Ethics- Etymologically, ethics is derived from the Greek word ethicos, or that which pertains to ethos, - Copernicus and
us and Galileo, they exemplified in their works that the scientific turn came to fruition in the
the English translation of which is “custom” or “character”. From this etymological meaning, ethics is
taken to means as a philosophical science that deals with the morality of human conduct or human acts.
The Difference between Ethics and Morality
there is no difference between ethics and morality. As cited earlier, ethics comes from the Greek word
ethos meaning “custom”. Morality, on the other hand, comes from the Latin word mos or moris, which
also means “custom”.
Ethics as a normative philosophical science, is a theoretical science of good and bad or right and wrong
actions. So, ethics provides the principles on the morality of human acts; it equips man with a
(theoretical) knowledge of the morality of human acts.
Ethics Compared with Other Sciences that Deal with Man
1. Ethics and Psychology- Psychology is a descriptive philosophy that treats of man’s intellect, free
will, and conduct while ethics guides man’s intellect to know moral truths and man’s will to translate his
intellectual knowledge of moral truths into action.
2. Ethics and Sociology- Sociology deals with human relations. Human relations, however, presuppose
proper setup or order in society. This proper order postulates the observance of proper laws. These
proper laws postulate the moral laws or order of right and wrong action, which is ethics. Therefore,
ethics and sociology are closely associated with each other. Apart from ethics there can be no civilized
or humanized relations in society.
3. Ethics and Logic- Logic is the branch of philosophy that deals with man’s correct thinking. Ethics,
on the other hand, deals with man’s correct doing and correct living. Therefore, like sociology, logic is
closely associated with ethics since a person who does not know how to think correctly can never live
his life rightly.
4. Ethics and Anthropology- Anthropology deals with man’s origin and the behavior of primeval man.
Ethics, on the other hand, deals with the principles of right conduct as applied to all men at all times.
5. Ethics and Moral Theology- Moral Philosophy (Ethics) and Moral Theology presupposed God’s
existence; they too have the same end, i.e., the attainment of man’s ultimate goal: God. They have the
same means towards the attainment of this end, i.e., right living. The two, however, differ in their basis.
Moral Philosophy bases its principles on reason. On the contrary, Moral Theology bases its principles on
Faith or Divine Revelation and reason.
Theory, Concepts, and Ethics Reasoning
Historical
-The root of professional is “to profess about matter of vital importance”.
-The first professionals are spiritual advisers, who provide wisdom and guidance on an issue of
arguably, incalculable importance; one’s relationship with the divine.
-The first professionals also form a socially sanctioned position to competent authority that’s why they
get the trust.
-Early Clergy they held in great esteem, often with the corresponding benefits of enhanced material
comforts to continue to be common to contemporary professional.
-The example of clergy are; early medical practitioners, particularly in Egypt and the Far East.
The Rising Role of Science
Continuing religious it influence increasingly scientific enterprises helped the clergy retain power and
status. From the earliest days, thus, religion and science have had to decipher how to coexist, with
science playing an ever‐increasing role.
- In ancient Egypt, for example of this are the spectacular monuments to the god ‐kings – pyramids,
temples, and the Great Sphinx – were made possible only by highly advanced mathematical and
engineering skills.
- Ancient Greece and Rome struggled with the growing separation between appeals to the supernatural
and increased understanding of how the natural world works. That understanding, not religious belief,
was what allowed for the creation of the extraordinary infrastructure – plumbing, rroads, bridges,
buildings – without which Rome would never have been able to sustain its far ‐reaching empire.
- entire period, religious authority had a solid stranglehold on socially sanctioned “truth.”
Impact of the European Enlightenment
Those beliefs ran to European enlightenment, with its astonishing explosion of culture, education,
scientific discovery, and political transformation.
ideas of people like Francis Bacon.
- Francis Bacon, he defense of science as the path to truth (Bacon, 2008).
- John Locke, with his rejection of the divinely inspired monarchy (Locke, 1988).
- Gutenberg, written material could now be widely disseminated and you have the foundations for a
newly educated and politically engaged citizenry.
In 18th century saw the dramatic explosion that result of increased life spans and improved infant health,
which came with the reinvention of water and sewage distribution (the systems perfected by the Romans
had largely been abandoned after the fall of the empire).
-Major societal transformations -created a whole new set of human needs, along with the need for
associated experts process that certainly continues today (consider, for example, the role of computing
professionals relative to a mere forty years ago).
-Proto-professionals -are people who trained strictly through apprenticeship, universities increasingly
took on that role, to the point that by the turn of the twentieth century, a college degree was considered
the minimum prerequisite for professional training.
-similar to the clergy’s earlier position, he didn’t even have the capacity to evaluate the expert’s
legitimacy other than through word of mouth and basic trust; the knowledge gap was just too wide.
-Opportunists, the one who’s happy to take advantage of the fearful and needy. These schemers and
scam artists – consider, for example, the origin of the term, “snake oil salesman” – they claimed to have
the same ability to fix your problems or cure your ills, and often far more cheaply.
Organizing the differentiate
Legitimate proficiency determined that the best message was one of structural trust: “You can have
confidence in us because we have created the structures – education, training, continuing oversight, and
assurance of right character – that certify that we have the right skills and ethical commitment.”
Medicine was the first to make this official move when the eventually named British Medical
Association (BMA) was founded in 1832.
The BMA was the first to create both the credentialing and the curricular standards that would assure the
public that its members could be trusted.
The American Medical Association (AMA) followed suit in 1847, setting a normative stage at its
inaugural meeting by establishing the association’s first Code of Ethics.
Formalizing the Standard
The Flexner Report on US medical education (Flexner, 1910) serving as the key wake‐up call for the
need for strict nation-wide standards. The result was a formal tightening of accreditation and
apprenticeship requirements, producing the system of medical education, including residency programs,
that we have today. Being a product of such a system, thus, gives one a kind of imprimatur: “You can
trust me because I’ve received the system’s approval.” At the same time, the system motivated
suspicion, if not cynicism, of those who were not members of the club.
Establish Trust
The vast majority of commercial relationships are, at their core, instrumental: each party is using the
other to achieve an end, and suspicion about one another’s motives is the norm.
Hence, any modification to caveat emptor results from the parties having a pre ‐existing relationship, or
is driven by the desire to create a long‐term and mutually beneficial relationship, or is mandated by legal
or regulatory oversight.
Monopolies, Money and Power
The associated monopoly, is along with the deep power asymmetry that typically exists between
professional and client (one with expertise and exclusive access, the other typically vulnerable, fearful,
and dependent) creates plenty of opportunity for abuse.
BMA and AMA are worked to protect patients’ vital needs through the creation of real standards for
what qualified as medical practice, while, on the other, they created an economic monopoly. The
resulting power – legal power, knowledge power, and power rooted in sick or injured patients’
vulnerability
– made it easy for any given professional to exploit their status for personal enrichment, all while
claiming a privileged standing.
Defining Professionals
Professional Ethics, Michael Bayles argues that the definition of key concepts – like “professional” – -licensed psychologists
should emerge empirically, via a review of how the term is used in ordinary discourse (Bayles, 1981).

