principles of ethics

1. BY: JEVI FLORENCE J. TINAGAN, RN

2. PHILOSOPHY
 From Greek word “philia” – lover or pursuer and
“sophia” – as wisdom
 No distinct definition of philosophy but we can
nevertheless, answer the question by:
1. Looking at past examples of philosophers
2. Considering one compelling definition of
philosophy, and
3. Looking at the way academic philosophers today
actually practice philosophy.

3.  SAGES – is term used to call philosophers in the
ancient times
 They are associated with mathematical and scientific
discoveries and with political impact
 What makes them significant is that:
a. They demonstrate a willingness to be skeptical to
tradition
b. A curiosity about the natural world and other place
in it, and
c. They have a commitment to applying reason to
understand nature, human nature and society better.

4.  SAGES before are popular in countries of:
1. India – plays both in mythology and in passing down
teaching instruction through generations
2. China – (Confucius), emphasized their importance
for their discovery of technical skills essential to
human civilization, for their role as rulers and wise
leasders and for their wisdom.
3. Africa – (Oruka), articulated the wisdom of their
tradition and culture while at the same time
maintaining a critical distance from that culture,
seeking a rational justification for the beliefs held by
the culture.
4. Greece – study of astronomy, scientists or enginering.

5. IN CONCLUSION:
 SAGES is all about how intellect, wisdom, piety and
virtue led to the innovations central to the flourishing
of ancient traditions
 SAGES are early thinkers that began to formulate
explanations for a natural phenomena.

6. For my own definition of
PHILOSOPHY:
 PHILOSOPHY – it is a clear method of exploration and
analysis, wherein the philosophers are interested in
gaining the broadest possible understanding of things,
whether that be nature, what is possible, morals
aesthetics, political organizations, or any other field of
concept.

7. GOAL OF PHILOSOPHY:
 To provide a coherent story of how the world as it
appears to us can be explained in a way that also makes
sense of what the sciences tells us.

8. SOURCES OF EVIDENCE/TYPES OF
PHILOSOPHICAL EVIDENCES
 Eventhough Philosophy is not emperical science, it
still requires evidence and philosophers ought to have
reasons for the claims they make.
 They are:
1. History – The insights of historical philosophers,
sages, natural philosophers, and religious thinkers
can help us understand contemporary philosophical
questions.
Ex. The question “What is a good life?” is a perennial
philosophical concern; attempts at answers from the
past continue to have relevance for contemporary
people.

9. 2. Intuition - The philosophical meaning of intuition
can best be traced back to Plato, for whom intuition
involved a kind if insight into the very nature of
things.
Ex. The truth of a mathematical sentence like
“2+2=4” is so clear that if it turned out to be wrong,
you would have to give up core beliefs about the
nature of numbers, addition, and equality.

10. 3. Common Sense - When philosophers talk about common
sense, they mean specific claims based on direct sense
perception.
Ex. Someone who is holding their hand in front of their
face can rightly claim “this is my hand” without having to
resort to any further proofs.
4. Experimental Philosophy - the basic idea motivating
experimental philosophy is that philosophers use terms
and concepts that can be tested in a laboratory.
Ex. A philosopher might pose scenarios to research
subjects and ask them whether they believe an absence of
free choice would remove moral responsibility in these
scenarios, in order to test a philosophical claim about
moral responsibility and free will.

11. 5. Results from other disciplines - Evidence from other
disciplines can help philosophers better understand
portions of philosophical inquiries.
Ex. Information provided by other social scientists
(e.g., sociologists, historians, anthropologists) can be
used to inform philosophical claims about human
nature.

12. What is ETHICS?
 Derived from the Greek word “ethos” – which means
customs and character
 Branch of philosophy that studies the wrongness or
rightness of a human action
 Deals with the questions:
1. “How do human persons ought to act?”
2. “What is a right conduct and a good life?”
• But there is no single definition of ethics “why”?

13. EXAMPLE
GREEK
TIMES/TRADITIONS
JUDEO-CHRISTIAN
TRADITION
 “Good life” – therefore the
ethical discovery during
those times is discovery the
nature of “HAPPINESS”
 During the Aristotle time’s –
ethics in those times is
perceived as the discovery of
the theories of happiness but
also provides ways in which
happiness is achieved.
 In here the ideals of
righteousness before God
 Love of God and neighbor
and not the happier or
pleasant life, constitute the
substance of ethics

14.  So if we try to reconcile the 2 traditions/ views = we
will be dealing with 2 difficult views of “being happy”
and “doing what is right”.

15. IS ETHICS THE SAME WITH
MORALITY?
ETHICS MORALITY
 “THEORY” of right action and
the greater good
 The “systematic study” of the
underlying principles of
morality
 Therefore, it is interested
primarily in the illustration of a
more general problem and the
examination of underlying
assumptions and a critical
evaluation of ethical and moral
principles
 “practice”, righteousness or
wrongness of human action
• “PRESCRIPTIVE”
• Exhorts us to follow the right
way
• Aims to guide one’s action by
reason and gives equal weight to
the interest of each individual
affected by one’s decision=by
this it gives a clear picture of a
morally upright person.

16. In conclusion:
 ETHICS – is the “science of moral”
 MORALITY – is the “practice of ethics”

17. TYPES OF ETHICS
1. NORMATIVE ETHICS (Prescriptive” )
• It seeks to set norms or standards that regulate right
and wrong or good or bad conduct
• Articulating good habits that we should require, the
duties that we should follow are the consequences of
our behavior hence, normative ethics = normally
attempts to develop guidelines or theories that tell us
how we should behave.

18. 2. METAPHYSICS (Descriptive)
• Analytical/descriptive
• Type of ethical inquiry that aims to understand the
nature and dynamics of ethical principles and asks
questions of the nature and moral fact as well as the
way we learn and acquire moral beliefs.

19. 3. APPLIED ETHICS
• It is the actual application of ethical or moral
theories for the purpose of deciding which ethical or
moral actions are appropriate in a given situation.
• CASUITS = adherents of applied ethics are
concerned with individual moral problems such as
abortion or euthanasia and attempts to resolve
conflicting issues of these moral problems.

20. Different fields of applied ethics:
a. Business ethics – deals with ethical behavior in the
corporate world,
b. Biomedical and environmental ethics - deals with
issues relating to health, welfare and the
responsibility we have towards people in the
environment,
c. Social ethics – deals with the ethical principles and
guidelines that regulate corporate welfare within
societies.

21. ETHICAL ISSUE:
A POLICE OFFICER SHOOTS A TERRORISTS WHO
IS ABOUT TO BLOW UP A CROWDED SHOPPING
MALL.
How does the different fields of ethics resolve the issue
on moral dilemma in the scenario presented? Explain.