Note 2: Understanding Moral & Ethics

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NORMATIVE & NON-NORMATIVE STATEMENTS

Which one is normative / non-normative statement?

This is a terrace house. _____

This is a beautiful terrace house. _____
Ali always uses the Internet. _____
Ali should not use the Internet until he forgets his work. _____

MORALITY & ETHICS: WHO CARES? DOES ANY OF THIS REALLY MATTER?

1. Why be concerned with moral theories and distinctions between different types of
moral theories?
2. Why bother with some of the difficult questions that sound ridiculous and not practical?
3. Everyone is brought up with some sort of moral system, and it usually works out fairly
well - isn't that enough?

Activity: Charlie Chaplin short drama.

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Moreover, if this person is suddenly faced with people from a different culture who have a very
different moral system, it won't be possible to handle it very well.

MORALITY & ETHICS : WHO CARES? DOES ANY OF THIS REALLY MATTER?

The most likely results will be _____________________, _______________________, or even

___________________________________.

Reasoning requires:

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UNDERSTANDING VALUES & THE BASIC CONCEPT OF VALUE

The term value originally meant the _____________________________.

Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary - Value as moral or professional standards of behavior or

standards or qualities considered worthwhile and desirable.
 Value is the principle of formation of attitude, perception of motivation, personality, progress
and development of one race and organization.

WHAT ARE THE FUNCTION OF VALUES?

As a standard for an individual to ascertain his position in any social or moral matter. Value not
only gives one shows the direction to a person how he should behave towards others, in fact
how to evaluate behavior itself along with others.

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Value functions as a yardstick or a standard for anything that human do, desires and wish for,
whether it can be seen, heard or felt by our senses. Value also shows the direction and
determines the choices are made and action to be carried out.

EXAMPLE :

According to school regulation, the student is required, when buying the goods in
canteen lining up or before entering to class or before travel by school bus. If Ratna
obeys the regulation as thinking that the regulation is good for her and others, she will
follow the regulation without compulsion although in different place such as public bus
stop, hospital or post office.

ACTIVITY:

Religion - _____________________

_____________________

_____________________

Education _____________________

Economics _____________________

Arts _____________________

Science and Technology _____________________

Society _____________________

Politics _____________________

ACTIVITY : Do you think, children should send their parents to old folks home? If Not, Why?

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 CONTEXT OF MORAL VALUE

VALUE AS AN ATTRIBUTE

The English saying, Time is money Time cannot be increased, when it passes, you
cannot chase it.

VALUE AS A MEASUREMENT

In the question, What value did the head of department give you for your work
performance? Value here means the total marks (quantity) given to the officer by the
head of department when the latter assessed your work performance in the Work
Performance Assessment Form of the civil service in Malaysia.

VALUE IN AXIOLOGY CONTEXT

Pertaining to moral or aesthetic value judgments.

TYPES OF VALUE

1. _________________________________________

- Quality received or rejected as instrumental to achieve certain objective. Dependent on other

value to achieve certain objective.

Example :

a) Bombing of Hiroshima to end the Second World War.

b) Imposing the death penalty for drug traffickers to stamp out drug trafficking activities.

2. ____________________________________________

- Quality received or rejected solely because it is good or bad without considering its
effect. Not dependent on other values to achieve certain objective. The value mentioned
is itself the final objective.

Ex: A judge passes a death by hanging sentence on a person found guilty of trafficking
drugs purely because it is obligatory for the judge to do so, according to the provision of
the law, and not because the judge himself also wishes to stamp out the trafficking of
drugs.

A distinction is commonly made between instrumental and intrinsic valuebetween what is

good as a means and what is good as an end.
 3. ______________________________________________

Quality accepted or rejected by someone who gives his views. Accepted or rejected on
the basis of an individuals opinion.

Example :

The USAs desire to attack Iraq. Britain said that the US should attack Iraq for the sake of long-
term peace in the world so that Iraq could not continue to produce weapons of mass
destruction. France, on the other hand, said that the US should not attack Iraq because such an
attack Iraq would sacrifice the lives of many innocent people in Iraq.

4. _________________________________________________

Quality that may be valuable or not valuable but free from personal choice. Accepted or
rejected on the basis of a set of criteria agreed upon by all or a majority of people.

Example :

a) War is a horrible tragedy

b) Child labour is a cruel practice which must be abolished.

5. ___________________________________________________
-Value accepted or rejected by regulations in a society in order to achieve certain
societal objective. It is arbitrary, not perfect, and differs in other society. It can change
with time.

Example :

In Kuala Lumpur, a family can develop only through an official marriage of a couple. On
the other hand, in California, a family can be formed without an official marriage.

6. ____________________________________________________

Value the worth of which is not related to the customs of a certain society. Generally accepted
and tested or proven to be good or bad. Constant at all times and in all places and in almost all
norms of society.

Example :

Respect each other is a good practice.

 NAME :

ACTIVITY :

DRUG ABUSE AND DISTRIBUTION OF DRUGS ARE CONSIDERED WRONG AND CONDEMNED BY
MOST COUNTRIES.

Nevertheless, there are some societies in South America and Asia which look upon such
activities as legitimate and ordinary because their people depend on the drug trade for living.
Discuss the types of values involved in this controversial situation.

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