Elsa C.

Bercasio
2nd Year, BSBA

Why do we study Ethics? One reason to study ethics is that ethics is

inescapable. ... The study of ethics should also lead one to develop skills in
articulating your own values, to provide others with reasons for your actions and give
you the means of questioning the values of others. But what is Ethics? Ethics is
concerned with distinguishing between good and evil in the world, between right and
wrong human actions, and between virtuous and non-virtuous characteristics of
people. The two objects of the Ethics: the physical object of the doer of the act, and
the nonphysical object or the act done by the doer. The nonphysical object of the
Ethics has two types, the acts of man and the human acts. Because it has moral
value, moral acts or human acts are said to be the formal object of Ethics. The study
of ethics is essential to the stable functioning of civilization. Moral quandaries are
inevitable in certain professions. Studying the origins of moral standards and the role
they play in society helps to understand the lines separating acceptable from
unacceptable types of behaviour. In ethics, a premium is placed upon defining "the
good". Different approaches to defining the good, the nature of moral properties, the
source of moral knowledge, and the status of moral facts have played an important
role in shaping various branches of moral theory. The three major divisions of ethical
philosophy may be called Virtue Ethics, Deontology, and Consequentialism.
Socrates' teachings indicate that man is uniquely defined through his ability to think
and question his own existence. Socratic philosophy centres around the claim that
man has the ability to examine himself through dialogue with others and that "the
unexamined life is not worth living. Being a man also endorses positive traits, such
as self-reliance, strength, and assertiveness. I believe that is what Miss Chapin
meant to imply in her title. But to move beyond rape culture, we will also need to
move beyond ideas of being a man and move toward a vision of “being a good
person,” regardless of gender. Being a man is a complex, dangerous concept that
causes more problems than it solves. Rather than try to define what it means to be a
man, let’s focus on the positive traits we associate with masculinity and value those
traits for themselves. Being self-reliant, honest and strong is admirable no matter
your gender. Workplace pressures may cause us to react in a way that is
inconsistent with our values. Pressure from a superior may threaten our commitment
to do the right thing. Ethics is a system of principles that helps us tell right from
wrong, good from bad. Ethics can give real and practical guidance to our lives. If
something is existential, it has to do with human existence. If you wrestle with big
questions involving the meaning of life, you may be having an existential crisis.
Existential can also relate to existence in a more concrete way.
 Every human action must have an end; an ultimate, self-sufficient end. He
believed that happiness exclusively stands as the furthest end of all human action. it
is the purpose or goal of an act. it is the act which completes or finishes an act. End
of the act it is the natural termination of an activity. End of the doer it is the personal
purpose intended by the person performing the act. In most contexts, the concept of
good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice
between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil,
and is of interest in the study of morality, ethics, religion and philosophy.
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. There is a kind
of end these are proximate end, remote end and ultimate end. Proximate end is the
purpose which is a doer wishes to accomplish immediately by his actions, Remote
end is the purpose which a doer wishes to accomplish in series of acts. Ultimate end
is the purpose which is desired for its own sake and not because of something else.
Happiness is when your life fulfils your needs. In other words, happiness comes
when you feel satisfied and fulfilled. Happiness is a feeling of contentment, that life is
just as it should be. Perfect happiness, enlightenment, comes when you have all of
your needs satisfied. Every day you are given the freedom to think big, deep,
powerful thoughts some of which will literally change your life. Our creative
imagination makes deep thinking and possible. Deep thinking leads to bold ideas
that are unfettered, unfiltered, unbiased and free from overly positive or negative
emotion. Because it is through this type of thinking that we find and seek the truth
about who we are and what we want.
HUMAN ACT. An act that is performed only by a human being and thus is
proper to man. When a human being does such acts, they are called acts of the man
but not human acts. Acts of man, therefore, are acts shared in common by man and
other animals, whereas human acts are proper to human beings. Essential Attributes
of Human Acts: Intellect, free will, and voluntariness or consent the act must be
deliberate; with consciousness and knowledge (intellect) The act must be performed
in freedom (free will) The act must be done voluntarily. Human acts can be classified
