TOMAS CLAUDIO COLLEGES

GRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAM

INTRODUCTION
TO ETHICS
Meaning and Scope of Ethics and the
Importance of Ethics Today

SAMUEL R. CATANTAN PROF. ROMNICK B. DOLORES

REPORTER Professorial Lecturer
 TOMAS CLAUDIO COLLEGES
GRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAM

INTRODUCTION
TO ETHICS
Meaning and Scope of Ethics and the
Importance of Ethics Today

SAMUEL R. CATANTAN PROF. ROMNICK B. DOLORES

REPORTER Professorial Lecturer
This report aims to:
a. Understand basic terms employed
in ethics.

b. Differentiate ethical, unethical, and

neutral actions.

c. Determine an ethical dilemma.

INTRODUCTION
Ethics are principles that govern an
individual or group of people’s behavior in
each situation. The values, behavior, and
conduct of a person establish guidelines for
how he/she should interact with other people
and institutions. All members of the legal
profession have a primary responsibility to
the court and the administration of justice.
INTRODUCTION
This duty prevails over all other duties,
especially in the circumstances where
there may be a conflict of duties.
However, professional ethics are not just
limited to legal profession. They are part
of each and every fields such as teaching,
medical, engineering, business, politics
etc.
ACTIVITY

PICTURE
ANALYSIS
Teenage
pregnancy
 TOMAS CLAUDIO COLLEGES
GRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAM

INTRODUCTION
TO ETHICS
Meaning and Scope of Ethics and the
Importance of Ethics Today

SAMUEL R. CATANTAN
PRESENTER/REPORTER
 WHAT IS ETHICS?
Ethics is mainly known as the
principle of moral conduct that
makes a distinction between good
and bad/evil, right and wrong,
virtue and non-virtue.
 WHAT IS ETHICS?
The word ethics is derived
from a Greek word ‘ethos’
meaning character, behavior, or
custom.

The phrase eyes are the window to the soul is the idea that you can understand a
person's emotions and sometimes thoughts by looking into his or her eyes.
Moral philosophy, or
philosophical thinking
about morality, is another
name for ethics.
Ethics is the study of morality or the
right or wrong and the good or evil
of human behavior. It outlines the
moral principles that guide our
actions.
Origins of the word “right” and “good”
Latin word 'rectus', which
means 'straight' or 'according to
rule', is the source of the word
right.
 Karen L. Rich
University of Southern Mississippi | USM · School of Nursing

Karen L. Rich defines ethics as a systematic approach

to understanding, analyzing, and distinguishing matters
of right and wrong, good and bad, and admirable and
deplorable as they relate to the well-being of and the
relationships among sentient beings.
SCOPE OF ETHICS
 3 different scopes of ethics. 

Meta-Ethics Normative Ethics Applied Ethics

 Meta-Ethics
comprises the area of situational ethics and
deals with logical questions. It explores the
nature of ethical properties, attitudes, and
judgments.

It aims to understand the nature and dynamics

of ethical principles, and the way we learn
and acquire moral beliefs.
For example, a media critic’s
description of a TV series as
‘good drama’ does not
necessarily denote that the
program is morally sound.
 Normative Ethics

Deals with standards or norms by

which we can judge human actions
to be right or wrong. It deals with
the criteria of what is morally right
or wrong.
For example, if someone murders a
person, everyone will agree that it is
wrong. The question is: Why is it
wrong to murder someone?
 The answer might be:

Why is it Murder is wrong because when

we kill someone, we violate
wrong to their right to live.

murder
someone?
 Another perspective might be:

To inflict unnecessary suffering

on the person being murdered
Why is it or their family is wrong, that’s
why to kill a person is wrong.
wrong to
murder
someone?
 Three elements emphasized by normative
ethics:

• The person who The act • The consequences of

performs the act (the the act
agent)
Normative Ethics Meta-Ethics
 Applied Ethics
The actual application of ethical or
moral theories for the purpose of
deciding which ethical or moral actions
are appropriate in a given situation

