INTRODUCTION

Key Concepts in Ethics

Prepared by: Gabriel G. Balano

 KEY CONCEPTS IN ETHICS
 The Importance of Rules to Social
Beings
 Moral VS Non- Moral Standards
 Dilemma and Moral Dilemma
 Three Levels of Moral Dilemmas
 ‘Only Human Beings can be Ethical’
 Freedom as a Foundation of Morality
 Minimum Requirement for Morality:
Reason and Impartiality
MORALITY
Principle concerning the
distinction between right
and wrong.
Speaks of a code or system of
behavior in regards to the
standards of right or wrong
behavior.
Describes particular values of a
specific group at a specific
point in time.
 MORAL
- An adjective that expresses a specific
ethics quality.
- Prevailing standards of behavior that
enable people to live cooperatively in
groups.
- Refers to what societies sanction as right
and acceptable.
 Kinds of Agent with regards to Morality

 Amoral

-individuals lacking a moral sense

-unconcerned with the rightness or wrongness.

 Immoral

-individuals who do unjust and unacceptable.

 ETHICS
Etymologicallycame from the Greek
word “Ethos”, which means character,
or manners.
It is a branch of philosophy (which is
also called as moral philosophy) that
studies morality or the rightness or
wrongness of human conduct.
AS A BRANCH OF
PHILOSOPHY
• Stands to questions about what
there is reason to do.
• Deals with human actions and
reasons for actions.
 ETHICS
Evaluates moral concepts, values,
principle, and standards.
Since it is concerned with norms of
human conduct, it is considered a
normative study of human actions.
 MORALITY AND ETHICS
Morality and ethics
oftentimes used interchangeably
especially their adjective form
(moral and ethical), when talking
about personal beliefs, actions, or
principles.
 RULES
• Refers to explicit (stated clearly) or
understood regulations of principles
governing conduct within a specific
activity or sphere.
• It tell us what is or is not allowed in a
particular context or situation.
• Serve as a foundation for any healthy
society.
IMPORTANCE
OF
RULES
TO
SOCIAL
BEINGS
 IMPORTANCE OF RULES TO SOCIAL
BEINGS
Rules protect social beings by regulating behavior.
• It provides limitations.
• Individuals follow the rules to avoid negative consequences.
Rules help to guarantee each person certain rights and freedom.
• Rules on divisions of power and checks and balances further
protect individual liberty. E.g. Three Branches of Government
Rules produce a sense of justice among social beings
• Prevent exploitation and domination. E.g. Bully exploiting and
dominating others
Rules are essential for a healthy economic system
• Rules are needed to ensure product safety, employee safety, and
product quality. E.g. DOLE)
 MORAL
AND
NON- MORAL
STANDARDS
 MORAL STANDARDS
Norms that individuals or groups have about
the kinds of actions believed to be morally right or
wrong, as well as the values placed on what we
believed to be morally good or morally bad.

It normally promotes “the

(You and good”
your that
culture’s is the
beliefs welfare
are the same)

and well being of humans as well as animals and the

environment.
 MORAL STANDARDS
Involve the rules of people have about
the kinds of actions they believe are morally
right and acceptable, as well as the values they
place on the kinds of objects they believe are
morally good and morally bad.
Some ethicists equate moral standards
with moral values and moral principles.
 NON- MORAL STANDARDS
It refers to rules that are unrelated to moral or
ethical considerations.
It refers to standards by which we judge what is
good or bad and right and wrong in non-moral
way.
It is a matter of taste or preference.
It includes rules of etiquette, aesthetics (beauty),
and rules in game.
 Religious rules, some traditions,
and legal statutes are non- moral
principles, though they can be
ethically relevant depending on some
factors and contexts. 
Not all rules are moral
rules; not all standards
are moral standards.
Different societies have different
moral beliefs, and different beliefs are
deeply influence by different culture
and context.
So that, SOME VALUES HAVE
MORAL IMPLICATIONS, WHILE
OTHERS DON’T.
 WHY THE NEED TO DISTINGUISH MORAL
STANDARDS FROM NON-MORAL ONES?

To prevent/ avoid cultural conundrum

that may leads to violence.

One culture may impose its own

cultural standard to others which
may result to clash in cultural values
and beliefs.
 People have to understand the
difference between moral standards
and non-moral ones to identify
fundamental ethical values that
guides our actions.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MORAL
STANDARDS
Moral standards involve serious wrongs or significant

benefit.

-Violating rules may matter in a specific organization but

does not affect one’s life or well being.

Moral standards ought to be preferred to other values.

-Individual is supposed to do moral obligations even if

conflicts with non-moral standards, and even with self-

interest. (E.g. Law becomes seriously immoral)

CHARACTERISTICS OF MORAL
STANDARDS
Moral standards are not established by authority
figures.
Cannot be changed or nullified by the decisions of
particular authoritative body.
It must be considered in the process of making laws.

Moral standards have the trait of universalizability.

