Ethics

Mostafa Kamal Mokhtar (PhD)

Faculty of Social Science and Humanities,
UKM Bangi
E-mail: mostafa@ukm.edu.my

Tuesday, March 24, 2015 Mostafa Kamal Mokhtar 1

Good n Bad!

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Axiology (value theory)
 the Greek axia (αξια, value, worth), is the
study of PT or Wet-John. It is often
thought to include ethics and aesthetics—
philosophical fields that depend crucially
on notions of value—and sometimes it is
held to lay the groundwork for these fields,
and thus to be similar to value theory and
meta-ethics.

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Etymology: Ethics
 Middle English ethik, from Old French ethique
(from Late Latin ēthica, from Greek ēthika,
ethics) and from Latin ēthicē (from Greek
ēthikē), both from Greek ēthikos, ethical, from
ēthos, character.];
 (‫ مقبول أدبيا‬,‫) االسم) علم األخالق (صفه) أخالقي‬
 Branch of philosophy concerned with the nature
of ultimate value and the standards by which
human actions can be judged right or wrong.
 The term is also applied to any system or theory
of moral values or principles; moral philosophy.

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Morality
 the concept of human ethics which pertains
to matters of good and evil —also referred
to as "right or wrong“
 used within three contexts: individual
conscience; systems of principles and
judgments — sometimes called moral
values —shared within a cultural, religious,
secular, Humanist, or philosophical
community
 codes of behavior or conduct morality
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Law & Jurisprudence
 The law is considered a living governing system
constructed by present and historical debate and moral
consensus among juries, and more generally, all citizens
under the system.
 This system is used to maintain order, righteousness,
and justice in everyday life. Individual actions or events
can be summoned to court for review, investigation, and
prosecution if it is believed that there has been a breach
of morality (meaning, a violation of the law) or if a law's
moral implication is questioned.
 A verdict is a lawful determination of guilt, and a guilty
party is one that has committed an immoral act. In most
systems, the lack of morality of the individual can also be
a sufficient cause for punishment, or can be an element
for the grading of the punishment.
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Axiology: Value debates
Ideas

Ethics Aesthetics

Rational Emotional
Moral

Law &
Custom
Regulation

Practices
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Scope of Ethics
 Meta-ethics (the study of the concept of
ethics, value); what is the fundamental
nature of ethics or morality itself, including
whether it has any objective justification
 Applied ethics (the study of the use of
ethical values); how a moral outcome can
be achieved in a specific situation
 Moral Psychology (how moral capacity or
moral agency develops and its nature)
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Meta Ethic Theory: How do we
know what should we behave?

Meta Ethic Theory

Naturalism Relativism
vs. Supernaturalism vs. Absolutism

Emotive Normative
vs. Cognitive vs. Descriptive

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Glossary
 Naturalism vs. Supernaturalism
 the view of the world that takes account only of natural elements and
forces, excluding the supernatural or spiritual
 doctrine of supernatural or divine agency as manifested in the world, in
human events, religious revelation, etc
 Relativism vs. absolutism
 The doctrine that no ideas or beliefs are universally true but that all are,
instead, “relative” — that is, their validity depends on the circumstances
in which they are applied
 theory holding that values, principles, etc., are absolute and not relative,
dependent, or changeable
 Cognitive vs. Emotive
 pertaining to the mental processes of perception, memory, judgment,
and reasoning
 Pertaining to the emotional and volitional processes.
 Normative vs. Descriptive
 propose an Ideal values (what they ought to do)
 explain an actual practiced values (what they do)
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Normative Ethic Theory: how
should we behave?

Normative Ethic Theory

Macro value (ideal) Micro value (practical); human action

How should one live? what is right and wrong?

Intention based Theory

Value-based Theory
Kantian
(Aristotle)
(deontology)

Divine Command Theory Consequence-based Theory

or Duty-based theory Utilitarianism
(deontology) (teleology)

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Type of moral theory: value theory
 Value-based theory: Macro value (general
action), not micro value (particular action), the
value that guide the individual’s life as a whole,
like a question of ‘How should I live?’ for an
answer is ‘to cultivate the virtue’ or ‘achieving a
true happiness’
 Based on Aristotle’s Nicomachean ethics which leads
to neo-Aristotelianism to grow.
 Great virtues are truth, generosity, courage, wisdom
 The proper living is only based on moral excellence

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Religious Ethic or Divine Command
Theory
 The Divine Command Theory is the meta-
ethical theory that moral values are commanded
by a god or gods; top-down moral
 Christian believes that right means God’s will,
wrong means God’s wrath. Therefore moral is
an issue of following absolute commands of God
through the divine Words (revelation) or it is a
religious duty.

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 Micro Value (practical): What is
right and wrong?

Sense of human duty Consequencialism

(Deontology or (Teleology or
act purely with intention of good) act with double intention)

intention action effect

Kantian Utilitarianism
(universal maxim) (hedonism)

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Type of moral theory: Deontology
 Intention-based theories (deontology or obligation): a
value of action is measured according to pure intention
(maxims). Kantian ethics
 Immanuel Kant (1724-1804): just a human sense of
duty, not because of self-interest. Meaning the motive
(intention) of action was far more important that the
action itself and its consequences. For example we
help people because the act of helping is good by
itself, not because of gaining popularity or achieve
self-esteem
 There are four vital elements in Kantian values
 Maxims as a pure human intention and universal
 The moral duty is known as categorical
(certain/unconditional) imperative (important)
(as end) vs. hypothetical one (as means)
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Type of moral theory:
Consequentialism
 Consequence-based Theory (effect): an action
is right or wrong not on the intentions of the
person performing the action, but rather on the
consequences of that action
 Utilitarianism (John Stuart Mill 1806-1873), more
toward hedonism (happiness), i.e. “good is whatever
brings about the greatest amount of pleasure
(happiness) for the greatest number of people” or The
Greatest total of Happiness Principle or the principle
of utility

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Reference
 Warburton, Nigel. 1992. Philosophy: The Basic.
London: Routledge (p. 37-64)
 Pojman, Louis P. Introduction to Philosophy:
Classical and Contemporary Readings.
California: Wadsworth Publishing Company
 Kessler, Gary E. Voices of Wisdom: A
Multicultural Philosophy Reader. California:
Wadsworth Publishing Company (p. 78-115)
 Stewart, David & Blocker, H Gene. 1996.
Fundamentals of Philosophy. 4th Edition. New
Jersey: Prentice Hall.
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