PANDAN, HEARTEY KAYE E.

BSA 1B

ETHICS ASSIGNMENT

CHAPTER 1: NATURE OF MORALITY

1. Define philosophy and explain the relationship of ethics to it.

In a broad sense, philosophy is an activity people engage in when they strive to comprehend
fundamental truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world
and to each other. The term "philosophy" literally means "love of wisdom." The field of study known
as ethics focuses on the moral precepts that guide people's behavior. The study of knowledge, truth,
and meaning is known as philosophy. The two fields are related because ethics frequently uses
philosophical concepts to explain ethical issues, while philosophy frequently addresses ethical issues.

2. Define key terms concerning ethics or morality.

Morals and ethics concern "proper" and "bad" behavior. Despite the fact that the terms are
sometimes used synonymously, ethics refers to laws established by an outside authority, such as moral
laws in the workplace or religious precepts. Morals are a person's personal standards for what is right
and wrong. Diligence, thrift, honesty, discipline, politeness, cleanliness, unity, and generosity are the
eight moral virtues.

3. Explain the various approaches to the study of morality.

Principle, consequences, virtue/character, and moral feeling approaches are among the various
moral philosophies. When decision-makers first acknowledge that they are employing distinct moral
perspectives and then opt to negotiate within the same moral perspective, conflicts in decision-making
might become simpler to settle. The three schools are deontological or duty-based ethics,
consequentialist ethics, and virtue ethics. Each method offers a unique way to comprehend ethics.

4. Understand what morality is and how it differs from aesthetics, nonmoral

behavior, and manners.

The set of principles that allow people to live peacefully in communities is referred to as
morality. Moral standards are fair and reasonable because they reflect what societies deem to be "just"
and "acceptable," and they are linked to certain feelings (like guilt and shame) and terms (such as right,
wrong, good, and bad). Standards that we use to determine what is good or bad, right or wrong, are
referred to as non-moral standards. Moral value and aesthetic value are frequently considered
complementary. They do so both practically, as in how we regularly evaluate artworks that pose moral
dilemmas, and theoretically, as in Kant's thesis that morality is symbolized by beauty. The contrast
between morals and manners is one that the common man values. He feels that morals come from the
heart and that manners are superficial. Morality is the outward manifestation of an individual's inner
nature. Morality comes naturally; manners don't.

5. Understand to whom morality applies.

The fact that people are rational beings who understand what morality demands, forbids, etc.
and are capable of directing their behavior in accordance with those requirements makes them subject
to morality. Who is morally and ethically liable? The only thing that matters in terms of morality is
other people; everything else is just conjecture. One must rely only on faith to give morality to
otherworldly beings.

6. Have some idea of where morality comes from.

Humans are where morals first emerged. Our biology and cultural evolution have produced
morality. We won't find the answers to the questions of how we ought to behave or whether or to
whom we have moral obligations by studying the roots of morality. Evolution chose morality in our
ancestors to encourage cooperation and facilitate social relations.

7. Distinguish between morality and the law.

All individuals are required by law to abide by a set of rules and regulations. On the other
hand, morals relate to broad rules or expectations of behavior that outline social behavior but are not
required to be followed. Morality refers to a person's ethical code of conduct, whereas law refers to a
set of laws and regulations that the state enforces to control human behavior in society.

8. Distinguish between morality and religion.

Morality is characterized by attitudes toward the distinctions between good and evil behavior
or between right and wrong activity. Laws are the guidelines that a nation or community expects its
inhabitants to abide by in order to control society. Religion is a system of worship and belief. It's a way
of thinking centered on trust in a higher power. Religion largely focuses on the interaction between
people and a transcendent reality, whereas morality is supposed to relate to how human affairs are
conducted and interpersonal relationships. In actuality, this morality versus religion dichotomy is a
rather recent one.

9. Understand why human beings should be moral

People would be unable to coexist with one another absent such laws. People were unable to
make plans or leave their possessions behind, no matter where they traveled. We wouldn't be able to
tell who to believe or what to anticipate from others. Social life as we know it would be impossible. To
have self-respect, one must be moral (or good). Happiness depends on having respect for oneself. And
only those who can evaluate themselves in a just and fair way can possess self-knowledge. And the
only individuals who can conduct a just and fair self-evaluation are good, moral individuals.

CHAPTER 2 : CONSEQUENTIALIST THEORIES OF MORALITY

1. What is egoism? Explain the differences between the various ‘ egoisms’. Are
you an egoist?
The habit of valuing everything only in reference to one's personal interest; selfishness
(opposed to altruism). egotism or conceit. Ethics. the view that morality ultimately rests on self-
interest. Egoism can be a descriptive or a normative position. Psychological egoism, the most famous
descriptive position, claims that each person has but one ultimate aim: her own welfare. Normative
forms of egoism make claims about what one ought to do, rather than describe what one does do.
Egoism, also referred to as egotism, is the practice of behaving in self-interested ways. So yes I'm an
egoist.

2. What is act utilitarianism? Analyze its strengths and weaknesses. Is it a good

theory?
Utilitarianism is a theory of morality that advocates actions that foster happiness and oppose
actions that cause unhappiness. Utilitarianism promotes "the greatest amount of good for the greatest
number of people." strength of Utilitarianism is its emphasis on neutrality. When making a decision,
one is to take a 'God's eye' view of things, and consider everyone equally. Utilitarians will count this as
a strength of their theory, it can also be considered a weakness of the theory. In considering everyone
equally, Utilitarianism devalues the importance of personal relationships. "Utilitarianism puts forward
that it is a virtue to improve one's life better by increasing the good things in the world and minimizing
the bad things. This means striving for pleasure and happiness while avoiding discomfort or
unhappiness."

3. What is rule utilitarianism? Analyze its strengths and weaknesses. Is it a good

theory?
 Rule utilitarianism is a form of utilitarianism that says an action is right as it conforms to a
rule that leads to the greatest good, or that "the rightness or wrongness of a particular action is a
function of the correctness of the rule of which it is an instance".

Because Rule Utilitarianism seeks the maximisation of society as a whole, it avoids people
pursuing personal pleasure. Rules are more objective and can be referred to, instead of considering
each situation and its consequences separately.

Weak Rule Utilitarianism: Guidance from the set of rules that, if followed, would promote the
greatest amount of total happiness can be ignored in circumstances where more happiness would be
produced by breaking the rule..

Utilitarianism is one of the best known and most influential moral theories. Like other forms
of consequentialism, its core idea is that whether actions are morally right or wrong depends on their
effects.

4. What is ‘care ethics’? Can justice and care be integrated?

The ethics of care (alternatively care ethics or EoC) is a normative ethical theory that holds
that moral action centers on interpersonal relationships and care or benevolence as a virtue.

It is concluded that care and justice are integrated in nurses' everyday ethical decision-making.
The ethic of care nurtures good patient–nurse relationships, while the ethic of justice is needed to
address the fair delivery of care in the context of an aging population and diminishing public resources.

5. What are the strengths and weaknesses of consequentialism generally?

The biggest strengths of consequentialism are the relative ease of universal application and its
usefulness for practical application. Despite its ease of universal application, applying consequentialist
theory to a decision can be quite time-consuming and complicated in practice.
The weakness of consequentialism is Bad for society. some people argue that if everyone
adopted act consequentialism it would have bad consequences for society in general. this is because it
would be difficult to predict the moral decisions that other people would make, and this would lead to
great uncertainty about how they would behave.