either as ELICITED or COMMANDED. Moral/Morally Good Acts - accordance to the
dictates of right reason. Immoral/Morally Evil Acts - not in accordance to the dictates
of the right reason. Responsibility is the ability of a person to respond to a need or a
problem in a situation. That the responsibility to respond is an eternal quality of a
person, which is free and voluntary yet morally obligatory in himself.
 Acts of man are: acts that happen “naturally” acts done without self-
awareness without deliberation, reflection, consent Instinctive, spontaneous acts that
human beings share with other animals Human Acts, act with conscious knowledge
acts that are done freely acts done with consent Human acts are those that are
freely. A good or moral action is a perfect action because it has the fullness of being.
An action has the fullness of being when it is in accordance with its species i.e.
nature or essence. The nature or essence of an action is given by the object about
which the action is. The fundamental goodness or badness of an action depends on
the object. An object is good when it is in conformity with its nature or the purpose for
which it was made. Otherwise an object is bad or evil.In the moral order, an object is
good when it is in conformity with reason, when it is suitable to reason which is the
proximate norm of morality. Otherwise it is evil. Any action not in conformity with
reason is a bad action.
Moral principles are ideals that we try to follow in our attempt to live right and
be good people, instead of bad. Some common examples of moral principles are
honesty, respect, and kindness. Some people avoid having many moral principles so
that they feel better about this approach to live. Norms deal with standards of
appropriate behaviour. There is no value judgment by the individual as there is with
morals. Instead society dictates what is acceptable. Ethics are based upon rules of
what is morally good or bad behaviour. Laws are generally based on the moral
principles of a particular society. Some points of distinction may be brought out as
follows: Laws regulate external human conduct whereas morality mainly regulates
internal conduct. Laws are definite and precise while morality is variable. There are
four different types of law, criminal, civil, common and statute. In this first task I will
explain briefly each one. Task 1 There are four different types of law, criminal, civil,
common and statute. Both words have to do with the mind, but it's more important to
be conscious, or awake, than conscience, or aware of right and wrong. Remain
conscious while listening to your friend's moral dilemma so you can use your
conscience to give good advice. correct conscience. tells us when something is a
good choice or a bad choice and that this decision is in agreement with what that
thing. These are the seven types of conscience, erroneous conscience doubtful
conscience, lax conscience, scrupulous sin, delicate conscience.
Ethics determines the difference between right and wrong. Laws are rules that
must be obeyed, both voluntarily and involuntarily, whereas ethics are voluntary.
Behaving ethically is more than obeying the law -- it is expecting your rights to be
upheld and upholding the rights of others through ethical duties. Rights, A right is an
expectation about something you deserve or a way to act that is justified through a
legal or moral foundation. Humans have all types of rights, including legal, moral,
spiritual, natural and fundamental rights. Examples of rights include the right to
education provided by society or the right to bear arms. Ethical behaviour must
recognize and respect a series of rights that belong to each person, animal or
society. Duties are a direct result of the acceptance of rights.
Each person has a duty to uphold or respect another person’s rights, just as he has
the duty to uphold your rights. Once a person accepts a right, or is told as in legal
rights, he must uphold that right for himself and others. For instance, you have the
right to free speech, but so does everyone around you. Even if someone is saying
something you do not agree with, you have a duty to respect his right to say it. You
have a duty to respect, and sometimes defend, the rights of others.
The terms "marriage", "sexuality" and "holiness" which are brought together
here must first be dealt with hermeneutically in order for their later use to be better
understood. When one member of a marital union has sexual intercourse with
another person without the consent of their spouse, it may be considered to be
infidelity. In some cultures, this act may be considered ethical if the spouse
consents, or acceptable as long as the partner is not married while other cultures
might view any sexual intercourse outside marriage as unethical, with or without
consent. Furthermore, the institution of marriage brings up the issue of premarital
sex wherein people who may choose to at some point in their lives marry, engage in
sexual activity with partners who they may or may not marry. Various cultures have
different attitudes about the ethics of such behaviour, some condemning it while
others view it to be normal and acceptable.