Casuists = adherents of applied ethics

a person who studies and resolves moral problems of judgment or conduct arising in specific situations.
 Applied Ethics

It uses the insights derived from It is also called practical ethics,

metaethics and the general is the application of ethics to real
world problems
principles and rules of normative
ethics in addressing specific
ethical issues and cases in a
professional, disciplinary or
practical field
 • Decision Ethics key areas of applied
Ethical decision-making refers to the process of evaluating
and choosing among alternatives in a manner consistent with ethics
ethical principles. In making ethical decisions, it is necessary
to perceive and eliminate unethical options and select the best
ethical alternative.
• Professional Ethics
Professional ethics are principles that govern the behaviour of a
person or group in a business environment. Like values,
professional ethics provide rules
• Business Ethics
business ethics are the moral principles that act
as guidelines for the way a business conducts
itself and its transactions.
• Clinical Ethics
Clinical ethics is a practical discipline1.Some of the
key areas of applied ethics are: that provides a
APPLIED ETHICS
structured approach to assist health professionals in
identifying, analyzing and resolving ethical issues that
• Organizational Ethics arise in clinical practice.

the values, principles, and standards that guide

the individual and group behavior of the people
in an organization.

• SocialEthics
systematic reflection on the moral dimensions of social
structures, systems, issues, and communities. the
application of ethical reasoning to social problems.
 • Clinical Ethics

is it morally permissible for a doctor

to engage in mercy killing when a
terminal cancer patient begs to be put
out of her misery?
 • Business Ethics
Is it ethical for a business owner
to bluff during negotiations with
another company?
 • Professional Ethics

Is it ethical to a teacher receive

gifts from students in exchange
for a higher score?
 3 different scopes of ethics. 

Meta-Ethics Normative Ethics Applied Ethics

ETHICAL
 Ethical Dilemma
An ethical dilemma arises when a person is
forced to decide between two morally sound
options, but they may conflict with the
established boundaries of a business, a
governmental agency, or the law.
Some ethical dilemmas may involve following the truth versus being loyal
to a friend; following the laws or rules versus having compassion for an
individual’s plight;

I caught my friend Steve

cheating off my test. He's never
done it before, and begged me to
keep it secret. If his parents find
out he'll be grounded for weeks
 IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS
The role of ethics in our society and in an
individual’s life is very necessary because
it has a large influence on today, as well
as the future. We need to learn about good
ethics because they guide our decisions,
make us who we are, and determine our
future.
 IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS
We need to be ethical because it defines who we are
individually and as a society. These are norms of
behavior that everyone should follow. Our society
might fall into chaos if we accept that each of us could
pick and choose what the right thing to do is. Some
people may lie; others may not do what they say they
will do; still others act irresponsibly and engage in
harmful behavior.
 IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS AS
A PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS
 CONCLUSION
The purpose of ethics is to study and evaluate human
behavior. It is also to establish moral principles and standards
of conduct. Ethics is not required in a person's life and is not
imposed on anyone but being ethical is a step toward being a
good person. To summarize, ethics is unquestionably one of
humanity's most important requirements. The world would
have been an evil and chaotic place if ethics had not existed.
Furthermore, human progress is impossible without ethics.
There must be widespread ethical awareness among society's
youth
Read the statements carefully
and identify whether they are
TRUE or FALSE.
1.Moral philosophy, or
philosophical thinking about
morality, is another name for
ethics.
2.Meta Ethics actual application of
ethical or moral theories for the
purpose of deciding which ethical
or moral actions are appropriate in
a given situation
3.An ethical dilemma arises when
a person is forced to decide
between two morally sound
options.
4.The word ethics is derived from
a Greek word ‘ethos’ meaning
character, behavior, or custom.
5.Normative ethics seeks to set
norms or standards that regulate
right or wrong or good and bad
conduct.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
THANK YOU!
 TOMAS CLAUDIO COLLEGES
GRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAM

INTRODUCTION
TO ETHICS
Meaning and Scope of Ethics and the
Importance of Ethics Today

SAMUEL R. CATANTAN PROF. ROMNICK B. DOLORES

REPORTER Professorial Lecturer