This chapter discusses ethics, morality, and theories of ethics. It defines ethics as the study of principles of right and wrong conduct, while morality refers to standards that distinguish acceptable vs unacceptable behavior. There are three main types of normative ethical theories - virtue ethics, which focuses on good character; deontological ethics, which focuses on duties and rules; and teleological ethics, which focuses on outcomes and consequences. Meta ethics studies the meaning and justification of ethical terms and judgments. Professional ethics refers to the moral issues that arise in professional fields due to specialized knowledge and responsibilities.

1. Chapter 2
Ethics and Morality
2.1. The Definition of Ethics and Morality
 The meanings of ethics and morals are often used
interchangeably.
 Morals are societal principles of right and wrong, while
ethics is the study of these sets of principles.
 Morality refers to the degree to which an action
conforms to a standard or norm of human conduct.

2.  Ethics can be defined as the philosophical investigation
of the principles governing human actions in terms of
their;
 Goodness,
 Badness,
 Rightness
 Wrongness.
cont.

3.  In our practices there are three supreme values.
 Truth – Knowing
 Beauty - Felling
 Goodness - Acting
 We learn to
 Know what is true,
 Appreciate what is beautiful,
 Do what is right
cont.

4. 2.2. Ethical Theories (The Division of Ethics)
These are Normative and Meta ethics.
2.2.1. Normative Ethics
Normative ethics - is concerned with developing rational
rules, guidelines, or standards according to which we
ought to live
Normative ethics - involves arriving at moral standards
that regulate right and wrong conduct.
Example -The Golden Rule
"we should do to others what we would want others to do to
us. "

5.  For any act, there are three things that might be
thought to be morally interesting:
1. The agent - the person performing the act;
2. The act itself;
3. Consequences of the act.
 Thus, there are three types of normative ethical :
 Virtue Theory of Ethics
 Deontological (Non -Consequentialist )
 Teleological (Consequentialist).
cont.

6. 1. Virtue Theory of Ethics - concentrates on the moral
character of the agent. we ought to have certain character
traits such as:
 courage,
 generosity,
 compassion etc… these ought to be
manifested in our actions.
cont.

7. 2. Deontological (Non consequentiality)
 It maintains that the morality of an action
depends on the factors (motives) rather than
consequences,
 This theory focuses on the performance of duty
rather than the results (ends).
 A person’s moral worth is determined by why he
does it (convincing reason), not what he does.
cont.

8. 3. Teleological (Consequentialist)
 It refers the theory of ends or purposes.
 It is derived from the Greek terms telos (end result) and
logos (theory).
 This theory maintain that the morality of an action
depends on the consequences that the action brings
about.
cont.

9. Consequentialism
 An action is morally right if the consequences of that
action are more favorable or unfavorable.
 If the good consequences are greater, then the action is
morally proper.
 If the bad consequences are greater, then the action is
morally improper.
cont.

10. There are three consequentialist theories:
 Egoism,
 Altruism
 Utilitarianism.
1. Ethical Egoism
 An action is morally right if the consequences of that
action are more favorable than unfavorable only to the
agent.
 Egoistic person is guided only by self-interest,
disregarding interests of the society and other people.

11. Who's the Egoistic person
The Egoistic person is the one who has an exaggerated
self importance and who sometimes thinks that he is
more important than anybody else.
How to spot egoistic people
1) The always seek revenge & are sometimes very
aggressive:
2) They always try to be different than others:
3) The choice of words:
"People are stupid", "I have a different way of thinking",

12. 4. They usually pose alone in pictures:
5. His friend can become his enemy overnight: Bonus
tips to single out Egoistic people:
Egotistic people are very selective, their problem is
usually finding a match that satisfies their big egos.
They are usually extremely ambitious because they
believe that they deserve to go higher in ranks.

13. 2. Ethical Altruism
 Altruism is the opposite of egoism – the motivation or
practice of doing things to benefit others, without
expecting any benefit for oneself.
 Altruism is the principle of considering the wellbeing and
happiness of others first and selflessness.
 An action is morally right if the consequences of that
action are more favorable than unfavorable to
everyone except the agent.

14. 3. Utilitarianism
 An action is morally right if the consequences of that
action are more favorable than unfavorable to
everyone (to society or community).
 The supreme objective of moral action is the
achievement of “the greatest happiness for the
greatest number.”
cont.

15. 2.2.2. Meta Ethics
 It studies the meaning of the ethical terms, i.e. ‘good’,
‘bad’, ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.
 It studies the justifications for saying that someone is good
or bad, right or wrong.
 When we say “someone is bad” what is the justification
used?

16. 2.3. Moral Categories
Right
 It is simply means acceptable, correct or proper in a
particular society in a specific period of time.
 That is what is right in one society may not be right
in another society.
 Even in the same society, what was right many years
ago cannot be considered right at present?
For example:
In Ethiopia, many years ago the subordination of women was
considered acceptable.

17. Wrong
 It is unacceptable, bad or improper behavior or action.
 Our moral laws in our mind tell as what is acceptable
and unacceptable in a society.
 we respect these moral laws.
 Unless, the society condemns us.
 The judgment of the actions as good or bad on very
much depend up the interest of the society.
 Our moral laws guide us to the right direction

18. Good
 It is some activity that the society considers acceptable
and morally worth.
 What is considered to be good is what conforms to the
moral law of man.
 If a certain action or, behavior is good, it does not affect
our moral judgment.

19. Bad
It is an activity or behavior which the society reckons as
immoral or unacceptable.
For example,
stealing someone’s property is unacceptable or immoral.
Justice
 When there is justice, people live together peacefully.
when what people do is based on injustice, then there
will be conflict.

20.  This conflict would in turn lead to societal crisis.
 It is the basis of co-existence.
For example:
1. In a community one could do less but could benefit a lot. On the contrary,
one could do a lot but benefit less. This imbalance in earning benefit
is unjust.
2. the balance between one’s deed and reward.
cont.

21. 2.4. Professional Ethics and Morality
 It concerns the moral issues that arise because of the
specialist knowledge that professionals attain,
 It carries additional moral responsibilities,
 To implement their duties effectively and responsibly,
they need to have work ethics.

22.  All professions do not have the same set of values and
standards in absolute conditions.
 But there are common standards that could be
followed by all people irrespective of their professions.
For example:
1. Punctuality is an important value to all workers.
2. Worker is expected to properly utilize the materials and other resources.
3. She/he also expected to work cooperatively with fellow workers.
cont.

23. Three sources of professional values and ethics
 Professional integrity,
 Academic integrity,
 One's personal values.
Professional integrity - can be described as a set of rules
or codes that individuals must follow in a professional
setting.
cont.

24. Personal integrity - is doing the right thing, even when
nobody is watching.
Academic integrity - means being honest in the fulfillment
of your academic responsibilities. It is the moral code or
ethical policy of academia.
cont.

25. End of
Chapter-2
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