CHAPTER 1

The Study of Ethics

At the end of Chapter 1, the
students are expected to
give the meaning of ethics and
value education
discuss the importance of ethics
differentiate ethics and religion,
and ethics and law
Ethics
 
 defined
as the science of the morality of
human acts
 issaid to be the study of human motivation,
and ultimately, of human rational behavior
 derivedfrom the Greek word ethos which
means “ characteristic way of acting “
 itsequivalent is mos, mores, meaning “
tradition or custom.
 Ethos includes cultural mannerisms,
religion, politics, laws, and social aspirations of
a group of people.
In our study, ethos refers to
those characteristics
belonging to man as a rational
being, endowed with intellect
and free-will.
 The ethos of man as man is revealed in the following:

1. He is able to distinguish between good and

evil, right and wrong, moral and immoral.
2. He feels within himself an obligation to do
what is good and to avoid what is evil.
3. He feels accountable for his actions,
expecting reward or punishments for them.
To summarize:

Man is expected that he

conducts himself according
to the “dictates of reason“.
 Morality – that aspect of the subject
matter which primarily interests ethics
is the quality of human acts by which
they are constituted as good, bad, or
indifferent.
Moral
that which is good
Immoral
that which is bad
Amoral
that which is indifferent
Human Acts
are those actions performed by man,
knowingly and freely.
also called deliberate or intentional
actions, or, voluntary actions
manifestation of one’s character or moral
conduct
Virtuous – a person who has the
habit or inclination to do good
Vicious one who has the habit pf
doing wrong
Acts of man
 are instinctive and involuntary
 
Ethics as Value Education
 In the classical tradition, Ethics is Moral
Philosophy.
 As a branch of Philosophy, Ethics relies
solely on human reason to investigate
truths
 Moral Theology is different from Ethics
because Moral Theology employs reason
insofar as it is enlightened by faith or
divine revelation.
In contemporary curriculum, Ethics takes the form of Value Education.
Value – is something a person prizes, cherishes, and esteems as important to
him. It includes ideas, things, or experiences

The aim of Value Education is to guide the individual in choosing wisely his values and in
acting upon them.
 

Ethics is the rational foundation of any attempt

at Value Education.
Ethics goes deeper into the reasons why we
must choose certain values.
Ethics explains human values in relation to the
ultimate purpose of human existence.