ETHICS EXAM REVIEWER

Meaning of Ethics ➢ Matters that concern life

➔ Generally speaking, it is about and death such as war,
matters such as the good things capital punishment, or
that we should pursue and the abortions and matters
bad things that we should avoid. that concern human
➔ The right ways in which we well-being such as
could or should act and the poverty, inequality, or
wrong ways of acting. sexual identity are often
➔ It is about what is acceptable and included in the
unacceptable in human discussion of ethics.
behavior.
➔ It may involve obligations that Ethics and Morals
we are expected to fulfill, ➢ Morals - refer to specific beliefs
prohibitions that we are or attitudes that people have or
required to respect, or ideals that to describe acts that people
we are encouraged to meet. perform. Thus, it is sometimes
➔ As a subject, it is about said that an individual’s personal
determining the grounds for the conduct is referred to as his
values with particular and morals, and if he falls short of
special significance to human behaving properly, this can be
life. described as immoral.
➢ Ethics - the discipline of studying
Kinds of Valuation and understanding ideal human
❖ Aesthetics behavior and ideal ways of
➢ The Greek word thinking. Thus, Ethics is
“aisthesis” means a sense acknowledged as an intellectual
or feeling - refers to the discipline belonging to
judgments of personal philosophy.
approval or disapproval
that we make about what Philosophy - is a love of wisdom.
we see, hear, smell, or ➢ Greek word “philia” means
taste. friendship or love
➢ “Sophia” means wisdom.
❖ Etiquette
➢ Concerned with right and Areas or Branches of Philosophy
wrong actions, but those 1. Metaphysics - wonders as to
which might be what constitutes the whole
considered not quite reality.
grave enough to belong to 2. Epistemology - asks what the
a discussion on ethics. basis for determining what we
know is.
❖ Technical Valuation 3. Axiology - refers to the study of
➢ The Greek word “techne” values.
means technique in 3.1 Aesthetics - concerns itself
English used to refer to with the value of beauty.
the proper way or right 3.2 Ethics - concerns itself with
way of doing things. the value of human actions.
Descriptive and Normative Ethics 3. Framework - theory of
1. Descriptive study of ethics interconnected ideas, a structure
reports how people, particularly through which we can evaluate
groups, make their moral our reasons for valuing a certain
valuations without making any decision or judgment.
judgment either for or against
these valuations. This is the work Sources of authority
of a social scientist like a Several common ways of
historian or sociologist or thinking about ethics are based on the
anthropologist. idea that the standards of valuation are
2. Normative study of ethics is imposed by a higher authority that
often done in philosophy or commands our obedience.
moral theology. A normative
discussion prescribes what we Law
ought to maintain as our ➢ Positive law - refers to the
standards or bases for moral different rules and regulations
valuation. that are posited or put forward
by an authority figure that
Issue, Decision, Judgment, and Dilemma require compliance.
1. Issue - used to refer to those
particular situations that are Religion
often the source of considerable ➢ Divine Command Theory - it
and inconclusive debate. expresses a claim that many
2. Moral Decision - when one is people of a religious sensibility
placed in a situation and find appealing and immediately
confronted by the choice of what valid; the idea that one is obliged
act to perform. to obey her God in all things. The
3. Moral Judgment - when a person divinity called God, Allah, or
is an observer who makes an Supreme Being commands and
assessment on the action or one is obliged to obey her
behavior of someone. creator.
4. Moral Dilemma - going beyond ➢ Many of us had been brought up
the matter of choosing right over with one form of religious
wrong, or good over bad, and upbringing or another, it is very
considering instead the more possible that there is a strong
complicated situation wherein inclination in us to refer to our
one is torn between choosing one religious background to back up
of the two goods or choosing our moral valuations.
between the lesser of two evils. ➢ We are presented with a more or
less clear code of prohibitions
Reasoning given by religion “thou shalt not
1. Principle - rationally established kill” seem to intuitively coincide
grounds by which one justifies with our sense of ethics should
and maintains her moral rightly demand.
decisions and judgment. ➢ Religion is not simply
2. Moral theory - is a systematic prohibitive, but it also provides
attempt to establish the validity ideals to pursue.
of maintaining certain moral
principles. It can also be referred
to as a framework.
Culture Psychological Egoism
➢ Cultural Relativism - what is ➔ “Human beings are naturally
ethically acceptable or self-centered, so all our actions
unacceptable is relative to, or are always already motivated by
that is to say, dependent on one’s self-interest.”
culture. ➔ This is the stance taken by
psychological egoism, which is a
This means cultural relativism leads us theory that describes the
to: underlying dynamic behind all
A. Conform to what we experience, human actions.
which is the reality of the ➔ As a descriptive theory, it does
differences in how cultures make not direct one to act in a
their ethical valuations. particular way. Instead, it points
B. By taking one’s culture as the out that there is already an
standard, we are provided a underlying basis for how one
basis for our valuations. acts.
C. This teaches us to be tolerant of ➔ The ego or self has its desires and
others from different cultures, as interests, and all our actions are
we realize that we are in no geared toward satisfying these
position to judge whether the interests.
ethical thought or practice of
another culture is acceptable or Ethical Egoism
unacceptable. ➔ It prescribes that we should
make our own ends, our own
interests, as the single overriding
Senses of the Self concern.
Subjectivism ➔ We may act in a way that is
➔ The starting of subjectivism is beneficial to others, but we
the recognition that the should do that only if it
individual thinking person (the ultimately benefits us.
subject) is at the heart of all ➔ One should consider herself a
moral valuations. priority and not allow any other
➔ She is the one who is confronted concerns, such as the welfare of
with the situation and is other people, to detract from this
burdened with the need to make pursuit.
a decision or judgment.
➔ Subjectivism leaps to the more
radical claim that the individual
is the sole determinant of what is
morally good or bad, right or
wrong.