INTRODUCTION

What is morality? Morality is a system of beliefs about what is

right behavior and wrong behavior (Rubin, 2015). Morality deals with
how a person relates with others and with the world to promote what
is good ( Thiroux and Krasemann, 2009). In his book, Elements of
Moral Philosophy, author and university professor Dr. James Rachels
– a philosopher who specialized in ethics – asserted that at the very
least morality is the effort to guide one’s conduct by reason – to act
based on the best reasons for doing – while giving equal weight to the
interests of each individual affected by one’s decision (Rachels).
 This section addresses the following questions:
1. What are moral standards and how do they differ from other rules
life?
2. What is moral dilemma?
3. Why is freedom crucial in our ability to make moral decisions?
4. What is advantage of owning moral standards (morality and ethics)
over merely abiding by moral standards?
 The basic concepts that will be discussed are:
1. Moral versus non-moral standards
2. What are dilemmas?
3. Three levels of moral dilemmas ( individual, organizational)
4. Foundation of morality: Freedom – responsibility for one’s act and to
others
5. Minimum requirement for morality: reason and impartiality.
 
Lesson 1. Why Do You Need To Study Ethics and the Importance of Rules

A moral experience is any encounter wherein a person understands that the values he
or she believes to be important are either realized or thwarted (Hunt and Carnevale, 2011).
This concept of moral experience; however, asserts that the encounter is not limited to
situations fraught with ethical questions, but that moral experience happens even in
mundane everyday settings wherein you take action based on your moral standards. For
instance, when you decide to give a poor person some money because you feel that it is the
right to do, is a moral experience.
• The Commission on Higher Education states “ethics deals with principles of ethical
behavior in modern society at the level of the person, society, and in interaction with the
environment and other resources.” (CMO 20 series 2013) Going back to our story above,
assuming you decided on a course to action to resolve your dilemma, what was your
reason for choosing such action? Why did you do it?
• Understanding your moral compass in order to develop better judgment is the aim for
studying Ethics. Upon entering college, students are not blank sheets, devoid of pre-
existing beliefs and values. College students already have developed a set of moral
standards by which they use to understand the world and a moral compass to navigate in
it (Billet, 2006; Campbell, 2009). This reality makes it important for students to study,
explore, understand, and critically reflect on their personal value systems. The end goal
for studying Ethics is for the student to become a person who makes sound judgments,
sensitive to the common good.
Relevance of Studying Ethics in your Chosen Profession
Ethics ensure a generally agreed of work- related behavior that
empowers professional to foster moral values through their work.
Ethics gives a sense of justification in one’s judgment, and helps
ensure that decision at work are not made based on purely
subjective factors. Without the study of ethics, the practice of
one’s profession will prey to vastly conflicting individual
interpretations. 
 Importance of Rules to Social Beings
Humans, in general do not live in isolation. Instead, an individual is a member of a
community of people whose common goal is to survive and thrive. As human societies
evolved, they found that human communities have better chances to survive if they work
together; and that working together is more effective when there is a system in place. One
of the systems that humans developed are standards that guide human activities, or rules.
Rule is defined as a statement that tells you what is or is not allowed in a particular,
situation (Merriam- Webster, 2017). For example, traffic rules regulate how motorists
should behave on the road. Sports rules not only determine the winner, these also ensure a
safety level for its members. These rules and its system of implementation allow people to
productively function in community despite the existence of conflict within its members.
In a broad sense, rules are in place to manage harmful behaviors.
Rules hope to prevent chaos and aim to encourage stability.