Introduction to

Philosophy
Ethics or Moral Philosophy
The unexamined life is not worth living.
- Socrates
Resources/References
Ethics or Moral Philosophy

• Ethics – is also called moral philosophy. It is the

division of philosophy concerned with how a person
should behave in a matter that is considered morally
correct or good.
When was ethics first
introduced?
● Ethical philosophy began in the fifth century BCE,
with the appearance of Socrates, a secular prophet
whose self-appointed mission was to awaken his fellow
men to the need for rational criticism of their beliefs
and practices.
When was ethics first
introduced?

● Ancient Greece was the birthplace of Western

philosophical ethics. The ideas of Socrates (c.
470–399 bce), Plato (428/427–348/347 bce), and
Aristotle (384–322 bce)
 Ethics in its
Definition
• Ethics means trying to figure out why one ● Ethics and morality
● morality is about the good- bad duality. In a
should behave morally, as well as
general sense, morality refers to a code or
understanding the motivating factors for that rules in which actions are judged against how
behavior. It also examines what, exactly, they stack up to shared values (human acts).
However, ethics refers to the rules that form
makes something “good” or “bad”
those moral codes and that also come from
those moral codes.
 Human acts
● are those that are done with full knowledge and full
willingness or deliberation. It must be conform to a
standard to determine whether they are good or bad,
right or wrong, moral or immoral.
 Ethics in its
Definition
Ethics seeks to determine how and why one should behave
in a way that is the most virtuous.

Ethics is about doing the right thing; the philosophy behind it is

determining what those right things are,
in a way that benefits the individual and society
at large in a fair, just, and a kind of manner.

In other words, ethics is about right versus wrong –

both in terms of defining those extremes
and how to act on the side of “right”.
Why we
study
Ethics?
Why we study Ethics?
Ethics is a central component of any happy, healthy, and
mature life. But some critics still question the value of
studying ethics and living an ethical life. After all, if you
ignore ethics, you can just focus on yourself, right? Not so
fast. Some great reasons to resist those critics include the
following:
 Ethics allows you to live an
authentic life
An authentic and meaningful life requires you to live with a
sense of integrity. Integrity is making commitments and
sticking to them through thick and thin, no matter how much
violating them may benefit you.

Having a firm character or set of principles to guide your

life and the choices you make is what ethics is all about.
 Ethics makes you more
successful
• You may think that ethics can hold you back in all kinds of ways,
but the truth is the opposite. Ethical people embody traits that
unethical people have to work at to fake — they’re honest,
trustworthy, loyal, and caring. As a result, ethical people are
perfectly suited not only for interpersonal relationships, generally,
but also more specifically for the kinds of interactions that make for
thriving business. Unethical people generally don’t do so well at
these things.
Ethics allows you to cultivate inner peace

. Lives that are lived ethically tend to be calmer, more focused, and
more productive than those that are lived unethically. Most people
can’t turn off their sympathy for other human beings. Hurting people
leaves scars on both the giver and the receiver. As a result, unethical
people have stormier internal lives because they have to work to
suppress their consciences and sympathies to deal with the ways they
treat others

When they fail to properly suppress their sympathies, the guilt and shame
that comes with harming or disrespecting one’s fellow human beings
takes deep root within them.
 Ethics provides for a stable society

When people live ethical lives, they tell the truth, avoid harming
others, and are generous. Working with such people is easy. On the
other hand, callous and insensitive people are distrusted, so it’s
difficult for them to be integrated well into social arrangements. A
stable society requires a lot of ethical people working together in
highly coordinated ways. If society were mostly composed of
unethical people, it would quickly crumble.
Ethics may help out in the afterlife
Some religious traditions believe ethics is the key to
something even greater than personal success and social
stability: eternal life. No one can be sure about an eternal life,
but people of faith from many different religions believe that
good behavior in this life leads to rewards in the next life.
 Ethical theory serves as the foundation
for ethical solutions to the difficult
situations people encounter in life. In
fact, for centuries, philosophers have
come up with theoretical ways of telling
right from wrong and for giving
guidelines about how to live and act
ethically.
 Virtue Ethics
Virtue ethics (Aristotle) - states that character matters above all
else. Living an ethical life, or acting rightly, requires developing
and demonstrating the virtues of courage, compassion, wisdom,
and temperance. It also requires the avoidance of vices like greed,
jealousy, and selfishness.

According to Aristotle, by honing virtuous habits, people will

likely make the right choice when faced with ethical challenges.

Aristotle
 Example
The film The Dark Knight where Batman has the opportunity to kill the Joker to suppress his dark
plan of the Gotham City. Utilitarian’s, White and Arp suggest, would endorse killing the Joker. By
taking this one life, Batman could save multitudes. Deontologists, on the other hand, would reject
killing the Joker simply because it’s wrong to kill. But a virtue ethicist “would highlight the character
of the person who kills the Joker. Does Batman want to be the kind of person who takes his enemies’
lives?” No, in fact, he doesn’t.

Therefore, virtue ethics helps us understand what it means to be a virtuous human being. And, it
gives us a guide for living life without giving us specific rules for resolving ethical dilemmas.
 Definition:
Virtue - behavior showing high moral Utilitarianism – is a theory of morality that
standards. advocates actions that foster happiness and
oppose actions that cause unhappiness.
Deontologists – is an ethical theory that
uses rules to distinguish right from wrong. Virtuous human being – is someone who is
kind across many situations over a lifetime
because that is her character and not because she
wants to maximize utility or gain favors or
simply do her duty.
 Example
The film The Dark Knight where Batman has the opportunity to kill the Joker to suppress his dark
plan of the Gotham City. Utilitarian’s, White and Arp suggest, would endorse killing the Joker. By
taking this one life, Batman could save multitudes. Deontologists, on the other hand, would reject
killing the Joker simply because it’s wrong to kill. But a virtue ethicist “would highlight the character
of the person who kills the Joker. Does Batman want to be the kind of person who takes his enemies’
lives?” No, in fact, he doesn’t.

