Introduction to Ethics

Unit 1.1
 Learning Objectives
01 Define Ethics and analyze its nature

02 Identify ethical question

Differentiate between moral judgment & morally neutral

03 judgment

04 Examine the scope of ethics

 Heinz Dilemma
• Is it right to steal the drug to save the life?

• Is it okay to charge ten times more of the production cost for a

life saving drug?
 Case of lying

• Is lying always bad?

or
• Sometimes it is right to lie or hide the truth?
What should I do?

…..may appear insignificant but is one of the most important

questions

“It is our whole way of life that is at issue”

Socrates (469-399)
 Ethics
• Ethikos (in Greek) derived from ethos

• Difference between ethics & morality or morals

• A branch of Philosophy that critically examines the moral

beliefs and moral standards; studies what makes human
actions good & bad or right & wrong
Moral judgment vs. Judgment of preference
Not all uses of ‘should’, ‘ought’ and ‘good’ are moral uses:

1. The newspapers should double–check their facts before they write such
headlines
2. It is good to have ice cream in a hot day
3. Should I take coffee or tea?
4. Ahmed should have passed the ball earlier
5. Its bad to "customize” and submit a research paper as your own which you
purchased online
 Ethics implies moral agency
• 'Should’ implies ‘can’

• Moral agent

• Moral actions vs. morally neutral actions

 Scope of Ethics
• Ethics studies only actions of human beings

• It is argued that actions of human beings who are not living in a

society are excluded from the scope of ethics
Web resource YouTube link
Thank You