Lesson 1: Introduction to ETHICS

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After studying this chapter, the students

should be able to:
1. Discuss the concept of ethics;
2. Distinguish the three general subject areas
of Ethics; and
3. Write a short summary of trending stories
on social media which convey important
ethical issues.
 The Concept of Ethics
What do people think about when they think ethically? What is the
experience on which ethical reflection is grounded?
It developed from the reality that when people act, they do not merely need to
know the best way to realize something but there are times when they need to
act in a way that realizes the good. And the good does not always mean the
easiest or most expedient way. Ethical norms and the question of good and evil
arise when people need to act as free persons. But not all actions are inherently
ethical. Actions only require ethical reflection when they are free acts that
involve a person’s desire to realize the good. Thus, the field of ethics (or moral
philosophy) involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of
right and wrong behavior.
 Ethics and Ethos

The term ethics comes from the Greek word ethos, which means
custom, a characteristic, or habitual way of doing things, or action that is
properly derived from one’s character. The Latin word mos or moris (and
its plural mores) from which the adjective moral is derived is equivalent
to ethos.

It seems then that as a field of study, ethics need not be “normative” in

guiding human action and it is even seemingly imperative to preserve an
attitude of neutrality that excludes all judgments of value.
The three general subject areas of Ethics
Philosophers today usually divide ethical theories into three general subject
areas: metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. 

 Metaethics investigates where our ethical principles come from, and

what they mean. Are they merely social inventions? Do they involve
more than expressions of our individual emotions? Metaethical
answers to these questions focus on the issues of universal truths,
the will of God, the role of reason in ethical judgments, and the
meaning of ethical terms themselves. 
 Normative ethics takes on a more practical task, which is to
arrive at moral standards that regulate right and wrong
conduct. This may involve articulating the good habits that
we should acquire, the duties that we should follow, or the
consequences of our behavior on others.

 Finally, applied ethics involves examining specific

controversial issues, such as abortion, infanticide, 
animal rights, environmental concerns, homosexuality, 
capital punishment, or nuclear war.
 By using the conceptual tools of metaethics and normative ethics,
discussions in applied ethics try to resolve these controversial issues.
The lines of distinction between metaethics, normative ethics, and
applied ethics are often blurry. For example, the issue of abortion is an
applied ethical topic since it involves a specific type of controversial
behavior. But it also depends on more general normative principles,
such as the right of self-rule and the right to life, which are tests for
determining the morality of that procedure. The issue also rests on
metaethical issues such as, “where do rights come from?” and “what
kind of beings have rights?”
 REFERENCES

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from

https://www.iep.utm.edu/ethics/
Mackinnon, Barbara. (2012) Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues. Wadsworth
Cengage Learning.

Pasco, Marc Oliver. Et al. General Education: Ethics. C & E Publishing, Inc.,2018
ACTIVITY 1

From a list of trending stories on social media,

select two recent stories/news articles which
convey important ethical issues. You may write
a short summary of your findings in a short-
sized bond paper.