What is ETHICS?

Introduction

• This module aims to analyze ethics in different perspectives which includes its definition,
nature and its importance to an individual and society. It presents the difference between
moral standards and non-moral standards, tackles as well as the characteristics of moral
standards that can easily indetify their distinctions with each other and how moral standards
are formed.

• Some ethical principles are:

o Truthfulness
o Honesty
o Loyalty
o Respect
o Fairness
o Integrity
What is Ethics

• The word Ethics is derived from the Greek word “ethos“ which
means custom or character.
• Ethics can be provisionally described as the empirical study of
moral decisions.
• Ethics is the rational reflection on what is right, what is wrong,
what is just, what is unjust, what is good & what is bad in terms
of human behavior.
Evolution of Ethics
Types of Ethics
Meta-Ethics

• It does not concern itself with the determination of the ethical

quality of specific cases like Child Labor, Human Trafficking or
Gender Equality.
• Asks whether there are moral facts or not.
• Discusses what someone is doing when they make a moral
claim/judgement.
• Considers the significance of calling something right or wrong,
good or bad…..
Normative Ethics

• Seeks to set norms or standards that regulate right and wrong and
good or bad conduct
• It investigates the set of questions that arise when considering
how one out to act, morally speaking.
• It examines that standards for the rightness and wrongness of
actions.
• Also known as Prescriptive Ethics
A police officer shoots a terrorist who is about to blow up a
crowded shopping mall

META ETHICS : The act of the police officer is morally wrong

NORMATIVE ETHICS : It is the right thing to do in this particular

situation
Importance of Ethics

• Through ethics people can determine the difference between right from wrong,
good and bad
• People can eliminate actions that do not conform to what is right
• People will be very careful to the actions and decisions to make
• People will not be disturbed of the internal and external factors of not doing
the right thing
• Establish good habits of characters of a person
• Come up to rational decisions in facing an ethical dilemma
• It makes a person responsible in the family, school and society
• Person becomes sensitive to the needs of others more that himself or herself
• Reminds a person to fully need conscience in decision making and a person can
acknowledge the actions made.
Ethical Dilemma

• What would you do if your in a shop paying for an item

and the cashier gave you back more money than you
supposed to receive?
Difference of Moral and
Non Moral Standards
Moral Standards

• Entail serious harm or benefit.

• Not determined by authority figures
• Should be adopted over other values including self interest
• Should be focused on objective considerations
• Perceived to be universal
• Correlated with different feelings and vocabulary
Non Moral Standards

• Apply to laws which are not related to social or legal

considerations.
• Lack of ethical sense
Summary of Difference of Moral and Non Moral Standards
A train Chain of the development of Moral
Standards