able to distinguish between good and
evil, right and wrong, moral and immoral
• He feels within himself an obligation to do
what is good and to avoid what is evil.
• He feels himself accountable for his actions,
expecting reward or punishment for them.
9. What is Ethics?
• Ethics is the practical science of the morality of human
conduct
• Ethics is said to be the study of human motivation, and
human rational behavior
MORALITY - is that quality of human acts by which we call some of
this acts good and some evil.
HUMAN ACTS are those actions performed by man: knowingly
and freely, deliberate or intentional actions, or voluntary.
ACTS OF MAN which are instinctive and involuntary
10. Principles of Ethics
• Personal Ethics – might also be called morality, since they
reflect general expectation of any person in any society, acting
and any capacity.
Principles of Personal Ethics include:
1. Concern for the well-being of others
2. Respect for the autonomy of others
3. Trustworthiness and honesty
4. Willing compliance with the law
5. Basic justice; being fair
6. Benevolence; doing good
7. Preventing harm
11. • Global Ethics – are most controversial of the three
categories, and the least understood.
1. Global Justice
2. Society before self
3. Environmental stewardship
– Protection of water and soil
– Prevention of erosion and water pollution
– Flood management
– Wildlife conservation
– Protect archaeological sites and historic features
– Provide public access to the countryside
– Conserve rare traditional livestock breeds and varieties
4. Interdependence and responsibility for the whole
5. Reverence
– the acknowledgement of the legitimacy of the power of one's superior or
superiors
12. • 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 - honour
– Within the law
13. How good is a set of principles?
• They serve as landmarks – generic indicators to be
used as compelling guides for an active conscience
• They are not absolute rules or values
• They are more like rough measurement where an exact
one is not possible
• They often conflict with each other in practice and
some will trump others under certain circumstances
• They are compatible with the argument that we
should simply follow our intuition and rely on the inner
voice