-certified public accountants

A conceptual approach, one that makes sense of what distinguishes these activities, in part by building
upon the understanding gained through the historical analysis of the preceding section.
-veterinarians.

Central to those criteria is trust.

System administrators: Aspects of the computing field are in the process of formally professionalizing
and system administrators will certainly be among the first who qualify.
Trust couldn’t exist without the satisfaction of these criteria and, because professionals satisfy them, we
trust them to assist with our vital needs.
They provide a vital service and are highly educated, with extensive and specialized training.

Defining Professionals
Scientists: Those who are also college professors, or who have the relevant terminal degree and work
for a public service agency (typically government related), satisfy all the criteria.
Essential Feature

Nurses: Their commitment certainly aligns with the normative core (client well ‐being as their highest
-The activity must address a vital need. priority) and most consider their work to be a calling.

-The members of the profession must receive extensive education and training. Teachers: Much like nurses, they care deeply about their clients and they generally see their work as a
calling, but they have limited power or autonomy over instructional methods and, especially,
curriculum.
-There must be self‐regulation by the members of the profession,

Journalists: Journalists have lost much of the public trust they acquired during the Watergate era.
-usually overseen by a professional Surveys now consistently place them among the least trustworthy of occupations.

organization, with associated credentialing. Types of Professional–ClientRelationships

Common Feature Agency - These relationships the professional serves primarily as the client’s agent, helping him to
achieve his already established goals. Picture a client who routinely gets sinus infections and knows that
he needs an antibiotic to clear them up.
-A monopoly over services.

