GE

114- ETHICS

Lesson 2
Moral & Non- Moral Standards
Learning Outcomes

Now let us move on to a closer examination of rules or standards we

discussed in the previously. By the end of this lesson you should be able to:

o Differentiate between moral and non moral standards;

o Explain the importance of moral and non-moral standards.
o Discuss how particular rules in life differ from moral standards.

Time Frame: 1 Week

Introduction

In the previous lesson we already discussed how these rules shape our
behaviour and bring about social harmony. While all these rules are important,
not all rules are equal; there are moral and non- moral rules of behaviour. Moral
standards or principles are different from other rules in life because of their
overriding nature. In this lesson we will examine the characteristics of moral
standards and differentiate them from all the other rules that we follow.
Activity
In one social experiment, researchers had an old man
walk slowly on a very busy city street to see how
people would behave around him. The researchers
observed some people would walk around him in their
hurry to get to where they needed to go. Several
individuals on the other hand slowed their pace to
walk with him and ask him if he required assistance,
which he politely declined. After walking a few more
feet, the old man started to buckle and fall on the
street looking pale and dazed from exertion. People
immediately rushed to his aid to help him and to call
paramedics. When asked why they did it, people had
different responses from “because he was a weak old
guy” to “I just had to help him, he needed my help.”
What would you do if you were in this situation and
why?

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Analysis
• People in the social experiment acted automatically, without being told
what to do. Why do you think they acted this way?
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• What are your motivations for your actions? Discuss.

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Abstraction
Moral Standards
Humans have a built in “moral compass” or sense of right and wrong.
Moral standards differ from other rules in life. This intrinsic guide has been
observed even in young children who have not been taught of concepts of good
or bad. The inner guide develops as a child matures and develops as he/ she
lives in a world of different rules, norms and customs. As we develop and mature
we learn that some rules hold larger consequence as compared to others and are
not dependent on external authority or individual or organizational interests-
these codes of right and wrong that have no reference to specific behaviours or
beliefs are known as Moral Standards1.

Different societies might have different rules that govern their behaviour
but their moral standards are held in common by all societies regardless of their
varying beliefs. Moral standards are upheld regardless of culture or beliefs and
are believed to be universal. There are several characteristics which moral
standards have that set them apart from other rules in life. These characteristics
form the human moral compass in doing what is right and acting instinctually
upon these principles.

In the succeeding matrix, let us take a look at these specific

characteristics. Take note that other rules in life have some but not all of these
characteristics. Moral Standards also form the foundation for the formulation of
other rules of life.

1
Stanford University (14 March 2011). "The Definition of Morality". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford
University. Retrieved 02 July 2020

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Characteristics of Moral Standards

Reasonability Moral standards appeal directly to the intellect and reason,

common sense and experience. Right actions entail that feelings
and emotions are guided by proper reasoning and sound
judgement.

Impartiality Moral standards are neutral, fair and unbiased in determining

right of wrong. Moral standards also do not favor the interests of
any specific groups of people regardless of their gender, status,
financial circumstances or their cultural, social, political and
religious affiliations.

Prescriptivity Moral standards should clearly allow us to determine “what we

ought to do” and “what we ought not to do”

Overridingness Moral standards have a predominant authority in such a way

that they have the ability to override other kinds of principles;
and take precedence over other norms and rules.

Autonomous from Moral standards are able to stay independent from the influence
Arbitrary Authority of any form of authority. Moral standards are not dependent on
“who is in power” or “who is giving the orders”. When it comes to
moral standards, “the rule of numbers” does not apply.
Something is right or wrong regardless of how the majority
decides, does and says. “A wrong thing is wrong, even when
eveyone else is doing it and a right thing is right even when you
are alone is doing it’. This is one reason why standing alone in
fighting for what is right proves difficult because humans have
the tendency to give in to the external pressure that is brought
about by people in authority and the rule of majority.

Publicity Moral rules and principles are known to and upheld by society
because they are publicly held to be the moral rules and
principles that serve as clear guidelines to human actions. A
person cannot do the right thing if he does not know what to do,
so before action can be performed, we must first know what
needs to be done. Moral standards would not be performed if
they are not known to the public.

Practicability Moral rules should be “doable” and not be beyong what can be
done by human beings. Other synonyms to this characteristic
include performable, actionable and realistic. If a standard was
not workable, it would lose its meaning and would be
unachievable and become a burden for people.

Universalizability A moral rule or principle must be applicable to everyone, without

exception given the same situation and context. This also
echoes the famous Golden Rule “Do not do unto otherswhat you
don’t want others to do unto you.”

