Prepared by: Mykko G.

Guerrero, MA
Introduction to Ethics
 ETHICS

Greek word: Ethos

“characteristic way
of acting”

Latin word:
mos (mores)

Ethics is sometimes called

a Moral Science or Moral
Philosophy.
Ethics questions are:

 What is morally right?

 Are there any objective standards of right and
wrong?
 Are moral values absolute or relative?
To define ETHICS…

ETHICS is the practical

science of the morality of
human conduct.
A) Ethics is a science.

A science is a relatively complete and systematically

arranged body of connected data together with the causes or
reasons by which these data are known to be true.

Ethics is a complete and systematically arranged body of

data which relate to the morality of human conduct; and it
represents the reasons which show these data to be true.
B) Ethics is a practical science.

If the data of a science directly imply rules or directions for

thought or action, the science is called practical.

If the data of a science enrich the mind without directly

implying rules or directions, the science is called
speculative.
C) Ethics is a science of human conduct.

By human conduct we mean only such human activity as is

deliberate and free.

is called human act

is an act which proceeds from

the deliberate free will of man
Acts performed by human
beings without advertence,
or without the exercise of
free choice, are called acts
of man.
D) Ethics is the science of the morality of human
conduct.

The relation (agreement and disagreement) of human

activity with the dictates of reason is called morality.

Ethics studies human activity to determine what it must be

to stand in harmony with the dictates of reason.
Human Acts in Relation to Reason

Good acts are those done by man in harmony with the

dictates of right reason.

Evil acts are those actions done by man in contradiction to

the dictates of right reason.
For human acts man is
responsible, and they are
imputed to him as worthy
of praise or blame, of
reward or punishment.
The Voluntariness of the Human Acts

 Only voluntary acts have moral bearing.

 Categories of voluntary actions: Perfect and Imperfect
Voluntariness, and Direct and Indirect Voluntary
Perfect and Imperfect Voluntariness:

1. Perfect voluntariness – actions performed with full

knowledge and with full consent.
2. Imperfect voluntariness – actions that occur when there is
perfect knowledge or consent, or when either or both of
the knowledge or consent is partial.
Direct and Indirect Voluntary:

1. Direct voluntary – actions that are intended for its own

sake, either as a means or as an end.

Ex.: murder, stealing

2. Indirect voluntary – actions that are not intended for its

own sake but which merely follows as a regrettable
consequence of an action.

Ex.: bombing an enemy’s hideout that leads to the killing

of non-combatants within the area
The Determinants of Morality

 The determinants of morality serve as the measure and of

the goodness and the evilness of the human act.
 Three determinants of morality: the end of the action, the
end of the agent, and the circumstances of the act
The end of the action…

This refers to the natural purpose of the act or that in which

the act in its very nature terminates or results.

Ex.: the end of the action of studying is learning.

The end of the actor…

This refers to the intention or the motive of the doer of the

act.

Studying…
To LEARN…
To pass the
To pass the college
board exam entrance exam
Circumstances of the act…

This refers to the conditions that affect the human act by

increasing or decreasing the responsibility of the actor.

1. WHO? Circumstance of person.

a) Who is the agent?
b) To whom is the action done?

Ex.: John rapes a 14 year old girl.

2. WHAT? Circumstance of quantity or quality of the object
(the act).
a) What is the extent of the act?
b) Was the injury inflicted serious or slight?
c) Was the amount stolen large or small

3. WHERE? Circumstance of place.

Ex.: A theft committed in the presence of the Blessed

Sacrament is theft plus sacrilege.
4. WITH WHAT ALLY? Circumstance of means or
instrument.

Ex.: A sin of drunkenness committed through the

expenditure of stolen money.

5. IN WHAT CONDITION? HOW? Circumstance of

manner.
a) Was the agent in good faith or bad?
b) Was the agent’s evil disposition intensely malicious or
only slightly so?
6. WHEN? Circumstance of time.

How long did the agent retain an evil thought or intention,

for a long period or momentarily?

7. WHY? Circumstance of end of the agent/actor.

The formal object of Ethics is
right morality or rectitude of
human acts.
THE SEVEN-STEP PATH
TO BETTER DECISIONS
1. STOP AND THINK
2. CLARIFY GOALS
3. DETERMINE FACTS

 To determine the facts, first resolve what you know and,

then, what you need to know. Be prepared to get
additional information and to verify assumptions and
other uncertain information.
 Here are some guidelines:
- Consider the reliability and credibility of the people
providing the facts.
- Consider the basis of the supposed facts. If the person
giving you the information says he or she personally
heard or saw something, evaluate that person in terms
of honesty, accuracy and memory.
- Remember that assumptions, gossip and hearsay are
not the same as facts.
- Consider all perspectives, but be careful to consider
whether the source of the information has values
different than yours or has a personal interest that
could affect perception of the facts.
- Where possible seek out the opinions of people whose
judgment and character you respect, but be careful to
distinguish the well-grounded opinions of well-
informed people from casual speculation, conjecture
and guesswork.
- Finally, evaluate the information you have in terms of
completeness and reliability so you have a sense of the
certainty and fallibility of your decisions.
4. DEVELOP OPTIONS

 Now that you know what you want to achieve and have
made your best judgment as to the relevant facts, make a
list of options, a set of actions you can take to
accomplish your goals.
 If it’s an especially important decision, talk to someone
you trust so you can broaden your perspective and think
of new choices.
5. CONSIDER CONSEQUENCES

