FRAMEWORK & PRINCIPLES BEHIND MORAL DISPOSITION
Here the
What Exactly Is Moral Framework?
An ethical framework is a set of codes that an individual uses
to guide his or her behavior. Ethics are what people use to
distinguish right from wrong in the way they interact with the
world. So based on your moral judgment what you think is the
best solution for a particular problem is moral framework.
Why is it necessary?
Moral values help in improving behavior, instilling respect and
enhancing relationships with others. Knowing what is right or
wrong is an important element in life that shapes the character
on an individual. Good moral values allows a person to make
the right decisions and improve their interactions with other
people.
An ethical theory is anything that attempts to explain the
existence and facts of ethics and ethical behavior.
1. Ethics of character ‘’good person’’ is a personal traits or
attributes (trustworthy, loyal, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, etc.)
1.1 Agent-centered Theories:
I. The Virtue Approach is a matter of having the appropriate
attitude toward pain and pleasure. For example, a coward will
suffer undue fear in the face of danger, whereas a rash person
will not suffer sufficient fear.
Sphere of action/feeling Excess (vice) Mean (virtue) Deficiency (vice)
Fear and confidence Rashness Courage Cowardice
Pleasure and pain Licentiousness Temperance Insensibility
Getting and spending (minor) Prodigality Liberality Illiberality
Getting and spending (major) Vulgarity Magnificence Pettiness
Honor and dishonor (major) Vanity Magnanimity Pusillanimity
Honor and dishonor (minor) Ambition Proper ambition Unambitiousness
The Nicomachean Ethics advances an understanding of ethics
known as virtue ethics because of its heavy reliance on the
concept of virtue. The word we translate as virtue is aretê,
translated as “excellence.” A good horseman, for example, has
the aretê of being good at handling horses, and a good knife
has the aretê of sharpness. For the Greeks, moral virtue is not
essentially different from these other kinds of excellence.
Moral virtue is simply a matter of performing well in the
function of being human. For the Greeks, the motivation for
being good is not based in a divine legislator or a set of moral
dos and don’ts but rather in the same kind of striving after
excellence that might make an athlete train hard. The Greek
word ethos, from which we derive the word ethics, literally
means “character,” and Aristotle’s goal is to describe what
qualities constitute an excellent character.
II. The Feminist Approach often emphasize the importance of the
experiences of women and other marginalized groups to
ethical deliberation
2. Ethics of conduct is a person “does good things” (includes a
code of conduct or a categorization that considers particular
actions as good or bad “thou shalt not …”
Ethical Theories under ethics of conduct, three types:
2.1 Teleological – Consequentialist theories. Consequentialist
ethics come from the teleological branch of ethical theory.
Consequentialism is the view that morality is all about
producing the right kinds of overall consequences.
phrase “overall consequences” of an action means everything
the action brings about, including the action itself.
I. The Utilitarian Approach. When we choose the action that will
produce the greatest benefits and the least harm. The ethical
action is the one that provides the greatest good for the
greatest number.
II. The Egoistic Approach or ethics of self- interest. When an
individual often uses utilitarian calculation to produce the
greatest amount of good for him or herself.
III. The Common Good Approach. When it stresses the networked
aspects of society and emphasizes respect and compassion for
others, especially those who are more vulnerable.
2.2 Deontological – Non-consequentialist theories. All
deontological ethics theories are non-consequentialist. The
morality is all about doing one’s duty, respecting rights,
obeying nature, obeying God, obeying one’s own heart,
actualizing one’s own potential, being reasonable, respecting
all people, or not interfering with others—no matter the
consequences.
I. The Duty-Based Approach. Sometimes called deontological
ethics. The ethical action is one taken from duty; it is done
precisely because it is our obligation to perform the action.
II. The Rights Approach. Its roots in the philosophy of the 18th-
century thinker Immanuel Kant and others like him, who
focused on the individual's right to choose for herself or
himself. What makes human beings different from mere things
is that people have dignity based on their ability to choose
freely what they will do with their lives, and they have a
fundamental moral right to have these choices respected. Kant
believed that there was a supreme principle of morality, and
he referred to it as The Categorical Imperative.
Types of Imperative (command):
a. Categorical Imperatives: These command unconditionally.
E.g. “Don’t cheat on your taxes.” Even if you want to cheat and
doing so would serve your interests, you may not cheat.
b. Hypothetical Imperatives: These command conditionally on
your having a relevant desire. E.g.: your father says, "if you are
hungry, then go eat something!" - If you aren't hungry, then
you are free to ignore the command.
III. The Fairness or Justice Approach. It stipulates that the best
ethical action is that which protects the ethical rights of those
who are affected by the action. It emphasizes the belief that all
humans have a right to dignity.
Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your
own person or in the person of another, always at the same
time as an end and never simply as a means to an end.
IV. The Divine Command Approach. As its name suggests, this
approach sees what is right as the same as what God
commands, and ethical standards are the creation of God’s
will. Following God’s will is seen as the very definition what is
ethical. Because God is seen as omnipotent and possessed of
free will, God could change what is now considered ethical,
and God is not bound by any standard of right or wrong short
of logical contradiction.
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Applied Ethics The main contrasts between the three frameworks:
Applied ethics deals with issues in private or public life that are Consequentialist Duty Virtue
matters for ethical judgments. The following are important Deliberative What kind of What are my What kind of person
terms used in making moral judgments about particular process outcomes should I obligations in should I be (or try to
actions. produce (or try to this situation, be), and what will my
