Ged 107:

Ethics

Chapter 1:
What is Ethics?
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MODULE 1: WHAT IS ETHICS?

Introduction

This module aims to analyze ethics in different perspectives which includes its definition,nature,
and its importance to an individual and society. It presents the difference between moral standards
and non-moral standards, tackles as well as the characteristics of moral standards that can easily
identify their distinctions with each other and how moral standards are formed.

Learning Objectives

After studying this module, you should be able to:

1. Discuss the definition, nature, and importance of ethics to an individual and society.
2. Explain the difference between moral standards and non-moral standards.
3. Enumerate the characteristics of moral standards to easily identify its dissimilarities
tonon-moral standards.
4. Explore how moral standards are formed.

1.0 WHAT IS ETHICS?

Ethics or moral philosophy can be provisionally described as the empirical study of moral
decisions. It is a discipline concerned with what is morally good and evil, right and wrong. The
word often refers to any scheme or philosophy of universal ideals or beliefs.

The concept is derived from the Greek word “ethos” which may mean tradition, habit, character,
or attitude. This is not only about the nature of specific courses of action, but it is also about the
goodness of people and what it means to lead a decent life. (Leandro, Jr & Gubia-on, 2018)
Moreover, ethics is a systematic analysis of the nature of human actions. It is concerned about the
correctness and wrongness of the act. An act is deemed to be right or wrong, based on the intent,
circumstances, or character of the act itself. As a philosophy, is a very important discipline because
it involves critical thinking, as it explores and describes fundamental beliefs, standards, ideals, and
traditions. This is thus a higher level of human discipline.

As a branch of philosophy, ethics is divided into normative and meta-ethics. The purpose of
normative ethics, which concerns human behavior in general, is to address our questions aboutthe
essence of human behavior. Normative ethics, by definition, examine whether or not a particular
act should or should not be carried out.

There are two fields of normative ethics: moral philosophy and applied ethics or practical ethics.
Moral philosophy deals with moral ideas such as what human beings "must do or how human
beings should be." This also deals with our moral obligation, the meaning of the act, or thepurpose
of the act. On the other hand, applied ethics is a philosophy that discusses strong and basicmoral
issues linked to abortion.
Meta-ethics is a discipline that relies on meaning. It is a science that is seeking to address non-
moral questions about morality. Those refer to questions about the nature of moral statements,the
purpose and significance of moral facts, and concerns about the interpretation and justificationof

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moral statements.

In contrast to meta-ethics, normative ethics seeks to examine how human beings respond to a moral
question. This also aims to clarify and prescribe common expectations on what human beings
should do to interact with others in society and in a meaningful way. (Maboloc, 2012)

ETHICS

Good and Evil

Right and Wrong

Highest Order of
Discipline

NORMATIVE ETHICS META-ETHICS

Moral Philosophy Meaning

Moral Ideas Non-Moral Questions on Morality

Moral Obligations
Questions, Interpretations and
Justifications on Moral Statements
Moral Questions

Applied / Practical Ethics Purpose

Strong and Basic Moral Issues Significance of Moral Facts

Figure 1. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF ETHICS

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS

Ethics is a set of rules that allows us to say right from wrong, good from the bad. Ethics can provide
true, specific guidance to our lives. Ethical principles such as fairness, trustworthiness,responsibility
help direct us to cope more effectively with ethical dilemmas by removing actions that do not
adhere to our sense of right and wrong–our own moral interests–without compromisingothers.

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Furthermore, ethics is all about decisions. We are continually faced with issues that affect the
quality of our lives. We are certain that the choices we make have consequences for ourselvesand
the others. We are cautious of the responsibility that we have for our actions.

Why should other individuals have a lack of ethics? Bazerman and Ann Trebrunsel (2011)identify
the blind spots as the differences between who you want to be and who you are. Hence, most of
us want to do the right thing, but internal and external factors are in the way.

However, ethicists put less emphasis on studying philosophic principles and, instead, emphasize
the importance of establishing good habits of character – needs of doing the right thingin the right
place and time in the right way.

The virtues of intelligence, bravery, patience, and justice guide ethical decision-making asthey
provide the basis for rational decisions when faced with an ethical dilemma. We ought to beethical,
as it determines who we are both personally and as a society. There must be moral principles that
should be observed by all. Some people will lie; many may not do what they assumethey will do,
and others may behave irresponsibly and participate in harmful conduct.

