Ethics, Moral Dilemmas, Kant, Culture, and Cultural Relativism (Lecture Notes)

Vocabulary flashcards capturing key terms and definitions from the lecture notes on ethics, moral dilemmas, Kant, culture, and cultural relativism.

Ethics

The empirical study of moral decisions; a discipline concerned with what is morally good and evil, right and wrong.

Moral philosophy

A branch of philosophy dealing with what human beings must do or should do; moral ideas, obligations, and purposes.

Normative ethics

The study of how people ought to act; questions about the essence of human behavior and what acts should be carried out.

Meta-ethics

The discipline that examines meaning, interpretation, and justification of moral statements and non-moral questions about morality.

Applied ethics

Philosophy that discusses concrete moral issues in real-life contexts (e.g., abortion, bioethics).

Ethos

From Greek, meaning tradition, habit, character, or attitude.

Moral standards

Guidelines that determine what is morally permissible or unacceptable and often promote the common good.

Non-moral standards

Laws or norms not inherently related to morality (e.g., etiquette, professional codes).

Etiquette

Decorum and conventional rules governing conduct in a civilized society.

Statute

A written law passed by a legislative body.

Legality vs morality

Legality concerns lawfulness; morality concerns right and wrong; they can differ.

Moral development

The process by which moral beliefs and rules are formed and refined through life experiences and culture.

Moral decision making

The process of evaluating options to determine the most ethical action.

Moral dilemma

A situation in which one must choose between competing moral principles or values.

Organizational ethical dilemma

Ethical issues within an organization affecting staff, shareholders, and society (leadership, culture, governance).

Individual moral dilemma

Dilemmas influenced by personal factors like peer pressure and financial status.

Structural moral dilemma

Dilemmas arising from systems of responsibilities and relationships within an organization.

Differentiation vs Integration

Conflict between distributing tasks and organizing activities; affects coherence.

Gap vs Overlap

Problems when tasks are poorly defined (gaps) or overlap (duplication).

Lack of Clarity vs Lack of Creativity

Unclear expectations reduce system-wide goals; lack of creativity limits solutions.

Excessive Autonomy vs Excessive Interdependence

Either too much independence or too much coordination can hinder effectiveness.

Maintenance of structural dilemmas

Balanced jobs, implicit roles, clear task expectations, and well-balanced interdependence.

Kant

18th-century philosopher who linked freedom to autonomy and reason; universal moral law in rational beings.

Autonomy

Self-legislation; the right to govern oneself by reason; living by laws one enforces on oneself.

Freedom in Kant’s view

Freedom to act according to universal reason; not absolute license; coexistence with others under universal law.

Three Kantian freedoms

Freedom as a member of a state, the dignity of every person as a subject, and the freedom of residents in a commonwealth.

Good will

The only intrinsic good; acts from goodwill retain moral value even if outcomes fail.

Duty

Moral obligation; actions performed out of duty have moral significance.

Perfect duties

Always true duties (e.g., telling the truth).

Imperfect duties

Flexible duties (e.g., beneficence) not required at all times.

Categorical imperative

Unconditional, universal rule of action that must be followed regardless of desires.

Hypothetical imperative

Conditional rules based on desired ends; follows if one desires a certain outcome.

Universalizability

Test for maxims: can the action be wedded to a universal law without contradiction?

Humanity as end in itself

Treat rational beings as ends in themselves, never merely as means.

Justice and fairness (Kant)

Interpersonal justice focusing on fair treatment and voluntary benevolence, not power or status.

Kantian morality

morality grounded in reason and universal rational principles; objective law of reason.

Taxation in the Philippines

Tax policy governed by the Constitution and Republic Acts; uniformity and equity in taxation.

Uniformity in taxation

Equity in the burden of taxation; same mode of assessment and rates for subjects of taxation.

Equity in taxation

Taxes should be based on ability to pay; fairness across income levels.

Culture

A broad, diverse collection of social life including beliefs, language, norms, and arts; shaped by values and history.

Influences of culture on moral development

Culture shapes moral norms, laws, and behavior; defines normative principles and boundaries.

Characteristics of culture

Includes beliefs, language, etiquette, arts, social practices, and the interplay with social structure and economy.

Characteristics of Filipino culture

Resilient, family-oriented, religious, hospitable, respectful; pride in tradition and art.

Weaknesses of Filipino character

Phenomena like extreme personalism, colonial mentality, lack of discipline, and passivity.

Cultural Relativism

The view that moral judgments are relative to cultural context; no objective universal moral rules.

Pros of cultural relativism

Fosters tolerance, learning opportunities, and respect for different cultures.

Cons of cultural relativism

Can justify harmful practices; may hinder reform; risk of bias and moral skepticism.

Summary of cultural relativism

Understanding cultures on their own terms; accepting cultural variation without universal judgments.

Benefit of cultural relativism

Encourages acceptance and peaceful coexistence across cultures.

Drawback of cultural relativism

Assumes humans always act in the best way; may prevent critique or improvement.