ETHICS

The Scope and Meaning of Ethics

Ethics is a branch of Philosophy that studies human acts and human conduct. Although there
are subjects that study human conduct such as Psychology and Sociology. Ethics has a deeper
meaning in its standpoint by further delving into the aspect of human acts. They are more
concerned with the morality of human acts.

Noted definition of Ethics:

 Ethics is the practical science of the morality of human actions.

 Ethics is the scientific inquiry into the principles of morality.
 Ethics is the study of human conduct from the standpoint of morality.
 Ethics is the science of human acts with reference of right and wrong

Relation of Ethics with Other Sciences

1. Ethics and Logic – Logic is the science of right thinking and while Ethics is the science of right
living. Thinking and Doing things go hand-in-hand, we cannot move without thinking right the
same way every action is guided by reason.

2. Ethics and Psychology – The two subjects dealt with the study of man, human nature and
human behavior but that is all their similarity ends. Psychology only tell us the causes of man’s
actions that may be psychological or physiological but ethics tell us how man should react.
Ethics is interested in moral obligation while Psychology ends there.

3. Ethics and Sociology – as we all know, Sociology deals with the study of society as well as the
social order that regulates the society as a whole. But then what is the foundation of their social
order if there is no basis of right and wrong which is Ethics. Any society is doomed to fail if
devoid of correct basis of thinking.

4. Ethics and Economics – Napoleon once said that an army marches on its stomach, in relation
to economics man has to fulfill is economic needs. The need for material wealth is inherent in
man that there are instances that economic topics needed ethical principles such as capital-
labor relations, profit, interests, money et al. The need to settle these conflicts must have
ethical basis to incur equitable results.
 Morality and Other Phases of Human Life

1. Ethics and Education – Education whether formal or informal is a never-ending process and
is the foundation of man’s moral, intellectual and physical capacities. But then again education
is illicit if it is not supported by ethics, they say ethics is life the same way education is
intertwined with life. Learning is good but learning supported by ethics is better inasmuch as
ethics is living right.
2. Morality and Law – as mentioned in the previous module, not everything moral is legal and
not everything legal is moral. Meaning there are good things that do not need legislation and
immoral acts that the State may approve. But to further differentiate them laws only used
external acts while ethics cover man’s “acts” that play in his mind that will not incriminate him
in any statute. For example, a plan for a robbery if discovered is not criminally liable in any
court of law but ethics said it is a fault for such “act” is intrinsically evil.
3. Ethics and Politics - Man in his constant search for happiness be it temporal or eternal is
never ending. They say politics and ethics are poles apart – in a certain point that is correct it is
the very reason why politics become dirty for they deviate from ethics. Man’s insatiable greed
for wealth and power thru politics means absence of ethics. An ideal state should be an ethical
state.
4. Ethics and Art – Ethics is about positive morality while art is beauty. Any work of art that is
beautiful, will give a positive outlook to the looker that will be greatly appreciated. The purpose
of art is for appreciation that is contributory to man’s ethics.
5. Religion and Ethics – Religion is ethics and ethics is religion, they are interchangeable for the
any religious belief tends to ethical standards in relation to his most fundamental tenet.
What unites them all boiled down to three things namely:
a) belief in the Supernatural,
b) man’s beginning and end and
c) right living.

Morality and Human Acts

Morality is the quality of goodness or badness in a human act. In this case, we base judgement
on any human act based on its ethicality. The quality of an act may be justified according to its
gravity. An evil human act maybe considered “right” just as long as it can be justified which lead
us to its norm of morality. By that term, we mean that the basis for determining its correctness
are the standard of the judging party and the reason why an act is morally wrong or right.
Human Acts just like the word itself means actions of men that are done willfully and willingly.
Keep in mind that scenarios beyond human control are not human acts such as rainfall, sunset,
earthquake even the beating of the heart or blood circulation are beyond human act for these
are actions man cannot control. In the case of assassinations where the culprit pulled the
trigger, the gun is not to blame but the doer of the action that caused taking the life of another
man. Once questioned he has the right to justify his action as either morally right or wrong.

References and Supplementary Materials Books and Journals:

1. Agapay, Ramon B.; Ethics and the Filipinos; Mandaluyong Metro Manila, National Book Store
2. Montemayor, Felix M.; Ethics, the Philosophy of Life; Navotas Metro Manila; National Book
Store Inc.