Ethics

basic concepts
Bless the
day
Please say to your Seat mate:
You look Amazing today…
Its wonderful that you are my
classmate…
(make handshake or Embrace)
Prayer before Study, St. Thomas
Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom,
origin of all being,
graciously let a ray of your light penetrate the darkness of
my understanding.
Take from me the double darkness in which I have been
born,
an obscurity of sin and ignorance.
Give me a keen understanding,
a retentive memory,
Prayer before Study, St. Thomas
a retentive memory,
and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally.
Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations
and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and
charm.
Point out the beginning, direct the progress,
and help in the completion. 
I ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
My Moral
Compass
Activity 1: Mind Mapping

What does ethics

mean for me?
objective
s Differentiate the basic concepts in ethics
Examine an action to be moral, non-moral, amoral and
immoral
Balance judgment towards one’s action (self and others)
What is/are the
reason(s) for our
ethical/moral
behavior?
Understanding
Biological
the Person Psychological

Sociocultural
Influences
Religious
Multicultural
Socioeconomic
Political
Ethical
Media
Basic Concepts Hey! What about

Unmoral?
Moral Non-Moral

ETHICS

Amoral Immoral
Basic
Concepts  Ethics, is derived from a Greek word “Ethikos”
which means character.

Non-  Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the

Moral Moral principles of conduct of an individual or group.

ETHICS  It works as a guiding principle as to decide what is

good or bad. They are the standards which govern
Amoral Immoral the life of a person.

 Ethics defines the character of an individual.

 Ethics are related to right and wrong conduct of an

individual in a particular situation.
Basic
Concepts Some ethical principles are:
Non-
Moral Moral
 Truthfulness
ETHICS  Honesty
 Loyalty
Amoral Immoral  Respect
 Fairness
 Integrity
Basic
Concepts  Morals is derived from a Greek word
“Mos” which means custom.
 Morals are the social, cultural and
Non-
Moral Moral religious beliefs or values of an
ETHICS individual or group which tells us what
is right or wrong.
Amoral Immoral  Morality is not fixed because it
describes the particular values of a
specific group at a specific point in
time.
Basic
Concepts Some moral principles are:
Non-
Moral Moral  Do not cheat
ETHICS
 Be loyal
 Be patient
Amoral Immoral
 Always tell the truth
 Be generous
Basic
Concepts  Non-moral standards refer to standards by
which we judge what is good or bad and
right or wrong in a non-moral way.
Non-Moral
Moral
 Non-moral standards refer to rules that are
ETHICS
unrelated to moral or ethical considerations.
Either these standards are not necessarily
Amoral Immoral linked to morality or by nature lack ethical
sense.
Basic
Concepts Examples of non-moral standards are:

Non-Moral
Moral 1. standards of etiquette by which we judge
ETHICS manners as good or bad,
2. standards we call the law by which we judge
Amoral Immoral something as legal or illegal, and
3. standards of aesthetics by which we judge art
as good or rubbish.
Basic
Concepts  Amoral, or "without morals," is
defined as "having or demonstrating no
Moral Non-Moral care about whether an action is morally
right or wrong.“
ETHICS
 Amoral means "being neither moral nor
Amoral Immoral
immoral,"

 A morally indifferent person doesn’t

have a conscience to act against it.
Basic
Concepts Here are some example:
Moral Non-Moral  Infants could be said to be amoral
since they have not yet developed the
ETHICS
brain capacity to understand right and
wrong.
Amoral Immoral

 Some extreme sociopaths are also

amoral, since they lack a conscience
as a result of a cognitive disorder.
Basic
Concepts  Immoral is something that is evil or
wrong. It means failing to adhere to moral
standards.
Non-
Moral Moral  Immoral describes a person or behavior that
conscientiously goes against accepted
morals—that is, the proper ideas and beliefs
ETHICS
about how to behave in a way that is
Amoral Immoral considered right and good by the majority of
people.

 A person who does an immoral acts has

acted against his/her conscience/moral
code.
Basic
Concepts
Moral
Non-
Moral Here are some examples:
ETHICS o Stealing someone’s car.
Amoral Immoral o Cheating on one’s spouse
o Killing a person
Basic Concepts Hey! What about

Unmoral?
 Unmoral refers to those having no
moral perception.

 It refers to something to which right and

wrong are not applicable, such as
animals, forces of nature, and
machines.
Basic Concepts Hey! What about

Here is an example:
Unmoral?

 Typhoons/tropical storms are

unmoral, since they are formed by
unconscious natural processes that
exist outside the bounds of
morality.
Characteristics of Moral
Standards
a. Moral standards involve serious
wrongs or significant benefits.

b. Moral standards ought to be

preferred to other values.

c. Moral standards are not

established by authority figures
Characteristics of Moral
Standards
d. Moral standards have the trait of
universality

e. Moral standards are based on

impartial considerations.
f. Moral standards are associated
with special emotions and
vocabulary.
Characteristics of Moral
Standards

a. Moral standards involve serious

wrongs or significant benefits.

• It means moral standards deal with matters which

can seriously impact, that is, injure or benefit
human beings.
Characteristics of Moral
Standards
b. Moral standards ought to
be preferred to other values.
• It means moral standards have overriding
character or hegemonic authority.
• If a moral standard states that a person has the
moral obligation to do something, then he/she is
supposed to do that even if it conflicts with other
non-moral standards, and even with self-interest.
Characteristics of Moral
Standards
c. Moral standards are not established by
authority figures
• Moral standards are not invented, formed, or generated by
authoritative bodies or persons such as nations’ legislative
bodies.
• 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 reasons
that are considered to support and justify them. 
• Ideally instead, these values ought to be considered in the
process of making laws.
Characteristics of Moral
Standardsd. Moral standards have the trait of
universality
• it means that everyone should live up to moral standards.
• To be more precise, however, it requires that moral principles be
applicable to everyone who is in a circumstance that is relevantly
comparable.
• This characteristic is exemplified in the Golden Rule, “Do unto others
what you would them do unto you (if you were in their shoes)” and in
the formal Principle of Justice, “It cannot be right for A to treat B in
a manner in which it would be wrong for B to treat A, merely on the
ground that they are two different individuals, and without there being
any difference  between the natures or circumstances of the two which
can be stated as a reasonable ground for difference of treatment.”
• It is an extension of the Principle of Consistency, that is, one ought
to be consistent about one’s value judgments. 
Characteristics of Moral
Standards
e. Moral standards are based on
impartial considerations.
• It means, moral standard 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 consideration to the interests of all concerned
parties.
Characteristics of Moral
Standards
f. Moral standards are associated with
special emotions and vocabulary.
• Prescriptivity indicates the practical 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 principles 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.
References
Pasco, M. O., Suarez, F., Rodriguez, A.M. (2018). ETHICS. Quezon City: C & E
Publishing, Inc.

Ariola, M. (2018). Ethics. Intramuros, Manila: Unlimited Books Library Services &
Publishing Inc