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Non- Moral Standards
On the other hand, there are norms that are relative to particular a society,
social class, or a social group in reference to their own culture, religion, and
beliefs. Some behaviour may be deemed appropriate for one social group but
deemed inappropriate in another. Standards of behaviour that vary from social
group to social group depending on their own shared values, beliefs and/ or goals
are referred to as non-moral standards. Let’s discuss these standards in more
detail in the succeeding section.
Etiquette is a set of conventional rules on behaviour and manner in polite
society. It usually comes in an ethical code that outlines what is expected and
accepted social behaviour in line with norms of politeness and proper
demeanour. As discussed previously, etiquette differs from culture to culture. In
some countries like Africa, the Middle East and Asia for example, using the
hands for eating is considered proper. This is not practiced in Western Countries
where etiquette dictates the use of eating utensils as proper. In the European
social circles of the 18th century, etiquette was given extreme importance and
was made symbolically identified with members of the educated and well-
mannered members of the aristocracy.

Today, etiquette is
identified with good
upbringing and social
breeding. Learning,
knowing and
practicing the rules of
social etiquette has
become an integral
part of human
education.
The practice of proper
etiquette can prove to
be challenging in
multicultural societies
since etiquette can
vary not only among
large social groups
such as nationalities,
but also across
smaller ethnic groups
and tribes.

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Also, notions about proper etiquette are more rooted in some cultures
compared to others that the observance of proper behaviour forms a large portion
of the esteem they give to an individual.
Policy. Another type of non- moral standard is the policy, which is a
statement that is adopted and implemented as a matter of procedure or protocol
by a group of people in order to assist in managing daily activities, operations,
decision-making and governance. Policies can also be understood as political,
managerial, financial, and administrative mechanisms arranged to reach explicit
goals. Institutions and organizations intentionally craft and adopt policies
systematically as appropriate to their specific needs and goals. While some
organizations may have similar policies, there are always variations to policies
that are specific to the institution or organization to which they apply. Examples of
policy include Presidential executive orders, corporate privacy policies, and
parliamentary rules of order are all examples of policy.

Law. If policies are enforced within institutions and organizations, the Law
or laws is a system of rules that society through governments and its agencies
create, develop and implement within their jurisdictions in order to regulate
behaviour and aid in governance. Unlike policies, which serve more as guides,
laws can compel or prohibit behaviour and impose sanctions and punishments for
non- compliance. Laws encompass many social matters and relationships such
as crime, business, commerce, and industry among many others. Old laws may
be amended to ensure their relevance, and duly elected representatives of the
people propose new laws to address behaviours that they think should be
regulated or legislated for the sake of the greater good.
Laws are promulgated to be followed by everyone regardless of their
stature and therefore become an instrument of justice by serving as an equalizer
for people in society. German legal scholar, Rudolf von Ihering attributed law to
social change, by saying that the law is a means of social control, which aims to
serve the purposes of society. According to him, well-written laws guaranteed
good living conditions for people assured by the State itself. One might argue that

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laws are coercive, because they control human behaviour however when laws
are crafted with the greater good in mind and implemented in proper consultation
with the public, it aids in cooperation in members of a society and helps in
resolving potential conflicts, bringing about order.

Commandment. Another standard for behaviour is the commandment,

which is a strict rule for behaviour as an imposition of the will or law of God or
Divine being. For Christians the Ten Commandments are a set of biblical
principles relating to ethics and worship, given by God Himself to the Prophet
Moses. Other religions also have commandments for their believers to follow
which guide them in their behaviour. Unlike etiquette, policy, and law wherein not
abiding by the prescribed behaviour leads to social stigma, organizational
sanction or punishment, not following a commandment has more far reaching
consequences. Since commandments are believed to be the edict of the Divine,
punishments vary depending on the belief of the social group concerned. For
Christians for example, the concept of eternal damnation is primarily believed to
be the consequence of not keeping with God’s Commandments. The reward of
heaven, on the other hand is the Christian reward for keeping God’s
Commandments.

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Application (Let’s Do It!)

Learner Worksheet 2
Student Name: ______________________________ Score: ____________

Course/ Year/ Section: _______________________________

Using the characteristics of moral standards, look for an article or news

that deals with a particular contemporary ethical issue. Attach/ paste your chosen
article or news at the back of this paper. Discuss why the issue is an ethical one.
What moral standards and non-moral standards does it call upon or challenge?
Write your discussion in the space below.

Submitting Your Work. If you do not have Internet Connectivity, neatly detach this page
from your module and submit via University Drop Box or by courier/ mail together with
your other Learner Activity Worksheets once you reach the prescribed Learning
Checkpoint. If you have Internet connectivity, you may answer directly on the online
version of this worksheet through the University Virtual Environment.

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Closure
Well done! You have just finished Lesson 2 of this module.

If you have questions or need to make clarifications take note of them in

the space provided below to ask your Course Professor through direct messaging
or through the University Virtual Environment (UVE).

Notes from this Lesson

Now that you have completed Lesson 2, let us move on to the next lesson
in this module. In the next lesson we will discuss human experiences and the
situations wherein our moral principles are engaged and necessitate
discernment.

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