Republic of the Philippines
Mindanao State University
Maigo School of Arts and Trades
Labuay, Maigo School of Arts and Trades
Subject: GEC107
Descriptive Title: Ethics
Instructor: Prof. Gina V. Pongao
The Moral Agent
General Objectives: Module 1 (Lessons 1-3)
1. Recall rules they have follow
2. Explain why they have to follow the rules
3. Explain the difference between moral
and non- moral standards
4. Detect a Moral dilemma
5. Explain why only human beings can be
ethical
The Moral Agent
References:
Light, Andrew and Holmes Rolston III.
(2003)”Introduction: Ethics”, Malden, MA:
Blackwell Publishing.
Lemmon, E.J. (2009).”Moral Dilemmas,” The
Philosophical Review, 70: 139-158 reprinted in
Gowans, 2007.
Brandit, Richard. (2006) Ethical Theory; The
problems of Normative and Critical Ethics.
Prentice-Hall.p. 153.
Brodie, Sarah. (2001). Ethics with Aristotle. Oxford
University Press.
Orientation of the Course
Introduction:
People always need rules and laws to be
able to live and deal together .
Everything in our life should be restricted
with rules or it will be unfair.
We need rules to help us get a long
together and show respect to each other.
This course was organized and designed to
ensure fairness, safety and respect for other
people’s right.
Rules and Importance
Rules and Importance
Rules-refer to set of guidelines which have
been put in place in different countries
and communities and have been accepted
by all.
-are useful tools in guiding and monitoring
the interactions of humans in the society.
-are specific sets of norms of behavior,
regulations, and laws established on purpose
to regulate the life in the community.
Importance of Rules
It protect the weaker class in the society.
Provide stable environment and human
co-existence in society.
Aims to craft rules in line with some
desired results.
Establish desirable relationship among
others.
Are vital in one’s life to maintain peace
and order.
Why Do We Have Rules?
Rules help people in many aspects of life,
enable to organize all the process correctly.
Are specific modes of behavior that secure a
regulated flow of all processes.
Help humanity to avoid chaos and many
problems that may be caused by the lack of
regulations.
It enable people to interact, to work
together and contribute to the global
development. (Laws- dictates what is
proper and what is wrong).
The Subject Ethics
Ethics – derived from Greek word ethos ,
which mean custom, habit, character and
disposition. Including religions,
philosophies and cultures.
Ethics is not only about the morality of
particular courses of action, but it’s also
about the goodness of individuals and
what it means to live a good life.
Virtue Ethics – is particularly concerned with
the moral character of human beings
The Moral Agent
The Subject Ethics
Ethics or moral philosophy?
Ethics- is the discipline concerned with what
is morally good and bad, right and wrong.
A system of moral of principles and affect
how people make decisions and lead their lives.
Concerned with what is good for individual
and society and described as moral philosophy.
It applied to any system or theory of moral
values or principles.
The Subject Ethics
Subject Ethics- consist of the fundamental
issues of practical decision making, its
major concern includes the nature of
ultimate value and the standards by
which human actions ca be judged right or
wrong.
Branches of Ethics
In the field of ethics, morality is often defined in
one of two ways.
First is normative, in which actions are judged by
their merits, allowing societies to develop codes of
conduct for behavior.
Example of Normative ethics is “The Golden Rule,
do unto others as you would have them do unto
you” determining morality through actions.
Helping someone – finding a wallet and turning
it in to the lost and found. If your actions to
another person align with how you want to be
treated, it is moral.
Branches of Ethics
Second Descriptive ethics – ask what do people
think is moral. This branch of ethics does not only
claim that things are right or wrong, but simply
studies how individuals or societies define their
morals.
What makes something right or wrong in a
specific culture?
“Normative ethics actually defines what is
right and wrong. Descriptive ethics defines
morals in terms of their cultural or personal
significance”.
Why study Ethics
Enable person to understand better what his
conscience is – gain a clearer insight into his
claims upon society, and the duties that he
owes to society. Learn to discriminate
between the respects in which all individuals
are mutually interdependent and responsible
for his own life.
Ethics prescribe for anyone what should be
his vocation in life, standpoints of self-
realization, self-sacrifice, and service to help
anyone in making decisions.
Why study Ethics
The understanding of moral problems will be
widened – as we becomes acquainted with the
thoughts of other people’s problem of good and
evil, justice and injustice, virtue and vice, the rights
and duties of the individual and of society.
The critical faculties will be trained- we will know
the reasons for moral convictions, and the reasons
for others. Become more tolerant, we will not
confused charity with condonation (implied pardon
of an offense) of vice and wrong. Finding that “to
comprehend all is to forgive all”. (universal
principle)