 Identify whom the decision will

help and hurt.
 Eliminate unethical options.
6. CHOOSE

It’s time to make your decision. If the choice is not

immediately clear, see if any of the following strategies
help:

o Talk to people whose judgment you respect.

o What would the most ethical person you know do?
o Golden Rule: do unto to others as you would have them
do unto you.
7. MONITOR AND MODIFY

Some of the decisions will inevitably be wrong. Ethical

decision-makers monitor the effects of their choices. If they
are not producing the intended results or are causing
additional unintended and undesirable results, they re-assess
the situation and make new decisions.
Man has soul…

For St. Thomas Aquinas,

man is a rational being
because of his rational soul.
Man has dignity…

John Finnis
Dignity is assigned to human beings, not simply as a
particular species, but as individuals, because already as
individual, human being manifests that power and capacity
to perform certain activities that make him superior to other
non-human beings.

Reason Out
Man has dignity…

Picco della Mirandola

Human being has capacity to determine for himself what
he would like to be.

He can choose either to go down to the level of brutes or

to rise to the level of angels whose activities are purely
intellectual.

VS.
Man has dignity…

Blaise Pascal
They are MISERABLE beings…
But, he is an intelligent being…

And so, he has the capacity to

transcend and go beyond to
his misfortune.
Man has freedom…

St. Augustine of Hippo

 Do we
really have
FREEDOM?
Omniscient
Being

PAST FUTURE

Necessary?

PRESENT
 Am I
responsible
for my
actions?
I don’t have
freedom; therefore,
I am not responsible
for my bad actions.
These punishments
are immoral.
Therefore…

or

The Supreme The Supreme

Being is Being is
omniscient benevolent
but but
immoral??? ignorant???
The Supreme Being is
eternal present.
The Supreme Being’s
knowledge of the
world entails
necessity, but to deny
that necessity is
incompatible with
freedom.
Augustine believed
that freedom is the
capacity of doing what
one wants even if the
Supreme Being (or
anyone else) already
knows what that
person wants.
What should I choose?
 Therefore…
I AM FREE! 
REPORTING

 References:
- Last slide
- Use APA format for references (pls. include the page)
- Ex.: James, H. (1937). The ambassadors. New York,
NY: Scribner. p.39/pp. 39-50
- http://www.easybib.com/reference/guide/apa/book
PPt. PRES. 4 3 2 1
Content is Content is Content is Content is
accurate and accurate but accurate but inaccurate and
information is some information is information is
presented in a information is not presented in not presented in
Content logical order. not presented in a logical order, a logical order,
a logical order, making it making it
but is still difficult to difficult to
generally easy to follow. follow.
follow.
The text used in The text in the The text in the The text is
the slides is of slides is easy to slides is crowded difficult to read
appropriate size , read in a few and lengthy, as the font size is
Formatting
which is places and not so making it too small.
readable by the in the rest of the difficult to read.
audience. slides
 The text is of The background The background
appropriate and colors used and colors used
length and the do not enhance are too many
colors of the readability of the making it
background content. difficult to read
enhance the the text.
readability of the
content.

.
Videos / images Most videos / Videos / images No images.
Videos (optional)
/ Images
are appropriate. images are are inappropriate
appropriate.
No spelling Few spelling Some spelling Many spelling
Spelling errors. errors. errors. errors.
 REPORT 4 3 2 1
The presentation The presentation There were The presentation
was well had organizing minimal signs of lacked
organized, well ideas but could organization or organization and
Organization prepared and have been much preparation. had little
easy to follow. stronger with evidence of
better preparation.
preparation.
Voice is loud Voice is loud Voice is loud Volume often too
enough to be enough to be enough to be soft to be heard
Voice heard by all heard by all heard by all by all audience.
Modulation audience audience at least audience at least
throughout the 90% of the time. 80% of the time.
presentation.
 Stands up Stands up Sometimes Slouches and/or
straight, looks straight and stands up does not look at
relaxed and establishes eye straight and people during
Posture confident. contact with establishes eye the presentation.
and Establishes eye everyone in the contact.
Eye Contact contact with room during the
everyone in the presentation.
room during the
presentation.

• http://www.txla.org/sites/tla/files/groups/YART/docs/2015SPOTHigh-
Fehlbaum_AcademicProgram_PowerPointRubric.pdf
• http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=PrintRubric&rubric_id=1027470&PHPSESSID=iht2qp
kf9g7apcu80vi1jkv5c7
• http://www.teachersofindia.org/en/article/assessment-tool-rubric-assessing-powerpoint-presentation
• https://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?code=TX66WC7&sp=yes&
• http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=ShowRubric&rubric_id=1417749&
REFERENCES

Books
• Ethics by Rev. Msgr. Paul J. Glenn, Ph.D., S.T.D.
• Business Ethics and Social Responsibility by Fr. Floriano C. Roa
• Logic: The Art of Reasoning by Alma S. Santiago, Ph.D.
• Anthropology by Rev. Fr. Lorenz Moises J. Festin, Ph.D.
• Looking at Philosophy by Donald Palmer

Website
• http://josephsoninstitute.org/med-4sevensteppath/

Others
• A Philosophical Study on the Problem of Human Being’s Destiny based on the
Thought of St. Augustine of Hippo by Mykko G. Guerrero; School: College of
Liberal Arts of Adamson University and Philosophy Department of St. Vincent
School of Theology