ETHICS

Activity 1:
Group 1-Define ethics and discuss its significance in our daily lives.
Discuss the distinction between moral and non-moral standards.

WHAT IS ETHICS?
 The process of examining, identifying, and defending our beliefs, principles, and purpose is known
as ethics. It is about discovering who we are and remaining faithful to our identity in the face of
temptations, obstacles, and uncertainty. It's not always enjoyable, and it's never simple, but if we
commit to it, we set ourselves up to make decisions we can be proud of, creating a life that's
genuinely ours and a future we want to be a part of.
 Ethics comes from the word “ethos” which originally means custom or character. It is a branch of
philosophy that studies the rightness and wrongness of a human action. Our ability to choose how
we will act is one of the characteristics that distinguishes humans. Every time we make a decision, it
is feasible that we may have made a different one. Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher,
expresses this feeling when he describes standing on the edge of a precipice. The only thing keeping
us from plunging into the emptiness is our decision to do otherwise.
 Ethics is only conceivable because we have the ability to act against our nature in accordance with
our conscience. It permits us to make decisions about what should happen rather than merely
explaining what is likely to happen. Which of the following is the best approach for you to act?
Which of the possibilities should you make a reality? That’s the question ethics seeks to answer.
 Ethics isn't the only method to establish what the "best" decision is. Some may regard it as the one
that best serves their own goals and interests, or produces the most money. Others may concentrate
on what is likely to be the most popular option. At the center of each of these is an origin of ethics,
yet it is a diversion from the most important problems. The best option, according to ethics, is the
one that best achieves what is good, right, and compatible with the nature of the items in question.
These are referred to as 'values,' 'principles,' and 'purpose' at The Ethics Centre.

VALUES TELL US WHAT’S GOOD – they’re the things we strive for, desire and seek to protect.
PRINCIPLES TELL US WHAT’S RIGHT – outlining how we may or may not achieve our
values.
PURPOSE IS YOUR REASON FOR BEING – it gives life to your values and principles.
 Types/Levels of Ethics
NORMATIVE ETHICS
It is prescriptive in nature, seeking to establish norms or standards that regulate right
and wrong or good and bad behavior. This may include articulating the good habits
that we should acquire, as well as the duties that we should follow in order to follow
the consequences of our behavior on others. As a result, normative ethics is typically
concerned with developing standards or ideas that teach us how we should behave.

META ETHICS
Meta ethics is primarily descriptive in character. Sumner claims that meta ethics is
formed, at least in part, by concerns about the meanings of particular ethical
terminology and the roles of ethical systems. As a result, if normative ethics is
evaluative and prescriptive, meta ethics is elliptical and descriptive. Simply put, meta
ethics is a sort of ethical inquiry that seeks to comprehend the nature and dynamics of
ethical principles concerning the nature and origin of moral facts, as well as how
humans learn and acquire moral ideas.

APPLIED ETHICS
It is the actual application of ethical or moral theories for the purpose of deciding
which ethical or moral actions are appropriate in a given situation. The study of
specific moral concerns that arise in public or private life is what applied ethics is all
about. Unlike normative ethics, which seeks to define universal moral norms, applied
ethics is concerned with specific moral conflicts. Abortion, stem cell research,
environmental concerns, and the proper treatment of animals are all examples of
applied ethics.