Master 1/Linguistics
Ethics and Deontology / S1
Dr. Saber
Lecture 1 : Power and authority
Power and authority are two different concepts that are interrelated.
POWER
The word power is a term we hear everyday. It has a wide range of meanings. Power is
synonymous to ability , capacity , capability , potential , potentiality , faculty, property
, competence , competency".
Power refers to the ability to influence collective decision making, that is, "the probability
of influencing the policies and activities of the state, or (in the language of system theory)
the probability of influencing the authoritative allocation of value" Putnam 1976,6)
Types of Power :
- Formal power : it relies on the authority of the uniform and rank.
- Informal power : it relies on leadership, teamwork and personality.
Authority
Authority is defined as the official power to act. It is power given by the organization to
direct the works of others. A manager may have the authority to hire, fire or discipline
others. Because the use of authority, power building, and political awareness are so
important to functioning effectively inn any structure.
Types Of Authority : Psychologists distinguish between two types of authority :
- Authoritarianism : is authority abused
- Authoritative behavour : is authority wisely used
Difference between authority and power :
Authority contains power, but power may lack authority. This means there is power
without authority but there is no authority without power.
Authoritarian style vs Authoritative style
There are two major styles that influence people : Authoritarian and Authoritative
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Authoritarian style
Authoritarian people to view the others as willful, disobedient, strong-willed, defiant, selfindulgent, and rebellious. Their goal is to bend the will of the others to authority often
through coercion. Authoritarian has a focus on negative behaviours with punishments and
consequences that are often harsh and cruel. Many times expectations are too high and
there are too many rules. This make it difficult for the others to understand and follow even
to remember as well.
Authoritative style
Being "Authoritative" is not an all-or-nothing proposition. By its very nature, authoritative
style occupies aa sort of middle ground between granting freedom and being too strict.
The Criteria of authoritative People
- They are moderate
- They show respect for the others
- They expect the others to mature and cooperative
- They comply and expect the others to comply with the code of conduct
- They never act out immorality, utility and selfishness
The Key difference :
Authoritative people work to achieve goals and expectations. Authoritarian people become
angry and punish
The Link of video 1 put on moodle to watch :
https://youtu.be/3_t4obUc51A
The Link of video 2 put on moodle to watch :
https://youtu.be/gr5ORqhcX5I
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Lecture 2 : Ethics and Law
Similarities between Ethics and Law
Ethics and law are closely intertwined as they both have a focus on right and wrong,
preventing immoral acts and on creating rules for trade groups such as doctors and social
workers. However, ethics and law are quite different as well and ethical obligations often
exceed a person's duty to the law.
The law also can force people to perform what they believe to be unethical conduct.
Physicians who feel that a law forces them to be unethical must work within the legal world
to change the law. Of course, a physician who has been exonerated from a criminal charge
in the eyes of the law may have still been guilty and been ethically irresponsible.
Yet another example of the difference between laws and ethics can be seen in interpersonal
relationships. A parent who is not spending time with his or her children could be
considered ethically irresponsible as the children have a right to spend time with their
parent. However, unless the lack of times leads to severe neglect, this choice to spend time
away from one's children is not illegal.
While both laws and ethics work to establish a moral boundary for all people, ethics is a
more personal honor code while the law is a justice- based rulebook. Violating laws will
send a person to jail or give a person fines. Violating an ethical code will lead to shame and
possibly the scorn of others; however, ethical codes do not carry legal punishments with
them.
The Link of video put on moodle to watch :
https://youtu.be/ppCObQwDFvU
The Link of video put on moodle to watch (video of Activity):
https://youtu.be/zwkdnezcjDA
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Lecture 3 : Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is said to be universalist, welfarist, consequentialist, and aggregative. Each
of these properties needs some explanation.
Utilitarianism is universalist because it takes into account the interests of all those who are
affected by an action, regardless of their nationality, gender, race, or other traits that we
find, upon reflection, are not morally relevant. The rule “act in such a way as to maximize
the expected satisfaction of interests” is one we would be willing to have everyone adopt.
Some writers have even claimed, forcefully, this is the only such rule.
Utilitarianism is welfarist because it defines what is ethically “good” in terms of people’s
welfare, which we can understand as the satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) of people’s
interests. Most of us are interested in good health, a good job, and our friends and family,
among other things. We could reduce many if not all of these interests to something more
general, such as an interest in a happy, pleasurable, relatively painless life. I will use the
word “interests” to describe whatever it is that we value here – all those things that matter to
us. We can safely say we all have an interest, at a minimum, in a pleasurable life, relatively
free of pain. And from experience, we know when our happiness is decreased, as when we
suffer acute pain, any other interests we may have tend to recede into the background. That
being so, utilitarianism promotes an ethical rule that seeks to satisfy our interests,
particularly those in a pleasurable, relatively painless life.
Utilitarianism is consequentialist because it evaluates the rightness or wrongness of an
action by that action’s expected consequences: the degree to which an action satisfies
