GNED 02 – Ethics CHAPTER 1 ETHICS - Ethics refers to a set of principles of right conduct. You need to decide what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil. - refers to the evaluation of moral values, principles, & standards of human conduct & its application in daily life to determine acceptable human behavior. The Importance of Rules to Social Beings RULES – regulations or principles governing conduct within a specific activity or sphere a. Protect social beings by regulating behavior - usually coupled with means to impose consequences on those who violate them. b. Help to guarantee people certain rights and freedom - laws/rules are outlined in what is called constitution which protects human rights c. Produce a sense of justice among social beings - prevent exploitation and domination d. Essential for a healthy economic system - e.g., ensure product safety, employee safety, and product quality “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” – Vince Lombardi Kanino ka magrereklamo? Gobyerno = Human rights violation CHR Civilian/Private person = Krimen PULIS Benefits of and Oh&S Management System Increased protection of the workforce Enhanced competitiveness Reduced organizational work Excellent market reputation Improved employee motivation Benefits of Quality Management Systems Better process control Process improvement Improved product or service quality Increased productivity Increased legal certainty Simplified traceability of processes Easier initiation: employees Reduced costs Increased customer satisfaction Secured corporate know-how Support for strategy deployment Strengthened competitiveness MORALS - are the rules which people use to guide their behavior and thinking - when an individual is dealing with, or capable of distinguishing between right and wrong CHARACTERISTICS OF MORAL STANDARDS Involve serious wrongs or significant beliefs Ought to be preferred to other values Not established by authority figures Have the trait of universalizability Based on impartial considerations Associated with special emotions and vocabulary NON-MORAL STANDARDS - refer to standards by which we judge what is good or bad and right or wrong in a non-moral way. - are matters of taste and preference Dilemma and Moral Dilemma DILEMMA - a situation in which a tough choice has to be made between two or more options, especially more or less equally undesirable ones MORAL DILEMMA - situations in which a difficult choice has to be made between two courses of action, either of which entails transgressing a moral principle; involves conflicts between moral requirements. Example (Book 1 of Plato’s Republic) “..Socrates suggests that it would be wrong to repay certain debts – for example, to return a borrowed weapon to a friend who is not in his right mind. What we have here is a conflict between two moral norms; repaying one’s debts and protecting others from harm..” THREE LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMA A. PERSONAL DILEMMAS - those experienced and resolved on the personal level Jean-Paul Sartre’s example: “… a student whose brother had been killed in the German offensive of 1940. The student wanted to avenge his brother and to fight forces that he regarded as evil. But the student’s mother was living with him, and he was her one consolation in life…Sartre describes him as being torn between two kinds of morality: … personal devotion to his mother [and] … attempting to contribute to the defeat of an unjust aggressor.” Other examples: making conflicting promises; choosing between the life of a child who is about to be delivered and the child’s mother. B. ORGANIZATIONAL DILEMMAS - ethical cases encountered and resolved by social organizations; include moral dilemmas in business, medical field, and public sector. Examples: - withdrawing life support from a dying patient (human life should not be deliberately shortened vs. unpreventable pain should not be tolerated) - whether or not to favor family, friends, or campaign contributors over other constituents; favoring the agenda of one’s political party over a policy one believes to be good for the community; accepting gifts if it is legally permitted but creates the appearance of impropriety C. STRUCTURAL DILEMMAS - cases involving network of institutions and operative theoretical paradigms; encompass multi-sectoral institutions and organizations; may be larger in scope and extent than organizational ones. Case: relatively higher prices of medicines in the Philippines. Factors: the cost of research, presence of competition in the market, government regulations, and patent protection Lowering the costs of medicine: (+) benefits the Filipino public (-) ruins the interests or legal rights of the involved researchers, inventors or discoverers, and pharmaceutical companies Only human beings can be ethical Some human beings’ traits that make it possible for them to be moral: a. Only human beings are rational, autonomous, and self-conscious - we can achieve certain values and goods that outweigh those non-rational, nonautonomous, and non-self-conscious beings are capable of realizing - for instance, in order to attain the kind of dignity and self-respect that we have, a being must be able to conceive of itself as one among many and must be able to consciously select his actions rather than be led by blind instinct Freedom as a foundation of Morality - Morality is a question of choice and is about choosing ethical codes, values, or standards to guide us in our daily lives. Philosophically, choosing is impossible without freedom - Animals cannot be truly ethical for they are not really autonomous or free. Likewise, a beneficial robot cannot be said to be moral, for it has no freedom or choice but to work according to its built-in program. - Morality requires and allows choice. In daily lives, people make the choice to give to charities, donate time and money to schools, mentor children, open businesses, or protest against animal cruelty - Practically, the sum of our choices defines our specific ‘morality’. Minimum Requirement for Morality: Reason and Impartiality James Rachels (1941-2003) holds that moral judgments must be backed by sound reasoning and that morality requires the impartial considerations of all parties involved. Reason entails that human feelings may be important in ethical decisions, but they ought to be guided by sound reasoning. It helps us to evaluate whether our feelings and intuitions about moral cases are correct and defensible. Impartiality involves the idea that each individual’s interests and point of view are equally important. Also called evenhandedness or fair-mindedness, it is a principle of justice stating that decisions ought to be based on objective criteria, rather than on