Bulk of literature have shown that the family and society plays a significant role
in shaping moral values of child. There is a strong bonding between the parents and
children, which determines the personality of child. Family is the basis on which values
are built. Moral values such as truthfulness, happiness, peace, justice are inculcated
in children’s thoughts, feelings and actions and they function as ideals and standards
that govern their actions in their life. The value system practised in the family becomes
automatic to the young family members if they are taught moral values thoroughly.
The family has a great responsibility to pass on to the children many truths and values,
and competencies to accomplish their place in life, whatever the society, whatever the
culture or times. The eternal values of Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love and
Harmlessness (Non-Violence) are transmitted on first through the family. Mothers are
the first teachers. Mother is foundational, central, life-bringer and life-shaper. From
their mothers, children acquire self-knowledge, self-confidence, learn self-satisfaction,
self-worth, the capacity for self-sacrifice. The family, forms the child’s viewpoint
towards people and society, and helps in mental development in the child and supports
his desires and values. Delightful and joyful atmosphere in the family will develop the
love, affection, tolerance, and generosity

. A child learns his behaviour by demonstrating what he sees around him. Family also
contribute significantly in helping a child socialize and has great influence and bearing
on the progress of the child. In joint family system, the presence of elders in the family
plays an effective role in social and moral development of the children. It will also aid
young generation of the family to develop human values and eliminate their negative
mental tendencies when they are among elders.
Human values: Values are beliefs that have an inherent worth in usefulness or
importance to the holder, or principles, standards, or qualities reflected worthwhile or
desirable.” Values institute an important characteristic of self-concept and serve as
supervisory principles for person. In literature, it is documented that values are so
indissolubly woven into human language, thought and behaviour patterns that they
have fascinated philosophers for millennia. Yet they have proved so quick-silvery
and complex that, despite their decisive role in human motivation, we remain
desperately ignorant of the laws that govern them. Human values are necessity in
today’s society and business world. Human values are the features that guide people
to take into account the human element when one interacts with other human. They
have many positive characters that create bonds of humanity between people and
thus have value for all human beings. They are strong positive feelings for the
human essence of the other. These human values have the effect of bonding,
comforting, reassuring and procuring serenity. Human values are the basis for any
practical life within society. They build space for a drive, a movement towards one
another, which leads to peace. In simple term, human values are described as
universal and are shared by all human beings, whatever their religion, their
nationality, their culture, and their personal history. By nature, they persuade
consideration for others.
Work ethics include not only how one feels about their job, career or vocation,
but also how one does his/her job or responsibilities. This involves attitude,
behaviour, respect, communication, and interaction; how one gets along with others.
Work ethics demonstrate many things about whom and how a person is. Work ethics
involve such characteristics as honesty and accountability. Essentially, work ethics
break down to what one does or would do in a particular situation. The begging
question in a situation involves what is right and acceptable, and above board,
versus what is wrong, underhanded, and under the table. Throughout the last few
years, there have been companies whose work ethic honesty, integrity and
accountability have been rather shady and have a rather negative impact on other
people. This has involved people looking the other way when people have done
something questionable, or thinking it would not matter. Work ethics, such as
honesty not lying, cheating, and stealing, doing a job well, valuing what one does,
having a sense of purpose and feeling/being a part of a greater vision or plan is vital.

Philosophically, if one does not have proper work ethics, a person’s conscience may
be bothered. People for the most part have good work ethic; we should not only want
to do, but desire to do the proper thing in a given situation. Work ethics are intrinsic;
they come from within. A question may involve where they came from, if they come
from within.
Philosophically, this may lead to various perspectives; however, the truth
about work ethics, and where they come from are answered from a Christian
worldview. Work ethics come from God the creator. God made humans in His image,
and His word proclaims these various work ethics honesties, integrity, doing a job
well, keeping things above board, and accountability factors. The Christian worldview
holds fundamentally to two central work ethics humility and the treatment of others.
Humility is being humble; no task is too demeaning. Humility involves servitude,
which emphasizes placing other peoples need before one's own. Treating others
with decency and respect equate to the golden rule. The treatment of others involves
loving your neighbour, loving your enemy, doing good to those who dislike you. It
involves valuing others, and knowing they have worth.
Bioethics has been used in the last twenty years to describe the investigation
and a study of ways in which decisions in medicine and science touch upon our
health and lives and upon our society and environment. Bioethics is concerned with
questions about basic human values such as the rights to life and health, and the
rightness or wrongness of certain developments in healthcare institutions, life
technology, medicine, the health professions and about society's responsibility for
the life and health of its members. Bioethics involves issues relating to the beginning
and end of human life, all the way from issues relating to in-vitro fertilisation and
abortion to euthanasia and palliative care. Bioethics has an impact on every level of
human community from the local nursing home to the huge international conferences
on issues like the Human Genome. Bioethics is a branch of "applied ethics" and
requires the expertise of people working in a wide range disciplines including: law,
philosophy, theology, medicine, the life sciences, nursing and social science.
Bioethics is full of difficult ethical questions for everybody: families, hospitals,
governments and civilisation. Fundamental values are at stake: human life, the
dignity of the frail and elderly, just healthcare, bodily integrity and the ability to make
reasonable decisions.
Environmental ethics is the discipline in philosophy that studies the moral
relationship of human beings to, and also the value and moral status of, the
environment and its non-human contents. This entry covers: the challenge of
environmental ethics to the anthropocentrism human-centeredness embedded in
traditional western ethical thinking; the early development of the discipline in the
1960s and 1970s;

