ETHICS

DEFINITIONS
• As the philosophical science dealing with the
morality of human acts.
• A study that deals with the principles and laws
governing the morality of the human act.
• It has something to do with realizing the
fullest potential as free person acting in the
world and doing right for others.
• It is the philosophy of life.
• It is the science which lays down the principles
of right living,
 THE HUMAN ACT
• By human acts in ethics, we mean:
1. The (free) voluntary acts of man.
2. Acts done with knowledge and consent.
3. Acts which are proper to man as man; because of all
animals, he alone has knowledge and freedom of will.
4. Acts which we are conscious, are under our control
and for which we are responsible.
5. Are those acts of which man is master, which he has
the power of doing or not doing as he pleases.
Acts in order to be human, must be done knowingly and
willfully.
 Morality of Human Acts depends on:
• The object- it is the aim or goal of a certain
action.
• The end or intention of the agent- it is the mean
of attaining the object.
• Circumstances – these are the environments or
conditions prevailing when the action is done.
A morally good act requires the goodness of
the object, of the end and of the circumstances
together.
 Two Fundamental Questions:
• What is Morality?
• What is the meaning of life?
• According to Greek Philosopher Jean
Paul Sartre, Everything has been
figured out except how to live”.
• According to German thinker Friedrich
Nitzsche, “He who has a why in life can
always bear any how”.
 IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS
The importance of the study of ethics follows
from the importance of ethics itself:
• Ethics means right living and good moral
character; and it is in good moral character that
man finds his true worth and perfection.
• Education is the harmonious development of the
whole man of all man’s faculties: moral,
intellectual and physical powers in man. The
highest of man’s power are his reason and will.
• According to Socrates,”the unexamined life is not
worth living for man.” It is the very investigation
of the meaning of life.
 TWO ETHICAL SYSTEMS
There are two general categories under which ethical theories
may be classified: the Atheistic and Theistic Approaches:
• The Atheistic approach assumes that only matter exists
and that man is responsible only to himself since there
is no God who creates and rules the universe.
• Atheistic Principles:
1. Matter is the only reality.
2. Man is matter and does not have spiritual dimension.
3. Man is free and must exercise his freedom to
promote the welfare of society.
4. There is no life after death.
5. Man is accountable only to the state.
• The Theistic approach begins with the
assumption that God is the Supreme Lawgiver.
Everything must conform to God’s eternal plan of
creation. Man must exercise his freedom in
accordance with God’s will.
• Theistic theories postulate the following truths:
1. God is the Supreme Creator and Lawgiver.
2. Man is free and must use his freedom to
promote his personal and social interests along
with his fellowmen.
3. Man has an immortal soul which cannot die.
4. Man is accountable for his actions, both good
and evil.
 ETHICS and Human Dignity
• Reasoning
• Sources of authority
1. Law
2. Religion
3. Culture
• Pursuit of justice
 VIRTUE ETHICS
• It is the ethical framework that is concerned with
understanding the good as a matter of
developing the virtuous character of a person.
• Virtue – Excellence
Being excellent in any work is by doing it
repeatedly or often times until he becomes an
expert to that work. Likewise, to become a virtuous
person, he has to develop a good attitude until it
becomes a habit. And so, the virtue character of a
person becomes his reputation.
 VIRTUE- is a state of character which makes a person
good and capable of fulfilling his/her end as a human
person
• THE PRINCIPAL VIRTUES AND VICES
Excess (Vice) Mean (Virtue) Deficiency (Vice)
Rashness Courage Cowardice
Envy Proper Indignation Malice
Self -indulgence Moderation/Discipline Insensibility
Prodigality Liberality Meanness
Irascibility Good temper Paltriness
• For Aristotle, the main functions of the
intellectual virtues, namely phronesis and sophia
are to aid human persons in matters concerning
moral choice and the attainment of knowledge
of first principles or eternal truths, respectively.
• Ethics is a matter of living well through the
habitual practice of virtue which essentially
translates into having a virtuous or excellent
character. He/She has been so habituated to
always choosing neither excess nor deficiency,
but always the mean-which is the choice proper
to a person that stays true to himself/herself as a
rational being.
EUDAIMONIA- is an activity of the soul
in accordance with virtue.
• Aristotle names the chief good for the human
person as happiness or Eudaimonia, for him,
happiness is the self-sufficient, final, and
attainable goal of human life.
• Aristotle postulates that happiness is an
activity of the soul. Soul is the part of the
human being that animates in the body. Body
and soul are inseparable.
• The Hypothetical Imperative- implies that an act
is done because of an intended or desired
external consequence of an act, for instance a
reward. For Immanuel Kant, such an act is not
good in itself because it proceeds from
something outside-reward.
• The Categorical Imperative-promulgates the
absolute moral obligation. It is a principle that
autonomous moral subjects are commanded to
obey, otherwise, one would violate his own
nature. It presupposes an absolute ought that
one alone defines what is right and morally
acceptable.
KASABIHAN2:6 & 9
Si Yawe ang nagbibigay ng katarungan; sa
kanyang bibig nagmumula ang kaalaman at
pangunawa.
Maunawaan mo ang pagkamatuwid, ang
katarungan, at ang pagtingin nang pantay- lahat
ng mabuting landas.