For moralists, following one's interests is not wrong. Nevertheless, an ethical individual must be
able – at least occasionally–to place the needs of others ahead of self-interest, because ofour duty
to civil society. (Bazerman, Max H. & Tenbrunsel Ann E. (2012), Silverstone, Sean (2011),
https://www.ethicssage.com/2017/03/why-do-we-need-ethics.html)

According to Leano Jr. & Gunta-on (2018), the study of ethics should consider making it possible
for an individual to fully understand what his conscience is, how he has gained it, how farhe is
willing and able to respect his outward manifestations with protection, and how well he can
strengthen it and make it even smarter. Added to it, a person can gain a better insight into his
claims to society as well as the obligations he owes to society. He must learn to distinguish between
the respects in which all persons are highly dependent and those who are responsible for his or her
own life and will focus on freedom of initiative. Eventually, it will at least allow certain
observations, for understanding, self-sacrifice, and obligation, which will enable us to make these
decisions.

From the standpoints of the authors mentioned above, several views on the importance of ethics
were profounded and these are the following: (1) through ethics people can determine the
difference between right from wrong, good and bad; (2) people can eliminate actions that do not
conform to what is right; (3) people will be very careful to the actions and decisions to make; (4)
people will not be disturbed of the internal and external factors of not doing the right thing; (5)
establish good habits of characters of a person; (6) come up to rational decisions in facing an
ethical dilemma; (7) it makes a person responsible in the family, school and society; (8) a person
becomes sensitive to the needs of others more than himself or herself; and (9) reminds a person to
fully need conscience in decision making and a person can acknowledge the actions made.

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1.2 THE DIFFERENCES OF MORAL AND NON-MORAL STANDARDS AND
CHARACTERISTICS OF MORAL STANDARDS

Countries and nations rich or poor, developed and underdeveloped have their own set of laws,
policies, cultures, traditions, customs, and beliefs. It may be acceptable to other countries but not
acceptable to others. Some principles and values have social consequences, whereas somedo not.
It is a matter of moral indifference, that is, a matter of taste in one society may be a matterof moral
meaning in another. For this reason, people need to recognize the difference between moral
principles and non-moral ones, to define the basic ethical values that can direct our actions.Moral
standards compel us to behave accordingly, although we have no right to insist on others onnon-
moral values based on the explanation above. (https://www.philonotes.com)

Moral standards refer to the guidelines we have on the types of acts that we find to be morally
permissible and morally unacceptable. It primarily deals with issues that can either potentially
threaten or greatly benefit human beings. Some ethicists placed moral ethics on par with social
values and moral principles. (Leandro, Jr & Gubia-on, 2018)

Moral standards normally promote the common good, that is, the welfare and well-being of human
beings, animals, and the environment. Moral standards are a blending of norms and values.
Therefore, norms plus values pertain to moral standards. Norms as standards are basic guidelines
regarding human acts. Values, though, are universal convictions as to what is acceptable, desirable,
and beneficial or not.

There are several characteristics of morals standards as mentioned by Velasquez (2012) such as
and vocabularies such as:

(1) Moral standards entail serious harm or benefit. Examples of this are the following:
theft, the murder of innocent people, respect others, a feeding program for the poor,
etc. The firsttwo examples cause harm and the next two examples produce benefits
and the action has done is helpful to human beings.

2) Moral standards are not determined by authority figures. Moral values should always
beupheld, even though they are at odds with self-interest. Cheating on examination is
an example wherein the students should not cheat during exams as a rule in an
educational institution and in doing such an act, cheating, is wrong. It’s not because
students are afraid of the teacher, instructor,or professor but the students know that is
a wrongful act.

(3) Moral standards should be adopted over other values, including self-interest. Moral
standards should always be retained even if they are at stake with self-interest.

(4) Moral standards are focused on objective considerations. The basis of considerations
and decisions must not be favorable only to a particular person or group. Anyone
who commits mistakes and wrongful acts then is punished accordingly. It must be
an unbiased or impartialconsideration.

