Ethics,

Values and
Good Habits
Special Ed. for MCR-HRD
Institute
PROF. V. VISWANADHAM
Ethics
Ethics
 Ethics: A definition
“Relating to what is good or bad,
having to do with moral duty and
obligation.”
~ Moral is defined as relating to
principles of right and wrong

“Ethics is not about

being better than someone else;
it’s about being
the best we can be.”
 Some more definitions

• Ethics – A branch of philosophy concerned with

ways of thinking philosophically about morality,
and moral judgment.
• Morality – Human conduct and character referring
to “those acts which it makes sense to describe as
right or wrong, good or bad.”
• Moral Judgment – Judgments based on
considerations of how other people are to be
treated, and how others interests are to weigh
against their own.
 “Nothing is more practical than finding
God, that is, falling in love in a quite
absolute, final way. What you are in love
with, what seizes your imagination, will
affect everything.

It will decide what gets you out of bed in

the morning, what you will do with your
evenings, how you will spend your
weekends, what you read, who you know,
what breaks your heart, and what amazes
you with joy and gratitude.

Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide

 “Why Not
Be a
Bad Person?”
What does “ethics” mean?
 Two common meanings of “ethics”

1) How people actually live

(descriptive ethics)

2) Reflection, discourse, and study

concerning how people ought to live
(normative ethics)
 Morality and Ethics

a Morality = our lived experience of

human freedom
a -- trying to use our freedom to live well or of
discovering what is worth living for and trying to live
accordingly)

a Ethics = critical reflection on

morality
a --stepping back to examine, analyze, and organize it in
order to enhance morality (more abstract);
ü It looks for consistency, logic, order, coherence, conflicts, etc.

7
What are the perennial
questions of ethics?

What should we do
with our freedom?
 Related Questions
What is
 a good life?
worth living for?
human flourishing?
the best way to achieve these goals?
At the root of such questions lie three
moral conceptions:
 Good -- character and lives
 Good = valuable, precious, desirable,
meaningful, fulfilling, promoting flourishing
 Right -- actions
 Just -- communities

8
V AL
UES
ARE VALUES
DIFFERENT
IN DIFFERENT FIELDS ?

Why there is general indifference

towards VALUES?
ARE THESE VALUES ETERNAL ?
OR, ARE THEY
SUBJECT TO CHANGE,
WITH CHANGING TIMES ?
. . . . as in the case of fashions ?

ARE THESE VALUES UNIVERSAL ?

[ UNIFORMLY APPLICABLE TO ALL ~
IRRESPECTIVE OF
RELIGION, CASTE, CREED,
AGE, GENDER, AND SO ON ? ]
 THE INEQUALITY,
THE INEFFICIENCY,
THE INDIFFERENCE,
THE INEFFECTIVENESS . . .
THE GROWING POVERTY,
THE EXPLODING CORRUPTION,
CHEATING, CRIME, VIOLENCE, VULGARITY,
EVER-INCREASING POLLUTION,
~ NOT JUST IN ENVIRONMENT,
BUT IN THOUGHT, WORD AND ACTION,
DECREASING STANDARDS,
DECLINING VALUES,
WEAKNENING FAMILY TIES,
GET-QUICK-RICH BY ANY MEANS ATTITUDE . . .
17 Kerala
18 Kerala
 ~ WARM, SHINING & UPLIFTING

~ DISCRIMINATING, EXPLOITING
& DEGRADING
19 Kerala
IN GOD’S CREATION,
IT IS BELIEVED THAT THERE ARE
84 LAKHS OF SPECIES ~
WITH HUMAN LIFE
TOPPING THE LIST.

THE HUMAN BEING

IS BLESSED WITH
A MIND –
THE THINKING FACULTY, &
“VIVEKA” – THE FACULTY OF DISCRIMINATION.

20 Kerala
“ EVERYBODY TODAY SEEMS TO BE
IN SUCH A TERRIBLE RUSH,
ANXIOUS FOR GREATER DEVELOPMENTS
AND GREATER RICHES AND SO ON,
~ PARENTS HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME
FOR EACH OTHER;
PARENTS HAVE NOT MUCH TIME
FOR THEIR CHILDREN; -

AND IN THE HOME BEGINS

THE DISRUPTION OF PEACE OF THE WORLD”

MOTHER THERESA

21 Kerala
22 Kerala
26 Kerala
27 Kerala
28 Kerala
POLITICS PRINCIPLES
SCIENCE HUMANITY
COMMERCE MORALITY
WEALTH WORK
WORSHIP COMPASSION
PLEASURE CONSCIENCE
EDUCATION CHARACTER
 PURUSHARTHAS
&
ASHRAMAS

DHARMA BRAHMACHARYA

ARTHA GRUHASTHA
KAMA VANAPRASTHA
MOKSHA SANYASA
RIGHT / WRONG ?

TRUTH / UNTRUTH
LOVE FOR GOD
FEAR OF SIN
SOCIA L

MORA LI TY
 LOVE – THE MOST BASIC HUMAN
VALUE
IN UNDERSTANDING

IN SPEECH

IN ACTION

IN THOUGHT

IN
UNDERSTANDING
STAR T THE DAY WITH L O V E
SPEND THE DAY WITH L O V E
FILL THE DAY WITH L O V E
END THE DAY WITH L O V E
~ THAT IS THE WAY TO FIND
• CHARACTER
• INTEGRITY
• OBJECTIVITY
• PURSUIT OF TRUTH
• CONCENTRATION
• PURITY OF [ T+W+A ]
• TRUTHFULNESS
• PATIENCE
• SELF-MASTERY
• COMMITMENT
• PUNCTUALITY
• EQUALITY
• ORDERLINESS
• SIMPLICITY
• HONESTY
• HUMILITY
• ABSENCE OF ANGER
• CLEANLINESS Etc.,
GOOD
HABITS
PROF. V. VISWANADHAM
GOOD
 T S
B I
A
H
Creates and
develops
FORCE OF
 EASY

S
TO
ACQUIRE
I T
A B
H
DIFFICUL
T
TO
HABITS
REVEAL /
REFLECT
OUR
CHARACTER
HABITS
HAVE THE POWER TO
ATTRACT /
REPEL
ABILITIES
[ By Birth or Acquired ]

Combined with
adequate PRACTICE
Develop
YOUR SKILLS
IF
for some reason
PRACTICE IS POOR
the standard of
YOUR SKILLS
will also be
POOR
GOOD HABITS,
are very essential
for SUCCESS
in LIFE.
Foundation of
GOOD HABITS
forms the basis for
developing competence &
strengthening of positive attitudes
that together contribute to

SUCCESS IN
ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE.
NEVER
NEVER
NEVER
UNDERESTIMATE
THE POWER OF
GOOD HABITS
GOOD
HABITS
GOOD GOOD
WORK LIFE
HABITS
HABIT
S

GOOD HABITS
W. A. T. C.
H.
W = WORDS
A = ACTIONS

T = THOUGHTS

C = CHARACTER

H = HEAD & HEART

 WE ARE OUR OUR THOUGHTS
THOUGHTS MAKE OUR LIFE

Thoughts Words

Actions

Habits Character

L I F E
 For the sake of record

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