ETHICS:

Lesson 2: Valuation (Pagpapahalaga)

(Notes)
Ethics seems to involve valuations that we make in a sphere of human actions that are characterized
by a certain gravity and that concern human well-being or human life itself. Therefore, matters
that concern life and death such as war, capital punishment, or abortion and matters that concern
human well-being such as poverty, inequality, or sexual identity are often included in discussions
of ethics.

Ethics
• Ancient Greek word ēthikós (θικόςἠ ), "relating to one's character", which itself comes
from the root word êthos ( θοςἦ ) meaning "character, moral nature“.
• Latin as ethica
• French as éthique, from which it was transferred into English.

Ethics seeks to resolve questions of human morality by defining concepts such as:
• Good and evil, right and wrong
• Virtue and vice, justice and crime

Ethics and Philosophy

From the Greek word
• PHILIA – Love (strong desire for a particular object)
• SOPHIA – wisdom (correct application of knowledge)
• Love of Wisdom

Philosophy
▪ science that studies beings in their ultimate causes, reasons, and principles
through the aid of human reason alone.
▪ All things that exist:
- Material or Immaterial
• Greece is traditionally considered the birthplace of philosophy.
• Early Greek thinkers realized they needed more than what poets and storytellers could tell
about the world around them.

SOCRATES
➢ Appeared in 15th century B.C
➢ Though not the first one, yet still recognized for being the first to redirect the
focus of philosophy from natural world to the human person.

PLATO
➢ Enhanced the ethical orientation of philosophy, that is, to live according to a
certain idea or form of what life ought to be.

ARISTOTLE
➢ For him, a happy life is not just merely an act of doing particular tasks but also knowing what these are
for.

Ethics (The study of morality)

Ethics deals with what is right or wrong in human behavior and conduct. It asks such
questions as:
1. What constitutes a person or action being good, bad, right, or wrong, and how do we know
(epistemology)?
2. What part does self-interest, or the interest of others play in making moral decisions and
judgements?
3. What theories of conduct are valid or invalid and why?
4. Should we use principles or rules or laws, or should we let each situation decide our morality?
5. Are killing, lying, cheating, stealing, and sexual acts right or wrong, and why or why not?

The Three Main Branches of the Philosophical Study of Ethics

Meta-Ethics
❖ is a branch of analytic philosophy that explores the status, foundations, and
scope of moral values, properties, and words.
❖ ‘Meta’ from Greek word meaning above or after
❖ Meta ethics into the morality of ethical claims
Normative Ethics
❖ Is the study of what makes actions right or wrong, what makes situations or events good or bad
and what makes people virtuous or vicious.
❖ Normative ethics question the good or bad of an action.

Applied Ethics
❖ refers to the practical application of moral considerations. It is ethics with respect to real-world
actions and their moral considerations in the areas of private and public life, the professions,
health, technology, law, and leadership.
❖ Deals with difficult moral questions and controversial moral issues that people actually face in their
lives.
Example
- the moral issues regarding... abortion.
- giving to the poor the death penalty
- gay/lesbian marriage (or other rights)
- war tactics censorship so-called “white lies”

The Difference between Normative Ethics and Applied Ethics

▪ Normative - studies what features make an action right or wrong.
▪ Applied ethics - attempts to figure out, in actual cases, whether or not certain
acts have those features

Self Interest Theory

Human beings are always and everywhere selfish. Even if there are objective moral values, we are
incapable of living up to them.
1. Definitional argument – we are selfish when we do what we want to do, and we always do what
we want to do.
2. Hidden benefits argument – selfish benefits to helping others.
3. Fear of punishment argument – what if I get caught?

Consider this…. Are people basically good, and corrupted by society, or are people basically bad and
must be kept in line by society?

While it may be that some values are relative and that people are often selfish, we do not have to conclude
that all values are relative or that people are always selfish.

Theories of Ethics
- While it may be that some values are relative and that people are often selfish, we do not have to
conclude that all values are relative or that people are always selfish.
- An ethical theory attempts to provide a set of fundamental moral principles in harmony with our
moral intuitions
Religious Ethics - an authoritative rule book to tell us what rules to follow.
Duty Ethics - Fulfill your obligations. Duties and rights are two sides of the same coin.

Kant’s Approach to Ethics – Can your actions be consistently generalized? Ask yourself “What if
everyone did that?”. According to Kant, if something is wrong, it is
always wrong!

Ethics refers to standards of conduct, standards that indicate how one should behave based on moral
duties and virtues, which themselves are derived from principles of right and wrong.

Values are determined by the society we grow up in, and there are no universal values.
Moral values are simply customs or conventions that vary from culture to culture.

Reference: https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/emilio-aguinaldo-college/financial-management/ethics-notes/49682168
Mpdemaisip-2023