-The work activities are largely mental.
-The intellectual emphasis also contributes to higher social status and, again, increased income.
Paternalistic (or parentalistic) - paternalistic or parentalistic ones put all or most decision‐making
authority in the hands of the professional. The client concedes authority, trusting the physician to have
sufficient expertise, commitment to client well‐being, and the experience and judgment to choose
wisely.

-There is typically a strong power asymmetry between professional and The asymmetry is also created
and maintained in the artifices – the trappings of power – built into professions and professional–client
relationships.
-Professionals generally see their work as a calling, as opposed to a job or even a
Role Based Duties
Contractual - In these relationships the client and professional hold closely equal power and they work
together to agree upon a mutually acceptable course of action.
Affinity- Affinity relationships built upon previously existing friend-ships are quite common, the
broader framework Veatch recommends suffers mainly from economic constraints. It is just not feasible
to have that many service locations (most religiously based health ‐care settings, for example, hire people
from a wide range of belief systems) and insurance plans would have to grant sufficient latitude to
choose where one wants to be treated.

Fiduciary
-High social status and enhanced compensation.

- A fiduciary relationship could largely look like an agency or a paternalistic one, if that is what works
-First among the general duties is the overarching commitment to have one’s clients’ needs as the best in the specific
highest priority.

circumstances – fiduciary relationships are also among the toughest to achieve. Clients must have
-Another general duty is the commitment, sufficient self‐understanding and professionals must be able to overcome the range of constraints and
inducements that undercut trust.

-One of the more challenging aspects of professional ethics is that role ‐based
Ethical Reasoning

Working List
-Ethics makes clear to us why one act is better than another

-architects
-Ethics contributes an orderly social life by providing humanity some basis for agreement,
understanding some principles or rules of procedure.
-licensed attorneys

-Moral conduct and ethical systems, both of the past and the -present, must be intelligently appraised
-ordained clergy and criticized.

-dentists -Ethics seeks to point out to men the true values of life.

-engineers with Professional The Objects of Ethical Reasoning

-Engineer (PE) certification -The doer of the action (the subject)

-physicians (including -The action done

-psychiatrists) - Formal object of Ethics is the Action, not the subject.

-licensed pharmacists The Spectrum of Ethical Reasoning

-professors Consequentialist (Teleological) Ethics

- Ethical Actions have consequences ◆ Unity

The Spectrum of Ethical Reasoning ◆ Integrity

Non- consequentialist (Deontological) Ethics ◆ Honesty

- Ethical Actions have moral, categorical imperatives. ◆ Self-respect

- If everyone were to do this action, would the resulting world be rational? (queue allegory) ◆ Responsibility

- Ethical actions participate in rational truths despite consequences. ◆ Accountability

- Nay/Hooray judgement on the action itself. MORAL UNITY AND INTEGRITY

External vs. Internal Ethical Reasoning ◆ Moral unity is the consistency among our attitudes, emotions, and conduct. Integrity makes one feel
responsible for all his/her actions, good or bad.

EXTERNAL:
◆ Moral integrity is the unity of the character on the basis of moral values. It is the unity between the
responsibility of an individual in his/her personal and professional life. Integrity promotes the attitude in
- Ethical actions are a result of the cultural, societal, religious, and political evolution of group identity. an individual that he/she is responsible for all wrongdoings in his/her acts.

-One does the “right” action in order to belong. Compromise -is the attitude to settle things by mutual concession or reconciliation by mutual
adjustments in attitude and conduct, when a difference of opinion exists. This is akin to tolerance cited
in Chapter 6.
INTERNAL:

Discretion- is the sensitivity to the legitimate areas of privacy of the employer or client, especially with
- Called “Virtue Ethics”. regard to confidential information.

- Focusing on the subject, not the action (i.e. “be an honest person”) Honesty is a fundamental virtue for all engineers who engage in relationships with their employers

- Philosophical roots in Socrates and Aristotle and clients. These relationships are based on trust that the engineers will perform effectively and
truthfully the activities for which they are employed. Honesty takes the following three forms:

- Do “right” actions because one must have “right” ethical character.

◆ Honesty in acts, like refraining from stealing, account manipulation, etc.

Practical vs. Theoretical Ethics

◆ Honesty in speech is telling the truth always like king Harishchandra, never involving in deceptive
talks or hiding the truth with an intention to gain.
Practical Ethics involves the application of reasoning in a complex society

◆ Honesty in beliefs
Often results in an imperfect synthesis of various theories

EIGHT WAYS OF MISUSING THE TRUTH

Theoretical Ethics is meant to practice reasoning within general frameworks.

