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 MORAL AND NON-MORAL STANDARDS

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 Moral Standards

• Moral standard is a code of what is wrong and what is right

without reference to the specific behaviors or beliefs
(O’Connor, Lynn, 1997)

• It deals with matters that the person thinks have serious

consequence

• Not hinged on external authority or rules, but based on good reason and
impartial considerations overriding self-interest

MORAL AND NON-MORAL STANDARDS

Characteristics of Moral Standards (Velasquez, 2012)

• Moral standards involve behaviors that seriously affect other

people’s well-being

• Moral standards take a more important consideration than other

standards, including self-interest

• Moral standards do not depend on any external authority but in how

the person perceives the reasonableness of the action
• Moral standards are believed to be universal

• Moral standards are based on objectivity

• Moral standards are associated with vocabulary that

depicts emotion or feelings
Moral versus Non-Moral Standards

• Non-moral standards can be considered as relative

standards by which something or someone is judged as
either good or bad

• The rules of non-moral standards vary because these rules

depend on the guidelines agreed by a particular group
Difference between moral and non-moral standards

• matter of taste
Moral and
Immoral Non-Moral • matter of fact
• logical truth
Moral Standards versus Other Rules in Life

• Etiquette, Policy, Law, and Commandment

Etiquette is a set of rules on how an individual should

responsibly behave in the society (Taylor and Williams, 2017)

Policy is a clear, simple statement of how an organization

plans to handle its services, actions, or business
• Etiquette, Policy, Law, and Commandment

Law is a rule created and enforced by the government and its agencies
to maintain order, resolve disputes, and protect a person’s liberty and
rights (Robertson, 2008)

Commandment is a rule that is to be strictly observed because it was

said to be set by a divine entity, such as those in the Ten
Commandments (Stahl, 2009)
 Advantage of owning moral standards over merely abiding by
moral standard

• For most people, the fundamental moral question is, “what

should I do?” or “how should I act.” Ethics are presumed as
moral rules on how a person should.

• ethics is not “what should I do” but “what kind of person

should I be”

MORAL AND NON-MORAL STANDARDS

 Assignment No. 1

Articles citing moral and non-moral

standards

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