Morality and Ethics
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Morality
 A set of rules for right conduct
 A system used to modify and regulate behavior
 Quality system in human acts by which we judge them
right or wrong
 3 Definitions
 Descriptive
 Normative/universal
 Synonymous with ethics
 Concerns set of shared rules, principles, and duties
 Independent of religion
 Applicable to all in a group or society
 Has no reference to the will or power of one individual
Descriptive Definition of Morality
A set of rules or codes of conduct
that governs human behavior in
matters of right or wrong.
Normative Definition of
Morality
An ideal code of conduct that would be
observed by all rational people, under
specified conditions.
Definition synonymous with
Ethics
The systematic philosophical study of
the moral domain.
Why Do We Have Moral
Theories
MacDonnell: Moral theories “seek to
introduce a degree of rationality and
rigor into our moral deliberations.”
Moral Decision Making
 Considerations
 Facts surrounding the situations
 Taking into account the interests of all parties involved
 Taking into account the moral principles involved
 Take into account how the decisions will affect others.
 Helps us perceive moral principles
 Use reason to determine the best way to achieve the
highest moral good
 Distinguish between primary and secondary moral
principles
 Primary – general
 Secondary – more specific
 Make rational calculations of the consequences of our
actions
Definitions of Moral Codes
 Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
 Rules or norms within a group for what is proper behavior
for the members of that group.
 Rules or norms provide the measure
 Complex definitions of right and wrong
 Different cultures have different codes
 Morality is relative to time
 Some are timeless and culture-free
Moral Standard
 Standard by which we compare human actions to
determine their goodness or badness.
 Morality sets standards of virtuous conduct
 Mechanisms to self-regulate through enforcement
and self-judge through guilt
Law
 Webster’s Dictionary
 Rule of conduct or an action recognized by custom or
decreed by a formal enactment, community, or group.
 Black
 An art we can create and model
 Contemporary critics
 Instrument of exercising power
 Bryan Bourn
 An art and an instrument for exercising power.
 Fagothey
 Rule and measure of actions directing them to proper ends
 Physical
 Moral
Natural Law
 Unwritten but universal
 Theory
 Eternal
 Absolute moral law
 Can be discovered by reason
 Derivable from reason
 Applies to all rational creatures
 Exists independently of human preference and
inclinations
 Applied cross-culture
 Anchor of right of self-preservation, liberty, and property
Conventional Law
 Created for and by humans
 Usually created in public deliberations
 Derived from moral code that is enforceable
 Varies society to society
 Takes 2 forms
 Declarative
 Simply restates what the natural law declares
 Forbidding murder theft
 Determinative
 Fixes ways of acting in accordance with natural laws
 Contracts, taxes, traffic
Penal Code
 Laws useless without punishment
 Three functions of punishment system
 Retributive – pay back the criminal
 Corrective – improve the offender
 Deterrent – prevention of similar actions
Morality and the Law
 Serve the purpose of keeping society stable and
secure
 Used in making judgments about people’s actions
 Judgments are justifiable by reason
 Means to achieve purpose is different
 The process of making codes and laws
 Enforcement
 Nature of punishment
 Conflict resolution
 Types of judgement
Ethics
 Origins – Greeks
 Greeks studied themselves, human life and society
 Lead to study of human conducts
 Definition: a study of right and wrong in human
conduct
 Another definition: Theoretical examination of morality
 Solomon: a set of “theories of value, virtue, or of right
(valuable) action.
 Johnson: set of theories “that provide general rules or
principles to be used in making those rules”
Important
“Ethics helps us not only in
distinguishing between right and
wrong but also in knowing why
and on what grounds our
judgment of human actions is
justified.”
Purpose of Ethics
 Interpret human conduct
 Acknowledging and distinguishing between right and
wrong.
 Interpretation is done based on a consisting of a
mixture of inductions and deductions.
 Uses process of argumentation
 Argumentation consists of a mixture of inductions and
deductions
 Generally based on historical schools of thoughts or
ethical theories
Consequentialism
 Human actions are judged good or bad depending
on the results of the actions
 Thee general types of Consequentialism
 Egoism: Individual interests and happiness above
everything else
 Utilitarianism: Group interests and happiness above
individual
 Act Utilitarianism: Consider the consequences of an action
for the ones which will benefit the most
 Rule Utilitarianism: Obey the rules that brings max happiness
to max people
 Altruism: Action is right if the results of the action is good
for everyone but the actor
Deontology
 Does not concern itself with the consequences of an
action rather the will of act
 If a person committing an act had a good reason for
doing so
 Example:
 An armed person comes into your house
 You shoot the intruder
 You did it because you had a duty to your protect your
family and your property.
 Action was good
Human Nature
 All human beings are endowed with all faculties and
capabilities to live in happiness.
 Humans are supposed to discover the develop those
capabilities.
 The capabilities become the benchmark for actions
 Actions judged on how much they measure up to
capabilities
Relativism
 There is no existence of universal moral norm
 Right and wrong are relative to society, culture, or the
individual.
 Moral norms are not fixed in time.
Hedonism
 One of the oldest ethical theories
 Pleasure is the only good thing in human life
 End of life is the highest good
 Maximize pleasure or minimize pain
 2 types
 Psychological – what people seek each day is pleasure
 Ethical – people ought to seek pleasure & pleasure is the
moral good
 Modern hedonism pleasure = happiness
Emotivism
 Ethical statements are neither true nor false
 Ethical statements cannot be proven
 Ethical statements are really only statements about
how someone feels
Kantianism
 Developed by German philosopher Immanuel Kant
(1724-1804)
 People’s actions ought to be guided by universal
moral laws
 Moral laws are derived from reason
 Should be able to cite why an action is right or wrong
Ethical Reasoning
 Reasoning – human cognitive process of looking for
ways to generate or affirm a proposition
 Cognitive processes – mental processes
 Logic – tool for distinguishing between truth and
falsehood
 Ethical Reasoning – integrating ethical principles in the
reasoning process
Ethical Decision Making
Process
 Recognize inherent ethical conflict through
 Comprehension
 Appreciation
 Evaluation of all ethical dimensions of problem
 Know the parties involved
 Being aware of alternatives
 Demonstrating knowledge of ethical practices
 Understanding how the decision will be implemented
 Understanding who will be affected
 Understand and comprehend the impact
Information Resulting from
the Ethical Decision Making
 Confirmation that the problem is really an ethical problem
 Additional facts are or are not needed to resolve the problem
 Key ethical theories, principles, and values identified
 Strength and validity of the ethical theory chosen
 To make an ethical decision you must “weigh” the argument against
the alternatives and chose the “best”
 Often must layer the reasoning.
Code of Ethics
 Regiment rules or guidelines followed by members of a
respective group.
 Can take any of the following forms
 Principles which may act as guidelines for some
document
 Public policies including aspects of acceptable behavior,
norms, and practices of a society or group
 Codes of conduct which may include ethical principles
 Legal instruments which enforce good conduct through
courts
ACM Code of Ethics &
Professional Conduct
 8 general moral imperatives
 8 more specific professional responsibilities
 6 organizational leadership imperatives
 Affirmation of compliance with the code
Objectives of Code of Ethics
 Disciplinary: ensures professionalism and integrity
 Advisory: good source of tips and offer advice
 Educational: educational tools
 Inspirational
 Publicity
Ethical Issues Associated
with Changing Technology
 Different Temptations
 Speed
 Privacy and anonymity
 Nature of medium
 Aesthetic attractions
 Increased availability of potential victims
 International scope
 The power to destroy
 Different Means of Delivery
 Complacent Society