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 (5) Moral standards are perceived to be universal. We want everyone to live up to these
norms and feel resentful when somebody doesn't live up to them. Moral standards
believed to be universal as it is applicable anywhere and anytime. For instance, lying.
Telling the truth is a universal standard. Hence, we should not lie.

(6) Moral standards are correlated with different feelings and vocabulary. If anyone
doesn'tlive up to the norm or standards, he will feel guilty, bad, and wrong. The same
is true when someone else does not live up to the expectations, norms, and standards,
others may feel disgustedat this person.

Non-moral standards, on the contrary, apply to laws which are not related to social or legal
considerations. Perhaps these criteria are not inherently related to morality or, by their very
definition, lack of ethical sense. Examples of non-moral standards are the following: etiquette,
statutes, code of professional ethics, etc. (Leandro, Jr & Gubia-on, 2018)

Figure 2. Summary of the Differences of Moral Standards and Non-Moral Standards

Etiquette is a decorum; propriety means reverence for the formal criteria governing conduct ina
civilized society. Etiquette refers conventional ways and uses the rules of etiquette. Decorum
implies modesty and a sense of what is becoming or is fitting for a person of good breeding: a fine
sense of decorum. (https://www.dictionay.com/browse/etiquette?s=t) In the Philippines, noisily
eating meals is unethical but in other countries like Japan. China and South Korea, in doing that
show that a person likes the food especially in taking soup.

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A statute is a written law passed by a legislative body as defined by Oxford English and Spanish
Dictionary (https://www.lexico.com/definition/statute) Furthermore, As mentioned by the
University of Melbourne Libray Guide, statutes shall contain Acts of the Congress, Local Charters,
Municipal Codes, Districts, Administrative Rules and Regulations, Statutory Rules, and
Presidential Issues. (https://unimelb.libguides.com/c.php?g=402982&p=5443355). REPUBLIC
ACT No. 11463, An Act Establishing Malasakit Centers in all Department of Health (DOH)
Hospitals in the Country and in the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), Providing Funds Therefor
and for Other Purposes is an example of one of the statutes in the Philippines. The powers
conferred by the laws on the Medical Director, the Chief of the Hospital, or the Chief of the
Medical Center, the Director of the Malasakit Centers, shall oversee the proper management and
effective operation of the Malasakit Center. If its powers do not conflict with any other form of
law, it is legally binding. (https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/statutes.html)

Legality and morality are distinct, but often people are confused about these terms. We believethat
what is moral is also legal and that what is immoral is not good. Not all that is lawful is moral.

The Professional Code of Ethics, consequently, is a set of guidelines intended to helppractitioners

differentiate between right and wrong to guide their decision-making. Such rules, alsoreferred to as
the Code of Ethics, define the purpose and ideals of the organization, how staff within the
organization are to handle the issues, and the expectations to which workers are bound.
(https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/professional-code-of-ethics)

The members of the profession to which he or she belongs have learned, approved, and complied
with the laws, regulations, and conditions set down by the profession. Violations of theCode can
result in the disapproval of the Members. In extreme cases, a lawyer may be excluded from a legal
career and may prohibit him or her from practicing law. The essence of the Professional Code of
Ethics is not a more comprehensive or fully accurate guide to one's moral obligations. Almost all
professional codes are strictly moral in nature, and even so, the fact that a law is legallyembodied
as part of a professional code does not guarantee that it is a sound moral concept.

A practitioner must take the sanctions of his or her profession seriously, however, he or she also
has the right to evaluate certain laws objectively for himself or herself.

1.3 HOW MORAL STANDARDS ARE FORMED

Morals are shaped by the beliefs of an individual. Values are the basis of the capacity of an
individual to distinguish between right and wrong. Morals build on this to form concrete, context-
driven rules that regulate the actions of an individual. They are formed from the experience of a
person's life and are subject to opinion.

There are certain moral standards that all of us hold in our actions in society. There are various
factors on how moral standards are influenced: (1) the moral values or principles that we conform
with, in our rearing; (2) the character and manners that imbibed with us by means of birthright; (3)
the religious values that our forefathers taught us; (4) the values we learned from school; (5) the
moral conduct, ways and habits of those people around us; (6) the direct and implied cultural
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norms; (7) our life experiences; and (8) our critical thinking in these experiences.

Figure 3. A Train Chain of the Development of Moral Standards