-Lying
HUMAN VALUES

-Deliberate deception
HUMAN VALUES-as the desirable features describing the character of a person.

-Withholding information
-as the standards of human behavior (Oxford Dictionary).

-Failing to promote adequately the dissemination of information

VIRTUE- as a behavior that shows high moral standards.

-Failure to seek out the truth

FOUR BASIC TYPES OF VIRTUES

-Revealing confidential or proprietary information secretly

1. Self-direction Virtues- that are needed for exercising moral autonomy and responsibility. They
include good
-Allowing one’s judgment to be effected by corruption and bribery

moral judgment, courage, perseverance, fidelity to commitments, integrity, honesty, selfunderstanding,

and humility. -Allowing oneself to be subjected to extortion.

2. Public-spirited Virtues- that are focused on the good for the public effected by one’s work and also OTHER FORMS OF LACK OF INTEGRITY IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
on the good of the clients. They include justice, having no intention for harming others, intentionally or
unintentionally, and a sense of accountability to the society
Trimming Data- by smoothening irregularities for the purpose of showing them as accurate and
precise. However, this is allowed to some extent by convention.
3. Teamwork Virtues- that are essential in enabling engineers to work successfully with others, like
loyalty to the employers, cooperativeness, collegiality, loyalty, leadership qualities, and effective
communication. Cooking Data- like deliberately omitting certain data that would lead to a different result than intended.

4. Proficiency Virtues- possessing the mastery of one’s craft and skills, like competency, diligence, and Forging Data- by inventing some or all the data without exactly performing the experiment.
creativity.

Plagiarism- by use of intellectual properties of others without due reference to them or credit though
McINTYRE’S LIST OF VIRTUES drawing a line between legitimate and illegitimate use of intellectual properties is often difficult.

McIntyre cites the following as virtues: Multiple Authorship- though legitimate in general, is sometimes used by some researchers by
including too many names as authors, just to satisfy the need of some to show a large number of
publications.
Civic virtue is the cultivation of habit of personal living, important for better society interaction and for
the success of the community. The identification of the character traits that constitute civic virtue has
been a major concern of political philosophy. This has been the main theme of the teachings of ancient
philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle, who emphasized that to live in accordance with nature is to live
in accordance with virtue. It is believed that civic virtue is not a genetic character but is acquired
through programmed training methods right from the childhood of a person. This is the reason why
Civics is taught in the elementary education scheme. Character building and molding is a significant
aspect of civic education in shaping the personality and character of a student.
MODESTY- The self-confidence explained above should not lead one to arrogance. One should be
humble and should not be a show-off. The Oxford Dictionary defines modesty as having a humble view
of one’s abilities and achievements. The synonyms are diffidence,humbleness, inconspicuous, plain,
simple unassuming, unostentatious, and unpretentious
GENEROSITY- Generosity is the expression of kindliness to others. It is the virtue of freely giving to
others more than expected. The synonyms for being generous are benevolent, big-hearted, charitable
forgiving, liberal, magnanimous, philanthropic, and open-handed.

courage -as the conviction on the part of a person to act on one’s belief despite danger or disapproval. It
refers to the bold and unrighteous expression of views and actions without any fear and submission.
Courage is generally associated with self-discipline that leads one to success. It strengthens the mental
caliber and personal integrity for analyzing and solving critical problems without any fear or
disappointment. It also encourages one to fight against evil or social injustice with a sense of moral
devotion and commitment. The synonyms, or related terms, are boldness, bravery, daring,dauntlessness,
fearlessness, prowess, gallant heroism, unafraid, undaunted, and valor.
CHARACTER- The term character refers to the presence of all good human values and forms the basis
for one’s personality and credibility. The Oxford Dictionary defines character as the strength and
originality in a person’s nature (synonyms: attitude, constitution, disposition, manner, temperament).
The other definition is the particular qualities that make a person or thing different from others
(synonyms: distinctiveness, individuality, peculiarity, quality, stamp, and uniqueness). The other
meanings not related to ethics are, a person’s role in a drama or play, and a printed or written letter or
symbol.

