GEETHICS MODULE 1

Morality

It refers to the set of standards an individual person or society uses to judge whether an act is good or bad, whether someone is virtuous or not, or whether we ought to do this or that.

Ethics

It refers to one's set of moral beliefs and practices. It also refers to the discipline that examines the moral standards of an individual or society.

Ethics

It is a branch of morality that studies the nature of morality, it is sometimes also called moral philosophy.

3 General Area of Ethics

Metaethics, Normative Ethics, Applied Ethics

Metaethics

It looks into the nature, meaning, scope and foundations of moral values, beliefs and judgments. An example question: “Is morality objective or relative?”

Normative Ethics

It is concerned with the formulation of moral standards, rules, or principles to determine right from wrong conduct or ways of life worth pursuing.

Applied Ethics

It examines the particular moral issues occuring in both the personal and social spheres. It determines the moral permissibility of actions and practices in specific areas of human concern like business, medicine, nature, law , sports and others.

Descriptive Ethics

It is a non-philosophical study of morality which seeks to objectively record and present how people in a certain community make moral judgments or develop their capacity for such. It can also be done in the disciplines of sociology, anthropology and psychology.

Normative Statements

It may involve matters concerning morality, aesthetics, grammar, legality and etiquette among others, which are distinguished according to the standards used for making these statements.

Normative Statements

These statements tell us what we should do, and are judged by standards

Factual Statements

These statements tell us what actually happens, and checked by evidence.

Moral Standards

These standards are often confused with other normative standards, also concerned with good or proper behavior such as the law, etiquette and religion.

Moral Statements In Action

Facts alone do not make something morally right. It focuses on human well-being and are meant to apply to everyone.

Standards of Etiquette

These are based on social customs, culture or conventional practices.

Legal Standards

These are based on governmental laws.

Religious Standards

These are based on religious laws.

Four Characteristics of Moral Standards

Dealing with matters that cause serious harm or benefit human beings. It has a universal validity. It has a particularly overriding importance. It is not established by the decisions of authoritarian bodies, nor are they determined by appealing to consensus or tradition.

Ethical Relativism

It is the view that states all moral principles are valid relative to a particular society or individual. What is considered morally right or wrong depends on the cultural norms or even personal beliefs.

Ethical Relativism should be distinguished from:

Ethical Skepticism and Ethical Objectivism

Ethical Skepticism

This is the view that states that there are no valid moral principles at all, or at least know we cannot know whether there are any.

Ethical Objectivism

It is the view that states that there are universally moral principles binding all people.

Ethical Subjectivism and Ethical Conventionalism

These are the two forms of Ethical Relativism

Ethical Subjectivism

It is the Individual Ethical Relativism

Ethical Conventionalism

It is the cultural ethical relativism.

Ethical Subjectivism

It is the rightness or wrongness of an action lies on the individual's own commitments and interests. There is no interpersonal basis by which to judge whether an act is morally good or bad, right or wrong.

Ethical Conventionalism

It is the rightness or wrongness of an action based on society's norms. It is also considered more acceptable or reasonable than individual ethical relativism.

Arguments for Ethical Relativism

Diversity Argument, Dependency Argument, Toleration Argument

Diversity Argument

Ethical Relativism must be true since moral beliefs and rules vary from culture to culture, and within the same culture, they vary over time.

Dependency Argument

It's the argument where our perception of things is inescapably culture-bound: there is no independent, non cultural viewpoint. Consequently, moral beliefs can only be true or valid relative to certain groups.

Toleration Argument

It's an argument where relativism must be the right way to view the nature of morality since acknowledging the differences among various societies in terms of their moral beliefs and practices leads to respect as a whole.

Arguments against Ethical Relativism

Moral Diversity or Disagreement Does Not Establish Moral Relativism, Ethical Relativism leading to absurd consequences, Moral Progress