interests. These consequences can often be predicted and compared accurately with little
more than common sense.
Finally, utilitarianism is said to be aggregative because it adds up the interests of all those
affected by an action. To make a decision, I need to weigh the intensity, duration, and
number of interests affected by all of my possible actions. I choose the action that results in
the greatest net satisfaction of interests – “the greatest good for the greatest number".
Utilitarian decisions thus involve a kind of accounting ledger, with our like interests serving
as a common currency. This is no easy exercise. But, as we’ll see, in many of our most
important moral judgments, even a rough comparison of interests is enough to make a wise
decision.
The Advantages of Utilitarianism
Utlitarianism has several advantages over other ethical theories. First, its consequentialism
encourages us to make full use of information about the world as it is. If you have access to
the same information as I do, you can argue with me about how I ought to act. This lends
utilitarianism a greater degree of empirical objectivity than most ethical theories enjoy.
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Some ethical theories hold less regard for consequences than does utilitarianism and address
their ethical rules either to actions themselves or to the motivations prompting them. These
rules would often lead to misery if they were followed without exception. For instance, we
would not have praised Miep Gies, the woman who hid Anne Frank and her family from the
Nazis, had she followed the rule “never tell a lie” and turned the Franks over to the Nazis.
Most of us believe the kind of deception Gies engaged in was justified, even heroic. So
when should you tell a lie? When the consequences of not telling the lie are worse than the
consequences of telling it. To decide otherwise would be to engage in a kind of rule worship
at the expense of other people’s interests. Because we are often forced to choose between
the lesser of two evils, any rule about particular actions – lying, promising, killing, and so
on – can lead to terrible results.
At the same time, it would be foolhardy to live without any general principles. I would not
be an efficient utilitarian if, every time I approached a stoplight, I weighed the consequences
of respecting traffic laws. This would waste time and regularly lead to poor results. It would
be best if I adopted “rules of thumb” that, in general, promote the greatest satisfaction of
interests by guiding my actions in ordinary situations. Such rules of thumb would likely
include most of our common views about right and wrong. However, in extraordinary
situations, these rules of thumb should be overridden, as in the case of Miep Gies. In this
way, utilitarianism supports most of our common moral intuitions while, at the same time,
overriding them in important cases where following them could be catastrophic.
Utilitarianism’s aggregative properties offer additional advantages. Our moral decisions
regularly benefit one individual at the expense or neglect of another. For instance, in North
America and Europe, some citizens are taxed in order to provide financial support to the
disabled, among others. Is it ethical to benefit one group with this tax while another suffers
some expense? While such conflicts arise regularly in public policy, they also arise in our
personal choices. In deciding to spend $1,000 on a piece of artwork instead of on a donation
to a charity, I know a charity now has less money with which to help those in need than it
would had I given it my $1,000. Is it ethical to have benefited myself while neglecting
others? Utilitarianism, in allowing some exchange of costs and benefits, can help us answer
questions like these, whereas many other ethical theories cannot.
Many of the moral stances implied by utilitarianism are familiar and widely accepted.
Historically, utilitarians were among the most outpoken opponents of slavery and the
strongest proponents of women’s suffrage, public education, public health, and other social
democratic institutions. In recent years, utilitarians have advanced some of the strongest
moral arguments for charity to the poor and sick. At the same time, however, utilitarianism
leads us to moral views many of us do not already accept. Prominent among these are moral
views regarding nonhuman animals.
The Link of video put on moodle to watch (Ulitarianism) :
https://youtu.be/JIK3T6MRs2k
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Lecture 4 : Deontology
Deontology is also known as " Kantianism because it derives from the writings of 18th "
philosopher, Kant.
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Types of Deontology
Deontological theories can be divided into two types :
1. act deontology
2. rule deontology
People often think of deontology as a rigid or absolutist school
of thought, but in fact this isn’t necessarily true either.
The Link of video put on moodle to watch( Deontology) :
https://youtu.be/4MxPNEAK4V4
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Lecture 5 : The importance of the Code of Conduct
According to the Free Management Library, a code of conduct is important
because it promotes moral behaviour, acts as a guideline for ethical decision
making, enhances the reputation of an organization, prevents negative legal effects,
encourages positive relationships, acts as a reference for solving ethical dilemmas and
prevents discrimination or harassment.
The process of assessing the behaviour of employees becomes more objective when
a code of conduct is used as a reference point. An organization's code of conduct
applies to both casual and permanent employees.
The Free Management Library notes that a code of conduct allows an organization
to stand out in the market and become more competitive. Employees are expected
to read and understand the provisions of their organization's code of conduct in
order to ensure compliance. A company's managers should practice the values and
guidelines within their code of ethics so that they can influence their subordinates to
comply. Additionally, a code of ethics should be reviewed and updated regularly to
ensure it complies with the legal framework of the state.
The code of conduct for the profession
A. Commitment to the Profession
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
Conduct yourself in a reasonable manner in the development of Government
policies affecting education.

