GEC – ETHICS (REVIEWER: 1ST SEM)
LESSON 1: ETHICS
ETHICS - comes from ethos in Greek which means
custom or behavior.
 A branch of knowledge that studies moral
principles, one that systematizes, defends
and recommends concepts of right and
wrong.
MORALITY - comes from mos in Latin which refers
to mores or custom.
 Set of norms, rules, standards, principles,
or values of people about what is right or
wrong, good or bad
FOUR BRANCHES OF ETHICS:
1. Descriptive Ethics - derives knowledge of
morality by asking, describing, and explaining
moral actions, moral decisions, and moral
phenomena throughout history.
 It is also called comparative ethics as it
deals with customs and laws changing
across generations and societies.
2. Normative Ethics - approaches knowledge of
morality through philosophy or religion by
providing frameworks and theories about
how one should act.
 It is also called prescriptive ethics.
Aristotle’s virtue ethics, Mills’ utilitarian
ethics, and Kant’s duty ethics as well as
Eastern morality e.g., Hinduism,
Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism are
moral theories of normative ethics.
3. Metaethics - derives knowledge of morality
through studying concepts, terms,
statements, and judgments particularly about
the origin of the ethical concepts.
 It is also called analytical ethics. It studies
moral concepts, terms, statements, and
judgments in terms of whether they
factual meaning at all.
4. Applied Ethics - approaches ethical questions
specific to a professional, disciplinary, or
practical field including teachers, doctors,
leaders, engineering, and so on.
 There are six fields of applied ethics:
Decision ethics, Professional ethics,
Clinical ethics, Business ethics,
Organizational ethics, and Social ethics.
FURTHER ASSIGNED READING
(WEBSITE)
TWO MAIN CRITERIA THAT EACH MORAL
THEORY MUST FULFILL:
1) the criterion of justification (particular
moral theory should not contain any
contradictions)
2) criterion of applicability (particular moral
theory should solve concrete problems
and offer ethical orientation)
FOUR DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES TO DISTINGUISH
BETWEEN ETHICS AND MORALITY:
1. Ethics and morality as distinct spheres:
Ethics has to do with the pursuit of one’s
own happiness or well-being and private
lifestyle, that is, how we should live to
make good lives for ourselves. Morality
has to do with other people’s interests
and deontological constraints.
2. The equation of ethics and morality (for
example Peter Singer).
3. Morality as a special field in the ethical
realm: Ethics is the generic term for
ethical and moral issues in the above-
mentioned sense. Morality is a special
part of ethics (for example, Bernard
Williams).
4. Morality as the object of ethics: Ethics is
the philosophical theory of morality which
 GEC – ETHICS (REVIEWER: 1ST SEM)
is the systematic analysis of moral norms
and values (standard reading).

The virtue of the good person according to

ANCIENT ETHICS
Aristotle:
 concerns the main lines of ethical
o an action is good (or right) if a virtuous
reasoning
person would perform that action in a
 concerns Socrates and his arguments with
similar situation
the Sophists
o an action is bad or wrong (and hence
 covers the post-Socratian formation
prohibited) if the virtuous person would
 rudiments and testimonials were also
never perform such an action.
mediated by famous writers and
politicians Three criteria must be met, according to
Aristotle, in order to ensure that an action is
virtuous given that the agent is in a certain
condition when he performs them:

1. the agent must have knowledge of the

circumstances of the action (the action
must not happen by accident)
2. the action is undertaken out of
deliberative choice and is done for its own
sake
3. the action is performed without
hesitation, that is, the action is performed
by a person with a firm and stable
virtuous character.

FOUR MAIN ASPECTS TYPICAL FOR UTILITARIAN

THEORY:

1. The consequence principle

2. Happiness
3. Greatest Happiness Principle
EUDAIMONIA – happiness
4. Maximizing
 Aristotle claims that happiness
(eudaimonia) is the highest good – that is
the final, perfect, and self-contained goal The Table of Ancient Ethics and Modern Morality
– to which all people strive at. – A Comparison
According to the Cynics, there are two groups of
people:

 first, the wise people living a perfect and

happy life – they cannot lose their virtues
once they achieved this condition (similar
to Aristotle)
 secondly, the fools who are unhappy and
make mistakes
GEC – ETHICS (REVIEWER: 1ST SEM)