the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the benefit to one person over another for improper reasons. CHAPTER 2 CULTURE - the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group meaning. - refers to the attitudes, values, customs, and behavior patterns that characterize a social group - the ways in which a particular group of people lives, including their shared knowledge, values, customs, and physical objects - derived from the Latin word cult or cultus - the term ‘Sanskriti’ has been derived from the root ‘Kri’ - Prakriti, Sanskriti, Vikrati - Culture may be defined as the way an individual and especially a group live, think, feel, and organize themselves, celebrate and shared life - Culture is the expression of our nature in our modes of living and thinking - Self-restraint in conduct, consideration for the feelings of others, for the rights of others, are the highest marks of culture - Culture is basically a group of people – a society – with like benefits, social organization, behavior patterns, institutions, material artifacts, historical background, and traditions - Culture may be defined socially, ethnically, racially, religiously, or geographically - Cultures are shaped by laws, customs & social norms Culture is… “a pattern of shared basic assumptions learned by a group as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, which has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.” -Edward Schein Organizational Culture & Leadership Culture’s role in Moral Behavior Culture influence our perception of what is right and wrong Some schools of thought believe that everyone has their own ethics. This means what is considered right or wrong depends on the time, place, and even the particular preferences or practices of a group of people or an individual person. Normative ethics deals with how we should behave and live our lives, particularly when our actions affect others “Moral Standards as Social Convention” and Social Conditioning Theory “Social Conventions” are the established group’s – positive or anti-negative social behaviors that serve as a social conduct guide for a social outcome with a positive end. Some examples of social conventions are: “Social Norms” e.g., avoiding unequally yoked coupling in society – in order to correct (instigated by perverse manipulation) relationships for the sake of harmony “Social Etiquette” e.g., avoiding ‘cross talking’ – talking across in between individuals when multiple couples or individuals are together in a social event “Social Decorum” e.g., women: avoiding showing breast cleavage, split crouch/legs, and high heels; men: avoiding open shirt, beltless pants, and no socks Example of Norms Violation Walk around the mall with an open umbrella Talking to yourself in public Driving on the wrong side Say goodbye when you answer the phone Have an animated conversation with yourself in public Talk to strangers (female) Eat soup with a fork Social Conditioning Theory “To theorize that moral law is a social convention is to say that it is something which human beings had just made up for themselves and might have been different had they liked.” (De Guzman, 2017) “It is nothing but an outcome of social conditioning” “This feeling of dissatisfaction develops into a habit that functions as the conscience when one considers carrying out those actions” Richard Robinson (De Guzman, Ethics) “Morality belongs to the same class as Mathematics” C.S. Lewis CHAPTER 3 Cultural Relativism - a theory which holds that ethical judgments have their origins either in individual or cultural standards. Moral Relativism - a theory which believes that no act is good or bad objectively, and there is no single objective universal standard through which we can evaluate the truth of moral judgments. - values are determined by the society we grow up in, and there are no universal values Asian Moral Understanding India “Namaste” – greeting among Hindus means good day; hands held together as if in prayer, placed near the chin and with the head slightly bent forward “Salaam aleikum” (Sahlahm a-laykuhm) – Muslim; means may peace be with you “Sat Sri Akal” (Saht shree ah-kahl) – Sikhs Public display of affection – kissing, hugging, and holding hands is highly discouraged China Rice & soup (bowls), wine & tea (cups), main dishes (plates) Noodles or soup are usually served hot and eaten with slurping sounds to show that the food is delicious When they eat rice from the bowl, they place it near their mouth to keep the rice from falling to the table Religion as a Determinant of Ways and Behavior Religion is one of the factors why Asians have different values and practices. Judaism and Christianity - men seek to control the environment and be master of the universe - e.g., floods and droughts are forces of nature that are caused by the gods to test human capacity to survive Taoism - teaches that man has to conform and follow the flow of nature. Shinto - spirits known as kami live in natural things. Offerings are given and ceremonies are performed for these kami. Filipino Moral Character: Strengths and Weaknesses Values of Modern Filipinos a. Pananalig (Faith) - The Madonna and Child epitomize the kind of faith every Filipino carry in the heart. An assurance that the Divine Being watches over every one of us. b. Katapatan (Faithfulness) - Resembling marriage bonds, faithfulness to husband or wife, and faithfulness to country and all ideals for which our republic stands. c. Pag-aaruga (Nurturing) - Every Filipino child grows and learns under a mentor who instills in the child the sense of love, compassion, heroism, and courage. d. Kasipagan (Industry) - The fruits of the earth spring forth only through industry and it is only by working that one will be able to achieve the rebuilding of our country. e. Tibay ng Loob (Courage) - Stalwart and firm in idealism and goodwill, the modern Filipino stands by his or her values and ideals. Strengths of the Filipino character: Pakikipagkapwa-tao (Regard for others) Family Orientation Joy and humour Flexibility, adaptability, creativity Hard work and industry Faith and religiosity Ability to survive Weaknesses of the Filipino character: Extreme personalism Extreme family centeredness Lack of discipline Passivity and lack of initiative Colonial mentality Kanya-kanya syndrome Lack of self-analysis and self-reflection Filipino indolence Mañana habit The fiesta syndrome Hospitality Universal Values - Valuing things is based on human needs - Valuing behaviors arises from things we value - But more than one behavior can attain an end - For example, I value peace as a state of being a. Behavior 1: I will not harm others b. Behavior 2: I will build up my defenses so as not to be harmed - Which will achieve what I value better?