-must be applicable to all who are in relevantly similar
situation.
-universalizability is an extension of the principle of
consistency, that is, one ought to be consistent about one’s
value judgments.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MORAL
STANDARDS
Moral standards are based on impartial
considerations.
-it does not evaluate standards on the basis of the
interests of a certain person or group (free from bias).
Moral standards are associated with special emotions
and vocabulary.
-it indicates the practical or action-guiding nature of
moral standards.
“Do not kill” “Love you neighbor”
These proposed for use, to advise, and to influence to
action.
 DILEMMA
AND
MORAL DILEMMA
DILEMMA
Refers to a situation in which a
tough choice has to made
between two or more options,
especially more or less equally
undesirable ones.
 MORAL DILEMMA
• Also called ethical dilemma.
• Situations in which difficult
choice has to be made between
two courses of action, either of
which entails transgressing a
moral principle.
• Common is the conflict.
KEY FEATURES OF MORAL
DILEMMA
a) The agent is required to do each two
(or more) actions.
An agent regards himself as having moral
reasons to do each of two actions.
b) The agent can do each of the actions,
but the agent cannot do both (or all) of
the actions
However, doing both actions seems to be
ethically not possible.
In moral dilemma, the agent
seems condemned to do moral
failure; but no matter what he
does, he will do something
wrong or fail to do some thing
that he ought to do.
GENUINE MORAL DILEMMA

One conflicting moral requirement

must not overrides other
conflicting moral requirements.
 THREE LEVELS
OF
MORAL DILEMMAS
THREE LEVELS OF MORAL
DILEMMAS
 Personal Dilemmas
Personal dilemmas are those
experiences and resolved on the
personal level.
Since ethical decisions are personally
made, most of moral dilemmas fall
under this level.
THREE LEVELS OF MORAL
DILEMMAS
 Organizational Dilemmas
Organizational dilemmas refer to
ethical cases encountered and
resolved by social organizations.
This category includes moral
dilemmas in
business,
medical fields, and
public sector.
THREE LEVELS OF MORAL
DILEMMAS
 Structural Dilemmas
Structural dilemmas refer to cases
involving network of institutions and
operative theoretical paradigms
(pattern).
As they usually encompass, multi-sectoral
(collaboration among various groups)
institutions and organizations, they may be
larger in scope and extent than organizational
dilemmas.
 ‘ONLY
HUMAN BEINGS
CAN
BE
ETHICAL’
Only human beings can be
truly ethical. Most
philosophers hold that
unlike animals, human
beings posses some traits
that make it possible for
them to be moral.
 ‘ONLY HUMAN BEINGS CAN BE
ETHICAL’
Only human beings are
rational (reasonable),
autonomous (self-
governing), and self-
conscious (aware of
actions).
Only human beings can
act morally or immorally.
‘ONLY HUMAN BEINGS CAN BE
ETHICAL’

Only human beings are part of the

moral community.
• Only human beings can possess or
practice values such as love, honor,
social relationships, forgiveness,
compassion, and altruism.
‘ONLY HUMAN BEINGS CAN BE
ETHICAL’
• Only human beings can communicate with
each other in truly meaningful ways, can
engage in economic, political and familial
relationships with each other, and can also
form deep personal relationship to one
another.
These relationship are what constitute
humans’ lives and values contained in them.
• Only humans has the ability to participate in
a collective cognition.
 FREEDOM
AS A
FOUNDATION
OF
MORALITY
MORALITY
Basically, morality is a question of choice.
Practically, morality is choosing ethical
codes, values, or standards to guide us in
our daily lives.
Philosophically, choosing is impossible
without freedom.
Morality requires and allows choice, which
means the right to choose even differently
from our fellows.
ANIMALS CANNOT BE TRULY
ETHICAL

Animals are
not really autonomous or
free
ROBOTS CANNOT BE TRULY
ETHICAL
No matter how beneficial
its functions may be, cannot
be said to be moral, for it
has no freedom or choice
but to work according to
what is commanded based
on its built program.
 MINIMUM
REQUIREMENT
FOR MORALITY:
REASON AND
IMPARTIALITY
MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR
MORALITY: REASON AND IMPARTIALITY
Late Philosophy professor James
Rachels (1941-2003) holds that
• moral judgments must be backed
by sound reasoning; and that
• morality requires the impartial
consideration of all parties
involved.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR
MORALITY: REASON AND IMPARTIALITY
REASON
as a requirement for morality entails that
human feelings may be important in
ethical decisions, but they ought to be
guided by reason.
Sound reasoning helps us to evaluate
whether our feelings and intuitions about
moral cases are correct and defensible.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR
MORALITY: REASON AND IMPARTIALITY
IMPARTIALITY
it involves the idea that each individual’s
interests and point of view are equally
important.
it is a principle of justice holding that
decisions ought to be based on objective
criteria, rather than on the basis of bias,
prejudice or, preferring the benefit to one
person over another for improper reasons.
End . . .
Good Luck
And
God Bless!