Theories of Ethics FINAL

Lesson 1:
Basic Theories
as Frameworks
in Ethics
Topic Outline:
 Framework Defined
 The Three General Subject of Ethics

I. Meta-Ethics II. Normative Ethics
I.I Cognitivism vs. Non-Cognitivism II.I Deontology
a. Cognitivism II.II Teleology
b. Non-Cognitivism
I.II Universalism vs. Relativism
III. Normative Ethics
a. Moral Universalism
III.I Bioethics
b. Moral Relativism
III.II Environmental Ethics
I.III Empiricism vs. Rationalism vs. Intuitionism
III.III Business Ethics
a. Moral Empiricism
III.IV Sexual Ethics
b. Moral Rationalism
III.V Social Ethics
c. Moral Intuitionism
Basic Theories as Frameworks in
Ethics can be defined as a basic structure underlying a system or
Framework
concept.
 Assumptions
 Concepts
 Values
 Practices
Ethicist today, generally divided the study of morality into three general subject
areas:
(1) Meta-Ethics, (2) Normative Ethics, and (3) Applied Ethics.
I
Meta-Ethics
Meta-Ethics
• A branch of ethics that studies the nature of morality.
• It talk about the meaning, references, truth values of moral judgement.
• It explain what goodness and wickedness mean how we know about
them.
 Meta-ethics tackles questions.
Meta-ethical theories are commonly classified semantically as

either cognitivist or non-cognitivist; substantially as either
universalist or relativist; and epistemologically as empiricist,
nationalist, or intuitionist.
Meta-Ethics
Cognitivism vs. Non-cognitivism

Meta-Ethics
a. Cognitivism
- states that moral judgment
convey propositions.
- a truth bearers.
 Most ethical theories are cognitivist as they content that right and
wrong are matters of fact.
 The most famous forms of cognitive ethics are the moral realism
and the ethical subjectivism.
Meta-Ethics
Moral realism
• claims the existence of moral
facts and the truth (or falsity) of
moral judgements are
independent of people’s thought
and perceptions.
Ethical subjectivism
• dependent on the attitudes or
standards of a person or group of
person.
• it is obviously contrary to moral
realism
Meta-Ethics
b. Non-cognitivism
- denies that moral judgement
are either true or false.
- do not convey authentic
propositions.
Emotivism
 the most popular form of non-cognitivist theory.
 it submits that moral judgments are mere expressions of our
emotions and feeling.
Meta-Ethics
Universalism vs. Relativism

Meta-Ethics
a. Moral universalism
- theorizes that moral that
moral facts and principles apply to
everybody.
- also called ‘moral objectivism
 this applies to all similarly situated person, regardless of nationality,

citizenship, culture, race, gender, sexual preference, religion, or any
other differentiating factor.
 Moral universalism is very much compatible with ‘moral realism’.

Meta-Ethics
b. Moral relativism
- submit that different
moral facts and principles
apply to different person or
group of individuals.
 Believing that various culture have distinct standards of right and

wrong, it also maintains that ethical standards also change over
time in the same culture.
 Noticeably, it is very much compatible with ‘ethical subjectivism’.
Meta-Ethics
Empiricism Rationalism
vs.
Intuitionism
Meta-Ethicsa. Moral empiricism
- meta-ethical stance which states
that moral facts are known
through observation and
experience.
 The theory is an extension of ‘empiricism’ in epistemology which

states that all knowledge of matter of fact is derived from
experience and that our mind is not equipped with pre-experience
concepts.
 Moral empiricism hold that moral truths are reducible to matter

about people’s opinions or cultural conventions and thus are
recognizable by observation of their conventions.
Vs.
Meta-Ethics
b. Moral rationalism
- contend that moral facts and
principle are knowable a
priori, that is, by reason alone
and without reference to
experience.
 As rationalism in epistemology claims that knowledge about reality

are gained through non-empirical deductive system, most forms of
moral rationalism purport that moral facts are known through
inferential process.
 The theory relies on reason rather than intuition in justifying a

belief or action.
Vs.
Meta-Ethics
c. Moral intuitionism
- submits that moral truths
are knowable by intuitions
that is, by immediate
instinctive knowledge
without references to any
evidence
 This theory claims that we have intuitive awareness of value or morality; it

defines the basis of out ethical knowledge.
 In general form, it claims that some moral facts can be know without
interference.
 Hence, some empiricist and rationalist theories that promote non-inferential

