Docsity Ethics Outside Religion

ETHICS OUTSIDE RELIGION
Mathematics
15 pag.
Document shared on www.docsity.com

Downloaded by: kyzel-llanos (kyzelllanos23@gmail.com)
ETHICS OUTSIDE
RELIGION
COMPETENTE, JHONNA
DE VILLA, PAULINE
DOROSAN, MARIDEL
LAGRIMAS, MARIA KRISTINA LOUISE
LARCENA, ASHLEY DANIELA
Chapter 6
Reporters

LEARNING OUTCOMES
After studying this chapter, the students should be able to:
1. Identify alternative norms for ethics other than religion;

2. Explain the theories that support non-religious ethics;
3. Recognize the important implications of a theory of ethics outside religion;
4. Build awareness of possible issues related with non-religious ethics; and
5. Develop a broader understanding of secularism vis-à-vis the evolution of
ethics outside religion.

INTRODUCTION
ETHICS RELIGION
● At its simplest, ethics is a system of ● Religion is an organized
moral principles. They affect how collection of beliefs, cultural
people make decisions and lead systems, and world views that
their lives.
● Ethics is concerned with what is
relate humanity to an order of
good for individuals and society existence.
and is also described as moral
philosophy.

● Secular morality is the aspect of philosophy that deals
with morality outside of religious traditions. Modern
examples include humanism, freethinking, and most
versions of consequentialism. Additional philosophies
with ancient roots include those such
as skepticism and virtue ethics.
● "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on

sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no
religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a
poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of
punishment and hopes of reward after death.“
- Albert Einstein

SAMPLE CASE
War on Drugs (Extrajudicial Killings)
Duterte barged into the public eye with his tough stance against
crime particularly the use and distribution of illegal drugs.
Duterte emphasizes the peculiarity of the drug menace in the
country and invokes the Philippine sovereignty to dispel criticisms
against him.
Duterte particularly finds any reference to human rights and due
process irksome. For him, drug addiction is a local problem that
should be left to the Filipinos to resolve.
To his mind, no one outside the Philippines has any right to find
fault in his methods or instruct him on what is best for the interest
of the Filipinos.

The Possibility Outside Religion
The criticisms raised by the advocates of human rights against the
rising cases of extrajudicial killings suggest the possibility of an
ethics taken from a norm other than religion.
Human civilization is evolving and so are the ways of life, as well
as the modes of thinking and interaction among individuals.
CHARLES TAYLOR
Secularism. It is a consequence not so

much of the decline of religion but the
appearance of other alternatives that
compete with religion for recognition
and popularity.

DAVID HUME
▪ Was widely skeptical about religion
▪ In the philosophy of religion, he argued

that it is unreasonable to believe
testimonies of alleged miraculous events
and he hints accordingly, that we should
reject religions that are founded on
miracle testimonies.

KARL MARX
▪ Considered religion as an opium of the
people
▪ A German philosopher, economist, and

the least funny of the Marxes. In the
snappily titled “Contribution to the
Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of
Right”, he famously called religion “the
opium of the people”, in that religion
was not only used by those in power to
oppress the workers, but it also made
them feel better about being oppressed
when they couldn’t afford real opium.

SIGMUND FREUD
▪ Thought of religion as an illusion
▪ He suggested that it was an “illusion”, a

form of neurosis and even an attempt
to gain control over the external world.

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
▪ For thousand of years, the idea of God
(or the gods) has anchored our thinking
about the world. It has been especially
important as foundation for morality.
▪ Stated that “God is dead”. In German,

Gott is tot! This is the phrase that more
than any other is associated with
Nietzsche.

“An ethical theory outside religion is not necessarily anti-religious, some may qualify as irreligious”
▪ Such deliberation activity is a FOUR THINGS ABOUT VIRTUE
function of reason
1. One must exercise reason in
determining virtue
2.Virtueis found in the middle of two
▪ Irreligious – neither hostile to extremes
religion nor advocates of any 3.Virtue must be practiced repeatedly
4.Virtue is needed in achieving the
▪ Virtue Ethics of Aristotle – and purpose of human life, which we
called eudaimonia or happiness
example of irreligious ethical theory
ARISTOTLE
▪ Formed the triumvirate together with
▪ Nicomachean Ethics – he suggested Reason – aids humans in deciding what
the possibility of an ethics built good must be done or be pursued;
Socrates & Plato who laid the facilitates such choice
around the formation of character
groundwork for Western Philosophy.
through the acquisition and practice
“Each action, is accompanied by
▪ For him, human persons are rational
of virtue. deliberation or weighing of options”
beings which means that human beings
are defined by their ability to reason. ▪ Virtue – excellence

