1. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Foundation of Ethics
c Ethics is the philosophy of life
c Ethics delves into the reasons and logic behind
human action
c Ethics investigates the meaning and purpose of
life
c According to Socrates “the unexamined life is not
worth living”
c Plato stated that “ethics is the supreme science”
c Ethics is concerned in attaining the greatest good
and goal – happiness
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2. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Foundation of Ethics
c All throughout history men have been asking the
following questions:
q What sort of thing am I?
q Where do I come from?
q Where am I going?
q What is my future and destiny?
q What must I do to be happy?
q What is the cause and the remedy for to my present
problems?
c In elevating this questions we ask:
q “WHAT IS THE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF HUMAN
LIFE?”
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3. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Foundation of Ethics
c Imagine a home-builder. What is the primary
important factor to ensure that the house would
stand?
q The foundation, the basis, the premises that it has.
c Ethics has its own premises similar to other
science.
c Astronomy presupposes the existence of stars.
They do not seek to prove their existence but
accepts them.
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4. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Foundation of Ethics
c Science is a structure of knowledge.
c It is a collection of facts.
c Science must rest on well founded facts as
opposed to theories and hypotheses.
c Science may contain theories but these are based
on facts that would be verified in the future.
c A science is not correctly called so if the majority
of its basis is on hypotheses.
c It is a body of knowledge.
How does it apply to Ethics?
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5. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Foundation of Ethics
c Ethics has its postulates:
q Ethics accepts that there is a difference between
right and wrong.
q Ethics knows that there are some actions that must
be done and others that must not.
q Man is responsible for his actions.
q If a man does wrong, he deserves to be punished.
c The existence of law is a proof of our statements
earlier that there is a difference.
c We have a government that exists to enforce,
formulate, and interpret the law.
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6. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Foundation of Ethics
c On the matter of opinion, there may be a
difference on what is right from wrong but the fact
remains that there is a DIFFERENCE.
c Freedom, responsibility, morality are just some
abstract concepts but that does not negate their
existence and reality.
c Can you think of other concepts that has
consumed ethicists or philosophers?
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7. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Foundation of Ethics
c Ethics has its own set of principles.
c There are schools of thought as well that are not
in accord with ethics.
c The school of moral skepticism doubts everything
that come its way:
q Everything is to be doubted
q Nothing is held certain
q Moral standards are doubted in terms of existence
and validity
c The school of moral relativism has similar traits to
skepticism in that it makes all truths variable.
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8. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Foundation of Ethics
c Morality in relativism assumes that it is ever
changing
q Morality is dependent on factors such as time, age,
economic status etc.
c Moral relativism permeates modern thought.
c Relativist cites examples from religion as a basis
of their stand (i.e. Muslims allowed to marry more
than once while Jewish and Catholics are not).
c It is important to note that there is always an
objective value of moral good and evil which is in
contradiction with relativism.
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9. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Famous People Say About
Ethics
c “A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon
this world” (Adams Camus, French Novelist)
c “Ethics and equity and principles of justice do not
change with the calendar” (D.H. Lawrence, British
Poet)
c “Let me give you a definition of ethics, it is good to
maintain and further life it is bad to damage and
destroy life” (Albert Scheweitzer)
c “Action is indeed the sole medium of expression
for Ethics” (Jane Addams, Nobel Prize Winner
1931)
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10. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
What is Ethics?
c The study of human act or human behavior
c The study of ethics is a focused study on the
MORALITY of human actions
c Basic Definitions of Ethics
q Practical science of morality of human actions
q Science of human acts with reference to right and
wrong
q Science which lays down the principles of right and
wrong
q Normative and practical sciences, based on reason,
which studies human conduct and provides norm
for its natural integrity and honesty
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11. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Ethics and Other Sciences
c Ethics and Logic
q Logic is the science of right thinking.
q Ethics is the science of right living.
q The interrelationship is evident as thinking leads to
action.
c Ethics and Psychology
q Psychology is the science that deals with the study
of human behavior.
q Both ethics and psychology deal with the study of
man and their behavior. They both also study
human nature.
q The difference lies in the paradigm approaching
humanity.
q Psychology studies how human behave and what
are the reasons behind it while ethics study how
humans ought to behave.
q The MORALITY issue is the difference.
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12. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Ethics and Other Sciences
c Ethics and Sociology
q Sociology studies society as a whole.
q Psychology studies the individual more.
q Ethics and sociology are closely linked since
implications to society are also implications to
ethics.
c Ethics and Economics
q Economics is the study of allocation of scarce
resources.
q Man is an economic being.
q Man requires fundamental needs that should be
met in order to survive.
q Economics deals with issues of wages, labor,
production and distribution of wealth.
q Business Ethics and Professional Ethics are of
particular interest in this area.
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13. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Ethics and Human Activity
c Life is a unity of many facets: sociology,
economics, politics, religion, etc.
c Ethics permeates behavior in all these areas.
c Therefore, ethics can be seen in phases of human
life.
c We pay particular attention to Education, Morality
and Law, Art, Politics and Religion.
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14. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Ethics and Education
c Education develops the whole man.
c The development of mental faculties is the
primary goal of education.
c But the development of moral character is also
crucial to education.
c The constitution states that “all schools should
develop good moral character, personal discipline,
civic consciousness, etc.”
c Ethics’ place in education is evident. We are
taught what are the proper ways of doing things.
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15. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Morality and the Law
c Morality and Law are closely linked.
c The emphasis of what is right and wrong is stated
clearly in the law. Are the laws out of mere
opinion?
c The laws of the land are concretization of anterior
moral laws.
c There is however a difference between law and
morality:
q Laws are only placed to address external acts of
man.
q Morality deals with the intrinsic aspects particularly
the voluntariness and intent.
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16. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Morality and the Law
When is one liable legally and morally?
c Murder is an act punishable by law but the person
is not liable unless the act is committed or
initiated.
c The person however is morally liable.
c This reinforces the internal concern of morality.
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17. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Ethics and the Art
c Ethics stands for the moral goodness.
c Art stands for beauty.
c The main question is whether a piece of art could
be considered unethical.
c When art arouses and inspires the noble emotions
of man then art has fulfilled its purpose.
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18. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Religion and Ethics
c Religion and ethics are said to be two phases of
human life that are closest in relations.
c The question on God and the source of morality is
still in debate.
Could morality and ethics stand without religion?
c Some argue that since God is the source of
morality separating it is impossible.
c Do you agree?
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19. Professional Ethics with Values Formation
Importance of Ethics
c Ethics mean right living and good moral character.
c The attainment of ethical behavior would result in
a better place to live.
c Better understanding between cultures and
people.
What is the importance of ethics to you?
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