UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Political Science

SOC SCI 101N

ETHICS
MODULE 2

OBJECTIVES:
 Differentiate moral or ethical standards with that of the rules and norms of
human interactions
 Understand and determine responses to moral dilemmas

RULES, MORAL and NON-MORAL STANDARDS

Rules refer to explicit or understood regulations or principles governing conduct within a
specific activity or sphere. Rules regulate behavior, guarantees each person‟s rights
and freedom, and produced a sense of justice. (De Guzman et al, 2017)

Morality refers to the standards that a person or a group has about what is wrong, good
or evil. Moral standards involve the rules people have about the kinds of actions they
believe are morally right and wrong. Some ethicists equate moral standards with moral
values and moral principles. Non-moral standards, on the other hand, refer to rules that
do not need any moral or ethical considerations. They are not necessarily linked to
morality. Examples of non-moral standards include rules of etiquette, fashion standards,
rules in games, and various house rules. (De Guzman et al., 2017).

Characteristics of Moral Standards:

1. Moral standards involve serious wrongs or significant benefits.

-Moral standards deal with matters which can seriously impact, that is, injure or
benefit human beings.
2. Moral standards have overriding character or hegemonic authority.
-If a moral standard states that a person has the moral obligation to do
something, then he is supposed to do it even if it will be in conflict with other non-
moral standards, and even with self-interest.
3. Moral standards are not created, invented, or formed by authority.
–Since no one generated or created these moral standards, they cannot be
changed nor declared as null by any authoritative body.
4. The universalizability of moral standards
-Moral principles must be applicable to everyone. Universalizability entails that
the principle of consistency should be applied in one‟s value judgment.
 5. Moral standards are based on impartial considerations.
-The principles in evaluating moral standards go beyond the interest of persons
of group. Impartiality requires providing equal or adequate consideration to the
interest of everyone who is concerned.

MORAL DILEMMAS
“Ethics is about choices which matter, and choices which matter are dilemmas. The
Greek word means „two horns‟. The horns of the dilemma – only two choices: is or is not,
to be or not to be, true or false or indeed, only ONE choice, to find the way between
the horns of the dilemma.” (Cohen, 2003)

Dilemma and Moral Dilemma (De Guzman et al., 2017)

„Dilemma‟ is a concept characterized by a situation in which a tough choice has to be

made between two or more options, especially more or less equally undesirable one.

„Moral dilemma‟ is characterized by a difficulty in choosing between two courses of

action that involves conflicts between moral requirements.

Key features of a moral dilemma:

1. The agent is required to do each of the actions

2. The agent can do each action
3. But the agent cannot do all of the actions

Three Levels of Moral Dilemma

a. Personal Dilemma
-These are the dilemmas that are experienced and can be resolved by the
agent on a personal level. To provide an example, this is the moral dilemma
experienced by a father who needs to choose between the life of his wife and
his child who is about to be delivered.

b. Organizational Dilemma
-This refers to the moral dilemma experienced and resolved by social
organizations including but not limited to businesses, the public sector,
corporations, and the medical field. Moral dilemmas in the business sector
involve problems involving their policies and the conduct of their employees,
etc.

c. Structural Dilemma

-This involves cases between networks of institutions and theoretical paradigms.

This is wider in scope as compared to an organizational dilemma.
References:
 Cohen, M. (2003). 101 ethical dilemmas. Routledge.
 De Guzman, J. M. et al. (2017). Ethics: Principles of ethical behavior in modern
society: Mutya Publishing House, Inc.