Introduction to Ethics and Moral Philosophy

PHILO 01 UNIT 1 REVIEWER: Introduction to Ethics and Moral Philosophy

1. Philosophy and Ethics

Etymology of Philosophy

  • "Philos" (love) + "Sophia" (wisdom) = "Love of wisdom"

Definition of Philosophy

  • The entire body of knowledge involving questioning, critical thinking, rational argumentation, and systematized presentation

Three Objects of Inquiry in Philosophy

  1. Nature of reality

    • Question: "What is real?"

    • Concerns the constantly changing universe.

  2. Knowledge

    • Question: "How can we know them?"

    • Examines whether we can truly know things.

  3. Value

    • Question: "Do they have value?"

    • Investigates if things are real and knowable.

Ethics

  • Ethics is a branch of philosophy concerned with the proper distinction between good/bad, right/wrong, correct/incorrect behavior.

  • Based on first principles or fundamental causes.

2. Basic Moral Experience

Key Concepts

  • Humans are moral by nature.

  • We possess a natural capacity to distinguish good from bad (right from wrong).

  • Being moral is unique to human persons as moral agents.

Moral Situations

  • Moments in daily life requiring us to distinguish good from bad, right from wrong.

Moral Discernment

  • The process of deciding whether an act is good or bad.

  • Involves

    • Preferential option for what is believed to be good/right.

    • Aversion from what is believed to be bad/wrong.

Moral Standards

  • Principles or norms dealing with matters that can harm or benefit a person.

  • A collection of moral standards is referred to as morality.

Value Judgments

  • Final decisions on whether an action is good/bad, right/wrong.

  • Based on norms, principles, or standards believed to be true.

Normative Statements

  • Expressed value judgments claiming something "ought to be" the case.

  • Justified based on standards, not facts.

  • Uses words like "should" and "ought".

3. Three Basic Elements of Moral Experience

  1. The Moral Agent

    • The person making the moral decision.

  2. The Moral Act

    • The action being evaluated.

  3. The Moral Deliberation

    • The thinking process involved in the decision.

Example of Moral Experience

  • Element: Example

  1. Moral Situation: Finding someone's wallet and feeling disturbed about keeping it or returning it.

  2. Moral Discernment: Weighing pros and cons of keeping vs. returning.

  3. Moral Standards: Principles used to justify your decision.

  4. Value Judgment: Deciding to return the wallet.

  5. Normative Statement: "You ought to return something that is not rightfully yours."

4. Sources of Moral Standards

  1. Family

  2. Teachers, friends, and reference books

  3. Movies and social media

  4. Religion

5. Types of Statements 1. Informative

- States a fact (e.g., "This lecture is about Morality").

  1. Expressive

    • Conveys emotion (e.g., "Yehey", "Bad trip").

  2. Imperative

    • Causes or prevents action (e.g., "Review your lessons").

  3. Normative

    • Uses "should" or "ought" with a standard (e.g., "One should dribble the ball with one hand.").

6. Moral vs. Non-Moral Standards

Morality

  • A set of standards guiding what is right or wrong.

  • Acquired over time from various sources.

Related Norms (Non-Moral Standards)

  1. Etiquette

    • Social conventions.

  2. Law

    • Legal requirements.

  3. Religion

    • Religious rules.

7. Characteristics of Moral Standards

  1. Deal with matters that can seriously harm or benefit human beings.

  2. Have universal validity.

  3. Have overriding importance - prevail over other values.

  4. Not established by authoritarian bodies - not solely determined by consensus or tradition.

8. The Problem with Morality

Three True Statements that Create Inconsistency

  1. Persons can distinguish good from bad (we always know what is good/bad).

  2. We have standards guiding our moral decisions (morality).

  3. People still do bad things despite knowing what's right.

The Dilemma

  • If (1) and (2) are true, how can (3) also be true?

  • If one knows good from bad AND has standards, why do they still choose bad?

  • This reveals an inconsistency in human moral behavior.

9. Ethics vs. Morality

Morality

  • A personal set of standards about right/wrong.

  • Acquired from experiences, family, culture, customs, tradition, religion.

  • Represents beliefs about what is right or wrong.

Ethics

  • The philosophical study of morality.

  • A branch of philosophy using human reason alone.

  • Clarifies moral issues when standards conflict.

  • Examines fundamental principles underlying morals.

  • Treats moral beliefs as subjects of examination, not absolute truths.

10. Areas of Ethics

  1. Metaethics

    • Focuses on underlying concepts, assumptions, and ideas of morality itself.

    • Questions about the nature of morality.

  2. Normative Ethics

    • Clarifies moral standards for determining right/wrong action.

    • Includes:

      • Consequentialism

      • Deontology

      • Virtue Ethics

  3. Applied Ethics

    • Practical application of ethical theories and principles.

    • Examples: business ethics, bioethics, environmental ethics.

  4. Descriptive Ethics

    • Describes and explains what various peoples think about right/wrong.

    • Presents different cultural/social moral views.

11. Moral Dilemmas

Definition

  • A situation where a person must choose between two or more conflicting options.

  • None of the options is acceptable, and all choices lead to unwanted results.

  • Note: Not a dilemma if there's only one difficult situation without forced choice between options.

Types of Moral Dilemmas

  1. Epistemic Moral Dilemma

    • Moral requirements conflict.

    • The agent doesn't know which takes precedence.

    • Unclear which option is morally right.

    • Needs fuller knowledge of the situation.

    • Example: A promise to go home early vs. helping a sick old man.
      2A. Self-Imposed Moral Dilemma

    • Caused by the agent's own wrongdoings.

    • Example: David promising indigenous peoples to protect the forest while seeking mining corporation support.
      2B. World-Imposed Moral Dilemma

    • External events place the agent in moral conflict.

    • Beyond the agent's control.

    • Example: Sophie’s Choice - choosing which child lives.
      3A. Single Agent Dilemma

    • One person must choose between two equally valid moral options.

    • Cannot do both.

    • Example: Doctor's duty to report an HIV case vs. respecting confidentiality.
      3B. Multi-Person Dilemma

    • Involves several persons (family, organization, community).

    • Requires consensual decision.

    • Must reach general agreement while doing what's right.

    • Example: Family deciding to terminate or prolong life support; organization choosing between wage compliance or workforce retention.