Foundations of ethics 110829045731

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Foundations of Ethics

Professional Ethics with Values Formation

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Foundation of Ethics

c Ethics is the philosophy of life

c Ethics delves into the reasons and logic behindhuman action

c Ethics investigates the meaning and purpose of

life

c According to Socrates “the unexamined life is notworth living”

c Plato stated that “ethics is the supreme science”

c Ethics is concerned in attaining the greatest goodand goal – happiness


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c All throughout history men have been asking thefollowing questions:

q What sort of thing am I?q Where do I come from?

q Where am I going?

q What is my future and destiny?

q What must I do to be happy?

q What is the cause and the remedy for to my present

problems?

c In elevating this questions we ask:

q “WHAT IS THE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF HUMANLIFE?”


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c Imagine a home-builder. What is the primaryimportant factor to ensure that the house would

stand?q The foundation, the basis, the premises that it has.

c Ethics has its own premises similar to otherscience.

c Astronomy presupposes the existence of stars. They do not seek to prove their existence butaccepts them.


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c Science is a structure of knowledge.

c It is a collection of facts.

c Science must rest on well founded facts asopposed to theories and hypotheses.

c Science may contain theories but these are basedon facts that would be verified in the future.

c A science is not correctly called so if the majority

of its basis is on hypotheses.c It is a body of knowledge.

How does it apply to Ethics?


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c Ethics has its postulates:

q Ethics accepts that there is a difference between

right and wrong.q Ethics knows that there are some actions that must

be done and others that must not.

q Man is responsible for his actions.

q If a man does wrong, he deserves to be punished.

c The existence of law is a proof of our statementsearlier that there is a difference.

c We have a government that exists to enforce,formulate, and interpret the law.


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c On the matter of opinion, there may be adifference on what is right from wrong but the fact

remains that there is a DIFFERENCE.

c Freedom, responsibility, morality are just someabstract concepts but that does not negate theirexistence and reality.

c Can you think of other concepts that hasconsumed ethicists or philosophers?


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c Ethics has its own set of principles.

c There are schools of thought as well that are notin accord with ethics.

c The school of moral skepticism doubts everythingthat come its way:

q Everything is to be doubtedq Nothing is held certain

q Moral standards are doubted in terms of existenceand validity

c The school of moral relativism has similar traits to

skepticism in that it makes all truths variable.


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c Morality in relativism assumes that it is everchanging

q Morality is dependent on factors such as time, age,economic status etc.

c Moral relativism permeates modern thought.

c Relativist cites examples from religion as a basisof their stand (i.e. Muslims allowed to marry morethan once while Jewish and Catholics are not).

c It is important to note that there is always anobjective value of moral good and evil which is in

contradiction with relativism.


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Famous People Say About

Ethics

c “A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed uponthis world” (Adams Camus, French Novelist)

c “Ethics and equity and principles of justice do notchange with the calendar” (D.H. Lawrence, BritishPoet)

c“Let me give you a definition of ethics, it is good tomaintain and further life it is bad to damage anddestroy life” (Albert Scheweitzer)

c “Action is indeed the sole medium of expressionfor Ethics” (Jane Addams, Nobel Prize Winner

1931)


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What is Ethics?

c The study of human act or human behavior

c The study of ethics is a focused study on theMORALITY of human actions

c Basic Definitions of Ethics

q Practical science of morality of human actions

q Science of human acts with reference to right andwrong

q Science which lays down the principles of right and

wrong

q Normative and practical sciences, based on reason,which studies human conduct and provides normfor its natural integrity and honesty


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Ethics and Other Sciences

c Ethics and Logic

q Logic is the science of right thinking.

q Ethics is the science of right living.

q The interrelationship is evident as thinking leads toaction.

c Ethics and Psychology

q Psychology is the science that deals with the study

of human behavior.

q Both ethics and psychology deal with the study ofman and their behavior. They both also studyhuman nature.

q The difference lies in the paradigm approachinghumanity.

q Psychology studies how human behave and whatare the reasons behind it while ethics study howhumans ought to behave.

q The MORALITY issue is the difference.


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Ethics and Other Sciences

c Ethics and Sociology

q Sociology studies society as a whole.

q Psychology studies the individual more.

q Ethics and sociology are closely linked sinceimplications to society are also implications toethics.

c Ethics and Economics

q Economics is the study of allocation of scarceresources.

q Man is an economic being.

q Man requires fundamental needs that should bemet in order to survive.

q Economics deals with issues of wages, labor,

production and distribution of wealth.q Business Ethics and Professional Ethics are of

particular interest in this area.


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Ethics and Human Activity

c Life is a unity of many facets: sociology,economics, politics, religion, etc.

c Ethics permeates behavior in all these areas.

c Therefore, ethics can be seen in phases of humanlife.

c We pay particular attention to Education, Moralityand Law, Art, Politics and Religion.


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Ethics and Education

c Education develops the whole man.

c The development of mental faculties is theprimary goal of education.

c But the development of moral character is alsocrucial to education.

c The constitution states that “all schools shoulddevelop good moral character, personal discipline,civic consciousness, etc.”

c Ethics’ place in education is evident. We aretaught what are the proper ways of doing things.


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Morality and the Law

c Morality and Law are closely linked.

c The emphasis of what is right and wrong is statedclearly in the law. Are the laws out of mereopinion?

c The laws of the land are concretization of anterior

moral laws.

c There is however a difference between law andmorality:

q Laws are only placed to address external acts ofman.

q Morality deals with the intrinsic aspects particularlythe voluntariness and intent.


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Morality and the Law

When is one liable legally and morally?

c Murder is an act punishable by law but the personis not liable unless the act is committed orinitiated.

c The person however is morally liable.

c This reinforces the internal concern of morality.


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Ethics and the Art

c Ethics stands for the moral goodness.

c Art stands for beauty.

c The main question is whether a piece of art couldbe considered unethical.

c When art arouses and inspires the noble emotionsof man then art has fulfilled its purpose.


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Religion and Ethics

c Religion and ethics are said to be two phases ofhuman life that are closest in relations.

c The question on God and the source of morality isstill in debate.

Could morality and ethics stand without religion?

c Some argue that since God is the source ofmorality separating it is impossible.

c Do you agree?


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Importance of Ethics

c Ethics mean right living and good moral character.

c The attainment of ethical behavior would result ina better place to live.

c Better understanding between cultures andpeople.

What is the importance of ethics to you?

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Foundations of ethics 110829045731