Do nothing in your private or public pursuits which will bring your profession to
disrepute.

Keep in confidence, information that had been obtained in the course of
professional service, unless disclosure serves professional purposes or is
required by law.

Offer advice and give helpful criticism as the need arises. In this matter you have
a special responsibility to teachers in training and junior colleagues.

Open confrontation of whatever nature must be avoided.

You should neither allow other employment to impair the effectiveness of your
professional service, nor permit commercial exploitation of your professional
position.

Keep all records accurate and up to date.

All correspondence addressed to the Ministry of education should be channeled
through the Head of the School, in the first place.

The meeting of deadlines must be given priority, and thoroughness in the
preparation of required documents is crucial.

Professional growth is absolutely necessary and must be given priority.

Devote full working time to your vocation; teaching effort and time on task are
essential for success.
B. Commitment to Colleagues

Treat you colleagues as professional equals, regardless of their status.

Treat your colleagues with courtesy at all times.

If you are a Head, behave in such a manner that you earn respect. Win tit by
upholding integrity, dignity, decorum and efficiency at all levels.

Respect the functional superiority of those set in authority over you.

In correcting a subordinate, do not make the intent known to others, unless it is
necessary.

Be impartial in your decision with members of staff.

Cliques and fractions among members of staff will not be tolerated.

Do not discriminate on grounds of race, colour, creed, or national origin, nor
interfere with the free participation of colleagues in the affairs of their association
(s).

Do not deliberately distort evaluation of colleagues.
C. Attendance, Leave and Absence

If you must visit the Ministry of Education, do so on the days specified. Do not abuse
the concession.

Be regular and punctual. Attendance should be faithfully recorded. Teacher
should report for duty at least fifteen minutes before the session begins.

Note that there are no free periods, but non-teacher periods which ought to be
utilized on a contingency basis.

The Head has the prerogative of temporarily assigning a member of staff to teach a
class in the absence of a teacher timetable to do so, providing that the member of
staff is professionally and academically able to so do.

Prior approval in writing should be obtained before proceeding on leave. In case
of illness or emergency, inform the Head without undue delay.

Do not abuse leave concessions.

Report you resumption of duty promptly.
D. Commitment to Students
In fulfilling your obligation to students –
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
Place high value on and demonstrate to students commitment for excellence in work,
manners and achievement.

Encourage students to practice respect for other and to be thoughtful and
helpful at all times, especially in relation to the aged and the handicapped.

Encourage students to exercise discipline.

Help students to develop a sense of responsibility, self-reliance and
independence.

Encourage students to show respect fro all forms of duly constituted authority.

Demonstrate patriotism and appreciation of freedom with responsibility.

Help students to differentiate right from wrong and justice from injustice.

Encourage students to show respect and appreciation for personal and public
property.

Assist students to exercise tolerance as they strive for understanding of other’s ideas
and beliefs.

Strive for consistency, firmness and understanding in disciplinary dealings with
pupils.

Instill a feeling of pride in self, school and community.

Help students to understand and appreciate that the development of acceptable
attitudes and standards is more important than blind obedience to rules.

Strive to develop mutual courtesy and respect between teachers and learners.

Dealing justly with each student and treat each with courtesy and consideration.

Work towards developing and promoting good human relations and qualities.

Do not encourage undue familiarity with students.

Do not smoke, drink or eat during teaching sessions in the presence of students.

Do nothing by precept or example likely to corrupt student.

Stimulate the spirit of enquiry, the acquisition of knowledge and understanding and
the thoughtful formulation of worthy goals.

Respect the confidentiality of information about a student or his home and withhold it, unless its release serves a professional purpose benefits the student, or is
required by law.

Undertake to constantly pursue the improvement of learning facilities and
opportunities.

Make responsible efforts to protect students from conditions harmful to health and
safety.

Do not use the facilities of the school to tutor students privately, for gain.

Do not discriminate on grounds of ability, race, colour or creed.
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E. Commitment to the Community
The Teaching vocation occupies a position of public trust. Education is effective when school
and community co-operate in a constructive manner.

Adhere to any responsible pattern of behaviour accepted by the community for professional
persons.

Perform the duties of citizenship, and participate in community activities with due
consideration.

Discuss controversial issues from an objective point of view; keep your class free from
partisan opinions.

Respect the community in which you are employed and be loyal to the school system,
community and nation.

Work to improve education in the community and to strengthen the community’s
moral, spiritual and intellectual life.

Encourage the community to participate in the life of the school.

Co-operate with approved agencies concerned with student Welfare.

Conduct professional business through recognized educational and professional channels.

Do nothing in your teaching, calculated to instill contempt or disobedience to the laws of
the land.
The Link of video 1 put on moodle to watch :
https://youtu.be/4MxPNEAK4V4
Lecture 6 : Code of Conduct for Student
Code of Conduct for Students
. Come on time to class
. Work hard in class
. Wear decent clothes
. Respect your teachers
. Respect one another
. Never cheat in class
. Never eat or drink in class
. Never make noise in class
. Never use your mobile in class
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