moral knowledge may be compatible with moral intuitionism.
II
Normative Ethics
Normative Ethics
 It is the branch of ethics that studies how man ought to act, morally speaking
 It examines ethical norms that is, those guidelines about what is right, worthwhile,
virtuous or just.
 This branch evaluates standards for the rightness and wrongness of actions and
determines a moral course of action.
 Normative ethics deals with issues.
 Normative ethical theories are generally categorized into three kinds:

deontological, teleological, and virtue ethics.
Normative Ethics
Deontology
- an ethical system that
bases morality on independent
moral rules or duties.
 Deon means “duty” – implying the foundational nature of man’s

duties or obligations
 This system equates behaving morally with adherence to duties or

moral rules and acting immorally with failure to obey them.
Normative Ethics
Teleology
- refers to moral system
that determines the moral
value of actions by their
outcomes or results.
- telos means “end”
 Teleology deems an action as morally right if its favorable

consequences are greater than its adverse outcomes.
 Its most famous form is consequentialism which proposes that

morality is determined solely by a cost-benefit evaluation of the
action’s consequences.
Normative Ethics
Virtue Ethics
- a moral system which
emphasis on developing good
habits of character
 Virtue-based theories give importance to moral education which

molds individuals to habitually act in a virtuous manner.
 Focusing on the character of by agent, virtue ethics describes right

actions as those chosen and performed by a suitably virtuous
person.
III
Applied Ethics
Applied Ethics
 philosophically examines specific, controversial moral issues.
 using philosophical methods, this area of concern in ethics attempts to

determine the ethically correct course of action in specific realms of
human action.
 Applied ethical issues nowadays are classified into various

subfields: bioethics, environment ethics, business ethics, sexual
ethics, and social ethics.
Applied Ethics
s
c This concerns ethical issues pertaining to life,
i
h biomedical
e t researches, medicines, health
i o care, and medical profession.
B
Applied Ethics
t
en It deals with moral issues
n m s its nonhuman contents.
concerning nature, ecosystem, and
i o
r hi c
n v E t
E
Applied Ethics
Business Ethics
It examines more principles concerning business environment
which involves issues about corporate practices, policies,
business behaviors, and the conducts and relationships of
individuals in the organization.
It investigates ethical controversies such as those about the

social responsibility of businesses, employee rights,
harassment, labor unions, misleading advertising, job
discrimination., and whistle blowing.
Applied Ethics
Sexual Ethics
 It studies moral issues about sexuality and human sexual behavior.
 It examines topics like homosexuality, lesbianism, polygamy, pre-

marital sex, marital fidelity, extra-marital sex, non-marital
procreation, loveless sexual relations, safe sex, and contraceptive
use.
Applied Ethics
Social Ethics
 It deals with what is right for a society to do and how it should act
as a whole.
 Its focus is on what may be deemed as proper behavior for people

as a whole.
 Some of the issues under this are those about racial discrimination,
death penalty, nuclear weapon production, gun control, drug use
for fun, and welfare rights.
Thank
you!
Report Sister Christine Laure
ers: Mader Jesse Bugarin
Saint Anie Rose Domantay
Father Al Bartolome

Theories of Ethics FINAL

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Lesson 1:

 The Three General Subject of Ethics

 Meta-ethics tackles questions.

Meta-ethical theories are commonly classified semantically as

Cognitivism vs. Non-cognitivism

Universalism vs. Relativism

 this applies to all similarly situated person, regardless of nationality,

 Moral universalism is very much compatible with ‘moral realism’.

 Believing that various culture have distinct standards of right and

 The theory is an extension of ‘empiricism’ in epistemology which

 Moral empiricism hold that moral truths are reducible to matter

 As rationalism in epistemology claims that knowledge about reality

 The theory relies on reason rather than intuition in justifying a

 This theory claims that we have intuitive awareness of value or morality; it

 Hence, some empiricist and rationalist theories that promote non-inferential

 Normative ethics deals with issues.

 Normative ethical theories are generally categorized into three kinds:

 Deon means “duty” – implying the foundational nature of man’s

 This system equates behaving morally with adherence to duties or

 Teleology deems an action as morally right if its favorable

 Its most famous form is consequentialism which proposes that

 Virtue-based theories give importance to moral education which

 Focusing on the character of by agent, virtue ethics describes right

 using philosophical methods, this area of concern in ethics attempts to

 Applied ethical issues nowadays are classified into various

i o care, and medical profession.

It investigates ethical controversies such as those about the

 It examines topics like homosexuality, lesbianism, polygamy, pre-

 Its focus is on what may be deemed as proper behavior for people

ers: Mader Jesse Bugarin

Saint Anie Rose Domantay

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