▪ Aristotle’s Doctrine of the THIRD VIRTUE: Virtue must be
practiced repeatedly.
Mean – never intended to be
fixed or static formula.
▪ Aristotle’s virtue ethics involves
PRACTICAL WISDOM constancy and excellence. It

means to be faithful in doing ▪ Excellence is achieved when
- Phronesis
great things. one is able to fulfill the
- The ability to act moderation
▪ It is a constant commitment in specific purpose of an
according to Aristotle
striving excellence toward activity.
- Nothing illustrates the
something.
indispensable role of reason than
the exercise of such faculty. ▪ Both constancy and excellence
are required to achieve.
Rational Faculty – a person
must rely in this to help them assess Aristotle’s word “telos” that is
constantly changing circumstances used to refer to a full potential
and adjust their mean accordingly
or inherent purpose or goal of
someone.
▪ The fourth aspect of ▪ He also believed that ▪ Locating ethics outside
Aristotlean Ethics pertains happiness is the chief religion does not mean
to the happiness or also purpose of human life but rejecting religion as a norm
known as eudaimonia it is different from other of religion.
purposes.
▪ He said that happiness is ▪ From his, perspective, just
the ultimate purpose of life ▪ Aristotle Ethics emphasizes because a person can do
something and it may lead
the exercise of our virtue to pleasure, that doesn’t
▪ He also stated that we
and at the same time the mean that it should be
should be careful in done or would contribute
purpose of human acts to well-being. A
equating happiness with
eudaimonic approach, on
pleasure ▪ The availability of ethics the other hand, was the
pursuit of personal
▪ For Aristotle, human outside religion improves fulfillment of realizing of
existence is characterized our understanding that man’s potential.
by a chain of purpose ethics is a tool of critique

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the relationship between religion and
morality is deep, broad and emotive topic. Our views and
perspectives in life are shaped and constrained with different
cognitive system. The relationship between morality and religion
expands into a matrix of separate relationship between
fractionated elements. Thus, some aspect of religion may promote
morality just as others serve to oppress and obstruct the same or
different aspects. Morality may require God in a sense that belief is
needed to enforce moral behavior but some like atheists believe
that good deeds is less moral if they are done for the sake of
religious purposes. In short we must be clear of what is meant by
religion and what is meant by good.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/introduction/intro_1.shtml
https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/religion.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_morality#:~:text=Secular%20morality%20is%20the%20as
pect,as%20skepticism%20and%20virtue%20ethics.
https://iep.utm.edu/hume/
https://www.britannica.com/video/186414/opposition-religion-Karl-Marx
https://www.verywellmind.com/freud-religion-
2795858#:~:text=So%20how%20did%20Freud%20feel,control%20over%20the%20external
%20world
https://www.thoughtco.com/nietzsche-god-is-dead-2670670
https://study.com/academy/lesson/comparing-hedonic-eudaimonic-views-of-
happiness.html#:~:text=Eudaimonic%20Happiness,-
In%20response%20to&text=A%20eudaimonic%20approach%2C%20on%20the,contributing%
20to%20one's%20own%20community.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4345965/#!po=62.7419


Docsity Ethics Outside Religion

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Docsity Ethics Outside Religion

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ETHICS OUTSIDE RELIGION

Document shared on www.docsity.com

Document shared on www.docsity.com

1. Identify alternative norms for ethics other than religion;

Document shared on www.docsity.com

Document shared on www.docsity.com

● "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on

Document shared on www.docsity.com

Document shared on www.docsity.com

Secularism. It is a consequence not so

Document shared on www.docsity.com

▪ In the philosophy of religion, he argued

Document shared on www.docsity.com

▪ A German philosopher, economist, and

Document shared on www.docsity.com

▪ He suggested that it was an “illusion”, a

Document shared on www.docsity.com

▪ Stated that “God is dead”. In German,

Document shared on www.docsity.com

▪ Such deliberation activity is a FOUR THINGS ABOUT VIRTUE

Document shared on www.docsity.com

PRACTICAL WISDOM constancy and excellence. It

by a chain of purpose ethics is a tool of critique

Document shared on www.docsity.com

Document shared on www.docsity.com

Document shared on www.docsity.com

You might also like