Valuing time means optimal utilization of the time available for a fruitful purpose by judicial planning.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF CHARACTER

This is also called time management, which is the critical aspect of enhancing productivity and
achieving goals as per the desired time schedule. Joseph Telushkin, a Jewish Rabbi, in his book The Ten Commandments of Character, indicates the
following as essential characteristics of an ethical person.

empathy comes from the Greek work empathia. Empathy can be defined as one’s ability to recognize,
perceive, and directly feel the emotions of others. As the states of mind, beliefs, and desires of others are 1. Know your weaknesses.
intertwined with their emotions, one with empathy for another is often able to define

2. When ethics and other values conflict, choose ethics.

more effectively another’s modes of thoughts and moods. By empathy, one develops a clear
understanding to appreciate the intentions of others in their own views and moral angles. It involves the
patient listening of communications to promote a climate of interaction between individuals. This is very 3. Treat all people with kindness, and with understanding that they, like you, are made in God’s image.
common among married couples who come to understand each other very well. This is also the major
factor among close friends and colleagues working together in a common environment. The virtue of
caring is also a result of feeling empathy and showing generosity on others. 4. Be fair.

Self-respect is the characteristic of a person to value himself in morally valid methods. While self- 5. Be courageous.
respect and self-esteem are generally used as synonyms, self-respect is a moral concept whereas self-
esteem is a psychological concept, which signifies having a positive attitude towards oneself. Self-
respect is slightly different from self-confidence, the former involving more of self-assessment while the 6. Be honest.
latter emphasizing on the awareness of the self-possession of abilities.

7. Be grateful.
Self-respect can have two components, namely

8. Practice self-control.
Recognition- meaning showing equal respect to others as individuals and also respect their rights, as
much as we want our rights to be respected
9. Exercise common sense.

Appraisal- meaning evaluating oneself based on how the moral issues are faced.
10. Admit when you have done wrong, seek forgiveness, and don’t rationalize bad behavior.

Self-confidence- is an attitude that allows individuals to have positive yet realistic views of themselves
and their situations. They trust their own abilities, have a general control over their way of living and Responsibility -is the characteristic of a person where he attributes a moral virtue within himself. That
believe that within reason they would be able to do what they wish, plan, and expect. It strengthens their is, he
mental stability and will power for the successfulachievement of any task and motivates them to move in
the right direction.
◆ Is interested in doing right things,

Factors for Development of Self-confidence

◆ Does his duty with care and effort,

1. Childhood life and parental care as explained above

◆ Meets obligations with great care, and

2. Purposeful objectives and targets well set after good foresight and planning
◆ Carries out his duties with due consideration.

3. Consistent plans and commitment for the execution of a task

In practical applications, the term responsibility can be said to have five meanings.

4. Not expecting too much of approval and consent from others

1. Commitment By saying a person is responsible, we mean he is sincerely committed to do the right
thing in the right manner.
5. Bold character and a determined approach to solve problems

6. Proactive attitude to assess the reasons for mistakes and failures
7. Failure should be considered as a stepping stone for success
2. Obligation By saying a person has moral responsibilities, we mean he is morally obliged to do his
duties, whether as a professional (like a process control engineer feeling his obligation to check the
process parameters regularly instead of sitting in a comfortable chair till his boss comes on rounds),
social (committed to the society), or as a person (being obliged to pay the school fees of his children).

3. Moral Capacity By saying a person has a capacity to act in a responsible manner, we mean his moral
8. Flexible attitude and temperament in dealing with others autonomy has been developed to post-conventional level as theorized by Kohlberg.

9. Modest without being a show-off to others 4. Accountability By saying a person is accountable, we mean he is ready to accept his accountability
for all his actions and is ready to subject himself for assessment.

10. Well-structured communication and mutual exchange of views

5. Praiseworthy By saying a person is responsible, we mean his praiseworthiness.

11. Beneficial association with people of moral values

LEGAL VS. MORAL RESPONSIBILITIES

12. Not reacting to unhealthy comments from others but taking them in a positive and proactive attitude
As an illustration, in regard to the responsibility of causing harm, we can distinguish the motives:

13. Being committed for the upliftment of society or the organization to which one belongs to.
◆ Intentionally causing harm (knowingly and deliberately causing harm) conflict with current scientific thinking. Faith means trust, belief, or confidence. The object of faith can
either be a person or an inanimate object or a proposition.

