MORAL AND NON-MORAL STANDARDS

MORALITY

• -may refer to the standards that a person or a group has

about what is right and wrong, or good and evil .
Accordingly , moral standards are those concerned with
or relating to human behavior, especially the distinction
between good and bad (or right and wrong ) behavior.
Moral standards

• Involve the rules of peole have about the kind of actions

they believe are morally right and wrong , as well as the
values they place on the kinds of objects they believe are
morally good and morally bad. Some ethicist equate moral
standards with moral values and moral principles.
Non- moral standards
Non-Moral Standards

- refer to the rules that are unrelated to moral or ethical

considerations. Either these standards are not necessarily
linked to morality or by nature lack ethical sense. Basic
examples of non moral standards include rules of etiquette ,
fashion standards, rules in games , and various house rules.
• The following six (6) characteristic of
moral standards further differentiate from
non-moral standards
a.moral standards involve serious wrongs or
significants benefits.

•moral standards deal with matters which can

seriously impact that is injure or benefit human
beings. It is not the case with many non- moral
standards. For instance, following or violating
some basketball rules no matter in basketball
games but does not necessarily affect one’s life or
wellbeing.
• b. Moral standards ought to be preferred to
other values

• -Moral standards have overriding character or

hegemonic authority. If a moral standards states that a
person has the moral obligation to do something , then
he/she is suppose to do that even if it conflicts with
other non- moral standards , and even with the self -
interest.
• c. Moral standards are not established by
authority figures.

• -moralstandards are not invented , formed , or

generated by authoritative bodies or person such as
nation ‘ legislative bodies. Ideally instead , these
values ought to be considered in the process of
making laws
• In principle therefore , moral standards cannot be
changed nor nullified by the decisions of particular
authoritative body. One thing about these standards
, nonetheless, is that its validity lies on the
soundness or adequacy of the reason that are
considered to support and justify them.
e. Moral standards are based on impartial
considerations.

• Moral standards does not evaluate standards on the

basis of the interests of a certain person or group,
but one that goes beyond personal interests to a
universal standpoint in which each person’s interests
are impartially counted as equal .
• Impartiality is usually depicted as being free of bias
or prejudice . Impartiality in morality requires that
we give equal and /or adequate considerations to the
interests of all concerned parties.
f. Moral standards are associated with special
emotions and vocabulary

• Prescriptively indicates the partical or action-guiding

nature of moral standards . These moral standards
are generally put forth as injunction or imperatives
( such as ,’do not kill,’ ‘do no unnecessary harm,’
and ‘Love your neighbor’) . These principle are
proposed for use , to advise ,and to influence to
action. Retroactively , this feature is used to
evaluate behavior , to assign praise and blame, and
to produce feelings of satisfaction or of guilt.
a. Let us differentiate moral standards and non-moral standards.
Answer the following question:

• 1. What is morality?
• 2. What is non-moral standards?And what is the difference between
moral standards and non moral standards?
• 3. What are the features of moral rules or standards?