produce)? and what are the actions show about
Obligatory: This mean that it is not only right to do it, but that things I should my character?
it is wrong not to do it. In other words, we have an ethical never do?
obligation to perform the action. Sometimes the easiest way Focus Directs attention to Directs attention Attempts to discern
to see if an action is ethically obligatory is to look at what it the future effects of to the duties that character traits
would mean NOT to perform the action. For example, we an action, for all exist prior to the (virtues and vices)
might say it is ethically obligatory for parents to care for their people who will be situation and that are, or could be,
children, not only because it is right for them to do it, but also directly or indirectly determines motivating the
because it is wrong for them not to do it. The children would affected by the obligations. people involved in
suffer and die if parents did not care for them. The parents are action. the situation.
thus ethically “obligated” to care for their children. Definition of Ethical conduct is the Ethical conduct Ethical conduct is
Ethical action that will involves always whatever a fully
Impermissible: The opposite of an ethically obligatory action is Conduct achieve the best doing the right virtuous person
an action that is ethically impermissible, meaning that it is consequences. thing: never would do in the
wrong to do it and right not to do it. For example, we would failing to do circumstances.
say that murder is ethically impermissible. one's duty.
Motivation Aim is to produce the Aim is to Aim is to develop
most good. perform the one’s character.
Permissible: Sometimes actions are referred to as ethically
right action.
permissible, or ethically “neutral,” because it is neither right
nor wrong to do them or not to do them. We might say that
APPLYING THE FRAMEWORKS TO CASES:
having plastic surgery is ethically permissible, because it is not
When using the frameworks to make ethical judgments about
wrong to have the surgery (it is not impermissible), but neither
specific cases, it will be useful to follow the process below.
is it ethically necessary (obligatory) to have the surgery. Some
argue that suicide is permissible in certain circumstances. That
Scott Rae’s list of elements for making moral decisions:
is, a person would not be wrong in committing suicide, nor
1. Gather the facts. The simplest way of clarifying an ethical
would they be wrong in not committing suicide. Others would
dilemma is to make sure the facts are clear. Ask:
say that suicide is ethically impermissible.
• Do you have all the facts that are necessary to make a good
decision?
Supererogatory: A fourth type of ethical action is called
• What do we know?
supererogatory. These types of actions are seen as going
• What do we need to know?
“above and beyond the call of duty.” They are right to do, but
In this light it might become clear that the dilemma is not
it is not wrong not to do them. For example, two people are
ethical but about communication or strategy.
walking down a hallway and see a third person drop their book
2. Determine the ethical issues. Ethical interests are stated in
bag, spilling all of their books and papers onto the floor. If one
terms of legitimate competing interests or goods. The
person stops to help the third person pick up their books, but
competing interests are what creates the dilemma. Moral
the other person keeps on walking, we somehow feel that the
values and virtues must support the competing interests in
person who stopped to help has acted in a more ethically
order for an ethical dilemma to exist. If you cannot identify the
appropriate way than the person who did not stop, but we
underlying values/virtues then you do not have an ethical
cannot say that the person who did not stop was unethical in
dilemma. Often people hold these positions strongly and with
not stopping. In other words, the person who did not help was
passion because of the value / virtue beneath them.
in no way obligated (it was not ethically obligatory) to help.
3. Determine what virtues / principles have a bearing on the case.
But we nevertheless want to ethically praise the person who
In an ethical dilemma certain values and principles are central
did stop, so we call his or her actions supererogatory.
to the competing positions. Identify these. Determine if some
should be given more weight than others. Ask what the source
Frameworks for Ethical Decision- Making
for the principle is - constitution, culture, natural law, religious
1. The Consequentialist Framework
tradition...These supplement biblical principles.
2. The Duty Framework
4. List the alternatives. Creatively determine possible courses of
3. The Virtue Framework
action for your dilemma. Some will almost immediately be
discarded but generally the more you list the greater potential
for coming up with a really good one. It will also help you come
up with a broader selection of ideas.
5. Compare the alternatives with the virtues / principles. This
step eliminates alternatives as they are weighed by the moral

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 principles which have a bearing on the case. Potentially the
issue will be resolved here as all alternatives except one are
eliminated. Here you must satisfy all the relevant virtues and
values - so at least some of the alternatives will be eliminated
(even if you still have to go on to step 6). Often here you have
to weight principles and virtues - make sure you have a good
reason for each weighting.
6. Consider the consequences. If principles have not yielded a
clear decision consider the consequences of your alternatives.
Take the alternatives and work out the positive and negative
consequences of each. Estimate how beneficial each +ve and
-ve consequence is - some might have greater weight than
others.
7. Make a decision. Ethical decisions rarely have pain-free
solutions - it might be you have to choose the solution with the
least number of problems / painful consequences. Even when
making a “good” decision you might still lose sleep over it!

Role of Moral Framework in society.

Family Education Religion
Media Government

Evolution of Ethics
As efficient actions reveal themselves to an evolving society,
its people develop the means to make productive choices
between one type of action and another. Some choices are
decidedly better than others. This prioritizing of human actions
into efficient hierarchies establishes the foundations of rule
systems which later refine themselves into more sophisticated
systems of morals Evolution of Ethics.

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