◆ Recklessly causing harm (not aiming to cause harm, but acting in conscious awareness that the harm
is likely to result) RELIGION AND ETHICS

◆ Negligently causing harm (not knowingly causing harm but 1. They are related historically. Our morals, ethics, and outlooks are molded by the tenets of the religion
to which a person belongs.

failing to exercise due care)

2. Religious views support moral responsibility, which provides additional motivation for being moral.

IMPEDIMENTS TO APPRECIATION OF RESPONSIBILITY

3. Religion sometimes sets higher moral standards than conventional ones.

1. Self-interest with a concern for satisfying one’s own interest

THE GOLDEN RULE IN RELIGIOUS ETHICS

even at the cost of others

The golden rule that says ‘Treat others in the way you want them to treat you’ is reflected in many
religions in some form or the other.
2. Egoism, unwilling to accept one’s own faults

Christian Version: ‘Treat others in the way you would like them to treat you’ (Luke 6.31, New English
3. Fear of loss of job or importance Bible)

4. Self-deception Betraying a willful lack of self-understanding, saying that everyone else does this Hindu Version: ‘Let not any man do unto another any act that he wishes not done to himself by others,
mistake without being made liable. So why should I? knowing that it would be painful to himself’ (Mahabharata, Santhiparva cclx 21)

5. Ignorance of vital information, though it cannot be treated as an excuse. Buddhist Version: ‘Hurt not others with that which pains yourself’ (Udanavarga, v. 18)

6. Misinterpretation due to limited perspectives, similar to the acts of children Confucian Version: ‘Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you’ (Analecs, Book
xii, #2)

7. Microscopic vision, which is like the above but exhibited even in grown-ups. This is a combination
of ignorance and misinterpretation. This can also be termed as mindset or wood-headedness. Jewish Version: ‘What is hateful to yourself, do not do to your fellow man. That is the whole of the
Torah.’ (Babylonian Talmund, Shabbats 31a)

8. Uncritical acceptance of decision especially when there can be no one else to comment or offer
advice on what you decide. Muslim Version: ‘No man is a true believer unless he desires for his brother that which he desires for
himself’ (Hadith, Muslim, Imam 1-72)

9. Groupthink Even though this is opposite to what is as stated above and sometimes provides the
needed moderation (two heads are better than one), this groupthink sometimes makes. groups come into
agreement at the cost of critical thinking, that is when most of the group does not want to spend time and
energy in analyzing and thinking. Irving Janis, in his book Groupthink identifies symptoms of
groupthink as follows:

(a) Illusion of morality that assumes the inherent morality of the group, thereby discouraging critical
examination of the moral implications of what the group does or thinks.

(b) A tendency of individual members towards self-censorship, resulting from a desire not to ‘rock the
boat’.

(c) An illusion of invulnerability of the group to failure.

(d) A strong ‘we’ feeling that views outsiders as enemies or aliens.

(e) Rationalization or mindset that tends to shift responsibility to others.

(f) An application of direct pressure on those who show signs of disagreement often exercised by the
group leader who intervenes in an effort to keep the group unified.

(g) Mud-guarding or protecting the group from outsiders who want to present dissenting views to the
group.

Spirituality means the personal path of the soul consciousness. It is the internal instinct and the
conscious soul which are directed towards the attainment of eternal peace. The goal of spirituality is for
us to go towards the goal with honest and sincere intentions, well-focused attentions, being ethical in our
dealings with others, and the clarity to appreciate and embrace the wellbeing of all around us.
Spirituality involves the practice and teaching of the several aspects of ethics and human values like
integrity, honesty, tolerance, forgiveness, patience, obedience, self- confidence, commitment,

Spirituality inspires us to stimulate our inner mind and ponder over the philosophical and moral
aspects. It is an active and vital connection to a force, power, or sense of the deep self. Some proponents
indicate that spirituality is a two-stroke process. The upward stroke related to the inner growth and the
downward stroke relates towards adapting ourselves to the reality and world around us which is dynamic
as a result of the inward change. Spirituality may include the belief in God and supernatural power as in
religion, but the emphasis is on self-experience. The concept of spirituality makes us believe that there
are several spiritual paths while religion specifies one of these paths.

SPIRITUALITY VS. RELIGION, SUPERNATURAL, AND FAITH

In contrast to the spirituality as explained above, religion (based on the Latin word religion, meaning
good faith) is a belief in the divine, supernatural, or sacred forces that result in worship in institutional or
culturally bound expressions. The supernatural refers to conscious, magical, or unknown forces that
cannot be ordinarily perceived except through significant effort. Unlike the natural forces, these
supernatural forces cannot be shown to exist by scientific methods. Claims of supernatural phenomena