Therefore, virtue ethics helps us understand what it means to be a virtuous human being. And, it
gives us a guide for living life without giving us specific rules for resolving ethical dilemmas.
Issues Virtue ethics
One problem for virtue ethics is that it is not
always clear what a virtuous person would do.
One proposed solution to the problem is to
claim that a virtuous person would act in
accordance with a moral principle, such as the
categorical imperative.
 Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism - holds that the amount of happiness and
suffering created by a person’s actions is what really
matters. Thus, acting rightly involves maximizing the
amount of happiness and minimizing the amount of
suffering around you. Sometimes you may even need to
break some of the traditional moral rules to achieve such
an outcome.

Jeremy Bentham
 Example
If you are choosing ice cream for yourself, the utilitarian view is
that you should choose the flavor that will give you the most
pleasure. If you enjoy chocolate but hate vanilla, you should
choose chocolate for the pleasure it will bring and avoid vanilla
because it will bring displeasure.
 Example
The film The Dark Knight where Batman has the opportunity to kill the Joker to suppress his dark
plan of the Gotham City. Utilitarian’s, White and Arp suggest, would endorse killing the Joker. By
taking this one life, Batman could save multitudes. Deontologists, on the other hand, would reject
killing the Joker simply because it’s wrong to kill. But a virtue ethicist “would highlight the character
of the person who kills the Joker. Does Batman want to be the kind of person who takes his enemies’
lives?” No, in fact, he doesn’t.

Therefore, virtue ethics helps us understand what it means to be a virtuous human being. And, it
gives us a guide for living life without giving us specific rules for resolving ethical dilemmas.
Issues Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is self-effacing, or recommends
against its own acceptance, due to the risk that
mistaken appeals to the 'greater good' may
actually result in horrifically harmful actions
being done.
 Kantianism
Kantianism - emphasizes the principles behind actions rather than
an action’s results. Acting rightly thus requires being motivated by
proper universal principles that treat everyone with respect. When
you’re motivated by the right principles, you overcome your animal
instincts and act ethically.

Immanuel Kant
 Example
Your friend starts to weep, fumbles in his wallet and gives the
beggar some money and tells you that he feels such an empathy
with the poor man that he just has to help him. For Kant, your
friend's action has no moral worth because what is moving him
to give money is empathy rather than duty!
Definition:
Fumble - is to grope for or handle something
clumsily or aimlessly.
Issues Kantianism
It concentrates on principles or rules, Kantian
ethics is doomed to be either empty and
formalistic or rigidly uniform in its prescriptions
(the complaints cannot both be true).
 Contract Theory
Contract theory - proposes thinking about ethics in
terms of agreements between people. Doing the right
thing means abiding by the agreements that the members
of a rational society would choose. So for contract
theorists, ethics isn’t necessarily about character,
consequences, or principles.

Thomas Hobbes
 Example
If I say you stole all my money and you deny it, instead of fighting it out
with fists or me raiding your house to find it with a gun, we both put our
faith in the legal system which we both agree will be more impartial, and
get to the truth. I surrender my right to take matters into my own hands on
the condition that you will also do the same.
Issues Contract theory
The challenge of moral diversity and the need for
representation and stability. Some problems
associated with social contract theory include its
inability to accommodate diverse perspectives
and respond to social change.
 Care Ethics
Care ethics - focuses ethical attention on
relationships before other factors. As a result, acting
rightly involves building, strengthening, and
maintaining strong relationships. Acting rightly thus
displays care for others and for the relationships of
which they are a part. To care ethicists, relationships
are fundamental to ethical thinking.

Psychologist Carol Philosopher Nel

Gilligan Noddings
 Example
Imagine a nurse who works in a hospital caring for elderly patients. One of her patients, an elderly
woman, is particularly lonely and often feels neglected by her family. The nurse, following the
principles of care ethics, goes above and beyond her duties to spend extra time with the patient,
listening to her stories, providing emotional support, and ensuring that she feels valued and cared for.

In this example, the nurse's actions are guided by the principles of care ethics, focusing on the importance
of empathy, compassion, and maintaining a caring relationship with the patient. Care ethics emphasizes the
significance of personal relationships and the moral responsibility to care for others, especially those who
are vulnerable or in need have support.
Issues Care Ethics
Usually result when the patient or caregiver does
not agree with or fails to understand the medical
care team's plan. Such dilemmas usually only
develop when there are misunderstandings
between the medical team and the patient or
family.
Issues of Ethics in
Philosophy
 Issue
Ethics deals with such questions at all levels. Its subject consists of the
fundamental issues of practical decision making, and its major concerns
include the nature of ultimate value and the standards by which human
actions can be judged right or wrong. The terms ethics and morality are
closely related.
 Issue
These issues include privacy and confidentiality, issues related to
socially vulnerable populations, health insurance discrimination,
employment discrimination, individual responsibility, issues
related to race and ethnicity, and implementation.
 Issues of ethics in situation

Situation ethics produces a lack of consistency from one situation

to the next. It may be both easier, and more just and loving, to
treat similar situations similarly - thus situation ethics should not
be treated as a free-for-all, but should look for precedents while
continuing to reject rigid ethical rules.
It takes less time to do things right than
to explain why did it wrong.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow