BASIC THEORIES AS

FRAMEWORKS IN
ETHICS
Presented by: Hannah Samson, Myra Petilla, Veronica Tumanan
and Mark Jason Unida
FRAMEWORK
 Can be defined as a basic structure underlying a system
or concept
 Contextually in ethics, it refers to “a set of assumptions,
concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of
viewing reality.
 A framework is pretty much like a worldview or a held
theory.
1. META-ETHICS
 A branch of ethics that studies the nature of morality.
 It talks about the meaning, reference, and truth values of
moral judgments.
 It also explains what goodness and wickedness mean and
how we know about them.
CLASSIFICATIONS OF META-ETHICAL
THEORIES
COGNITIVISM VS. NON-COGNITIVISM
Cognitivism Non-cognitivism

 states that moral judgments convey
propositions , that is, they are ‘truth bearers’
or they are either true or false.
Forms of Cognitive Ethics:
a. Moral Realism- claims that the existence
of moral facts and the truth (or falsity) of
moral judgments are independent of
people’s thoughts and perceptions
 denies that moral judgments are either true
or false.
Forms of Non-cognitive Ethics:
a. Emotivism-It submits that moral
judgments are mere expressions of our
emotions and feelings.

b. Ethical Subjectivism- holds that the truth

(or falsity) of ethical propositions are
dependents on the attitudes or a standards
of a person or a group of persons.
UNIVERSALISM VS. RELATIVISM
Moral Universalism
• theorizes that moral facts and
principles apply to everybody in all
places.
• Also called “moral objectivism”
• Very much compatible with ‘moral
realism’
Moral Relativism
• Submits that different moral facts
and principles apply to different
persons or group of individuals.
• Very much compatible with ‘ethical
subjectivism’
EMPIRICISM VS. RATIONALISM VS.
INTUITIONISM
Moral Empiricism Moral Rationalism Moral Intuitionism

• Is a meta-ethical • Contends that moral • Submits that moral

stance which states facts and principles truths are knowable
that moral facts are are knowable a priori, by intuition, that is,
known through that is, by reason by immediate
observation and alone without instinctive knowledge
experience. reference to without reference to
experience. any reference.
2. NORMATIVE ETHICS
 A branch of ethics that studies how man ought to act,
morally speaking. As the name suggests, it examines
ethical norms, that is, those guidelines about what is
right, worthwhile, virtuous, or just.
 Evaluates standards for the rightness and wrongness of
actions and determines a moral course of action.
THREE KINDS OF NORMATIVE
ETHICAL THEORIES
 Deontology Teleology
• Is an ethical system • Refers to moral system • As a moral system,
that bases morality on that determines the
independent moral moral value of actions
rules or duties. by their outcomes or
• The term came from results.
the Greek word ‘deon’, • From the Greek word
which means ‘duty’ ‘telos’, which means
• Also called non- ‘end’
consequentialism • Most famous form is
consequentialism.
Virtue Ethics
places emphasis on
developing good habits
of character, like
kindness and
generosity, and
avoiding bad character
traits, or vices, such as
greed or hatred.
APPLIED ETHICS
 Philosophically examines specific, controversial moral
issues.
 Using philosophical methods, this area of concern in
Ethics attempts to determine the ethically correct course
of action in specific realms of human action
CLASSIFICATIONS OF APPLIED ETHICAL
ISSUES
 Bioethics -This concerns ethical issues pertaining to life, biomedical
researches, medicines, health care and medical profession.

Environmental -It deals with moral issues concerning nature, ecosystem,

Ethics and its non-human contents.

Business Ethics -It examines moral principles concerning business

environment.

Sexual Ethics -It studies moral issues about sexuality and human sexual
behavior.

Social Ethics -It deals with what is right for a society to do and how it
should act as a whole.
END OF PRESENTATION.