the connection of deep ecology, feminist environmental ethics, animism and social
ecology to politics; the attempt to apply traditional ethical theories, including
consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics, to support contemporary
environmental concerns; the preservation of biodiversity as an ethical goal; the
broader concerns of some thinkers with wilderness, the built environment and the
politics of poverty; the ethics of sustainability and climate change, and some
directions for possible future developments of the discipline. Suppose putting out
natural fires, culling feral animals or destroying some individual members of
overpopulated indigenous species is necessary for the protection of the integrity of a
certain ecosystem. Will these actions be morally permissible or even required? Is it
morally acceptable for farmers in non-industrial countries to practise slash and burn
techniques to clear areas for agriculture? Consider a mining company which has
performed open pit mining in some previously unspoiled area.
Does the company have a moral obligation to restore the landform and
surface ecology? And what is the value of a humanly restored environment
compared with the originally natural environment? It is often said to be morally wrong
for human beings to pollute and destroy parts of the natural environment and to
consume a huge proportion of the planet’s natural resources. If that is wrong, is it
simply because a sustainable environment is essential to (present and future) human
well-being? Or is such behaviour also wrong because the natural environment and/or
its various contents have certain values in their own right so that these values ought
to be respected and protected in any case? These are among the questions
investigated by environmental ethics. Some of them are specific questions faced by
individuals in particular circumstances, while others are more global questions faced
by groups and communities. Yet others are more abstract questions concerning the
value and moral standing of the natural environment and its non-human
components.
Capital punishment is often defended on the grounds that society has a moral
obligation to protect the safety and welfare of its citizens. Murderers threaten this
safety and welfare. Only by putting murderers to death can society ensure that
convicted killers do not kill again. Second, those favouring capital punishment
contend that society should support those practices that will bring about the greatest
balance of good over evil, and capital punishment is one such practice. Capital
punishment benefits society because it may deter violent crime. While it is difficult to
produce direct evidence to support this claim since, by definition, those who are
deterred by the death penalty do not commit murders, common sense tells us that if
people know that they will die if they perform a certain act, they will be unwilling to
perform that act. If the threat of death has, in fact, stayed the hand of many a would-
be murderer, and we abolish the death penalty, we will sacrifice the lives of many
innocent victims whose murders could have been deterred. But if, in fact, the death
penalty does not deter, and we continue to impose it, we have only sacrificed the
lives of convicted murderers.

Surely, it's better for society to take a gamble that the death penalty deters in order
to protect the lives of innocent people than to take a gamble that it doesn't deter and
thereby protect the lives of murderers, while risking the lives of innocents. If grave
risks are to be run, it's better that they be run by the guilty, not the innocent. Finally,
defenders of capital punishment argue that justice demands that those convicted of
heinous crimes of murder be sentenced to death. Justice is essentially a matter of
ensuring that everyone is treated equally. It is unjust when a criminal deliberately
and wrongly inflicts greater losses on others than he or she has to bear. If the losses
society imposes on criminals are less than those the criminals imposed on their
innocent victims, society would be favouring criminals, allowing them to get away
with bearing fewer costs than their victims had to bear. Justice requires that society
impose on criminals' losses equal to those they imposed on innocent persons. By
inflicting death on those who deliberately inflict death on others, the death penalty
ensures justice for all.