Orientation
Presentation of the Curriculum
Rules
Classroom Policies
Introduction to Ethics
Ethics compared to other Sciences
How can ethics be distinguished from other natural sciences?
Ethics is different from natural and factual science: it is a normative science. Every science is concerned
with a particular department of knowledge. So ethics as a science has its own particular sphere. It deals
with certain judgements that we make about human conduct.
Morality
Morality pertains to the standards of right and wrong that an individual originally picks up from the
community. The course will discuss the context and principles of ethical behavior in modern society at
the level of person, society and in interaction with the environment and other shared resources. The
course will also teach students to make moral decisions by using dominant moral frameworks.
Definition of Ethics
Etymological Meaning
Greek word – ‘ethos’ a cultural custom or habit, a characteristic way of acting.
Real Meaning
- a practical science of the morality of human conduct.
- also a philosophical science that studies the rightness or wrongness of a human action.
Ethics is concerned with questions of how human persons ought to act, and the search for a definition of
a right conduct and the good life.
Science - a complete and systematically arranged body of data which relate to the morality of human
conduct and presents the reasons which show these data to be true.
* If the data of a science directly imply rules or directions for thought or action, it is called
practical science.
* If the data of a science enrich the mind without directly implying rules or directions, it is called
speculative
What are non-moral standards?
Non-moral standards refer to rules that are unrelated to moral or ethical considerations. Either these
standards are not necessarily linked to morality or by nature lack ethical sense. Basic examples of non-
moral standards include rules of etiquette, fashion standards, rules in games, and various house rules.
Moral and Non moral Standards
Moral Standards versus Non-moral Standards
Morals
1. Morals are the prevailing standards of behavior that enable people to live cooperatively in
groups.
2. Moral refers to what societies sanction as right and acceptable.
3. Morality often requires that people sacrifice their own short-term interests for the benefit of
society.
4. People or entities that are indifferent to right and wrong are considered amoral,
5. Those who do evil acts are considered immoral.
6. Morality is not fixed because it describes the particular values of a specific group at a specific
point in time.
7. morals are the principles that guide individual conduct within society.
8. Moral remain the standards of behavior that society uses to judge right and wrong.
Standard - Usual, Typical, Ordinary, Characteristic, Regular, Distinguishing, Traditional, customary,
generally accepted
Why the need to distinguish moral standards from non-moral ones?
It is important to note that different societies have different moral beliefs and that our beliefs are deeply
influenced by our own culture and context.
For this reason, some values do have moral implications, while others don’t. Let us consider, for
example, the wearing of hijab.
For sure, in traditional Muslim communities, the wearing of hijab is the most appropriate act that
women have to do in terms of dressing up. In fact, for some Muslims, showing parts of the woman’s
body, such as the face and legs, is despicable. However, in many parts of the world, especially in
Western societies, most people don’t mind if women barely cover their bodies. As a matter of fact, the
Hollywood canon of beauty glorifies a sexy and slim body and the wearing of extremely daring dress.
The point here is that people in the West may have pitied the Muslim women who wear hijab, while
some Muslims may find women who dress up daringly despicable.
Again, this clearly shows that different cultures have different moral standards. What is a matter of
moral indifference, that is, a matter of taste (hence, non-moral value) in one culture may be a matter of
moral significance in another.
Now, the danger here is that one culture may impose its own cultural standard on others, which may
result in a clash in cultural values and beliefs. When this happens, as we may already know, violence and
crime may ensue, such as religious violence and ethnic cleansing.
How can we address this cultural conundrum?
This is where the importance of understanding the difference between moral standards (that is, of what
is a moral issue) and non-moral ones (that is, of what is a non-moral issue―thus, a matter of taste)
comes in.
This issue may be too obvious and insignificant for some people, but understanding the difference
between the two may have far-reaching implications.
For one, once we have distinguished moral standards from non-moral ones, of course, through the aid
of the principles and theories in ethics, we will be able to identify fundamental ethical values that may
guide our actions.
Indeed, once we know that particular values and beliefs are non-moral, we will be able to avoid running
the risk of falling into the pit of cultural reductionism (that is, taking complex cultural issues as simple
and homogenous ones) and the unnecessary imposition of one’s own cultural standard on others.
The point here is that if such standards are non-moral (that is, a matter of taste), then we don’t have the
right to impose them on others. But if such standards are moral ones, such as not killing or harming
people, then we may have the right to force others to act accordingly. In this way, we may be able to
find a common moral ground, such as agreeing not to steal, lie, cheat, kill, harm, and deceive our fellow
human beings.
Now, what are moral standards, and how do they differ from non-moral ones?
Moral Standards and their Characteristics
Moral standards are norms that individuals or groups have about the kinds of actions believed to be
morally right or wrong, as well as the values placed on what we believed to be morally good or morally
bad.
Moral standards normally promote “the good”, that is, the welfare and well-being of humans as well as
animals and the environment.
Moral standards, therefore, prescribe what humans ought to do in terms of rights and obligations.
According to some scholars, moral standards are the sum of combined norms and values. In other
words, norms plus values equal moral standards. On the one hand, norms are understood as general
rules about our actions or behaviors.
For example, we may say “We are always under the obligation to fulfill our promises” or “It is always
believed that killing innocent people is absolutely wrong”. On the other hand, values are understood as
enduring beliefs or statements about what is good and desirable or not. For example, we may say
“Helping the poor is good” or “Cheating during exams is bad”.
According to many scholars, moral standards have the following characteristics, namely:
1) moral standards deal with matters we think can seriously injure or benefit humans, animals,
and the environment, such as child abuse, rape, and murder;
2) moral standards are not established or changed by the decisions of authoritative individuals or
bodies. Indeed, moral standards rest on the adequacy of the reasons that are taken to support and
justify them. For sure, we don’t need a law to back up our moral conviction that killing innocent people
is absolutely wrong;
3) moral standards are overriding, that is, they take precedence over other standards and
considerations, especially of self-interest;
4) moral standards are based on impartial considerations. Hence, moral standards are fair and just;
and
5) moral standards are associated with special emotions (such as guilt and shame) and vocabulary
(such as right, wrong, good, and bad).
Non-moral Standards
Non-moral standards refer to standards by which we judge what is good or bad and right or wrong in a
non- moral way.
Examples of non-moral standards are:
1. standards of etiquette by which we judge manners as good or bad,
2. standards we call the law by which we judge something as legal or illegal,
3. and standards of aesthetics by which we judge art as good or rubbish.
Hence, we should not confuse morality with etiquette, law, aesthetics or even with religion.
As we can see, non-moral standards are matters of taste or preference. Hence, a scrupulous observance
of these types of standards does not make one a moral person. Violation of said standards also does not
Finally, as a way of distinguishing moral standards from non-moral ones, if a moral standard says “Do
not harm innocent people” or “Don’t steal”, a non-moral standard says “Don’t text while driving” or
“Don’t talk while the mouth is full”.pose any threat to human well-being.
