Polsci 155

(Ethics in Public
Service)

The Golden Rule

Therefore, whatever
you want men to do to
you, do also to them,
for this the law and
prophets
Mathew 7:12

Ethics
- is derived from the Greek
word ethos which means
characteristics
way
of
acting, habit, or custom
(Agapay, 2008).
- is derived from the Latin
word
mos
from
which
moral and morality sprung
(Cruz, 1993)

Ethics
- the philosophical science
which treats of the morality
of human acts (Cruz, 1993)
- is the science of the
morality of human acts
(Agapay, 2008)

Why is ethics the

only necessary
knowledge?

Morality
- it refers to the quality of
human acts by which we
call some of these acts
good and some evil (Cruz,
1992)
- is the rules of right
conduct (Mothersill, 1965)

What is the difference

between ethics and
religion?

How are moral norms

different from civil
laws?

Some Questions on
Ethics
What is good
and what is
bad?

How do we
know that
what we do
is right or
wrong?
Are there
certain
standards to
what we
ought to and
not to do?

Some Questions on
Ethics
Is there really an
objective and
absolute basis of
what is right and
what is wrong?

Are good
and bad
simply
relative?

Where and
how can we
find, if
indeed
there is?

Some Questions on
Ethics
What makes
some rules or
principles of
action better
than the others?
What does it
mean when we
say that some
rules are worth
following than
others?

How can we
know which
rules or
principle of
action better
than the
others?

Some Questions on
Ethics
Can we do
something that
will give us
pleasure but at
the same time
also hurt other?
Why is it always
wrong to
prioritize
ouselves before
others?

Should we
always put
others interest
ahead of our
own?

Assumptions of Ethics
(Articulo & Florendo, 2003)
1. Man is a rational being.
2. Man is free.

Objects of Ethics
(Artciulo & Florendo, 2003)
1. Physical object of ethics
2. Non-physical object of ethics

Objects of Ethics
(Artciulo & Florendo, 2003)
1. Physical object of ethics
- the doer of an act (moral agent)
- it also refers to an institution,
and to other forms of social
organization that perform moral
actions
and
others
rational
activities
such
as
decisionmaking and moral calculation

Objects of Ethics
(Artciulo & Florendo, 2003)
2. Non-physical object of ethics
- the action done by a moral
agent
Ex. Stealing, lying, malicious
deeds, fulfilling a promise,
forgiving
others
trespasses,humility.

Forms of Ethical Analysis

(Articulo & Florendo, 2003)
1. Descriptive Ethics
- It aims to discover what
moral beliefs are held by a
given society, social group
or social organization

Forms of Ethical Analysis

(Articulo & Florendo, 2003)
2. Normative Ethics
- it seek to discover norms
that ought to guide our
actions

Classifications of Normative Ethics

1. Consequentialist
(Teleoligical)
Ethics
- it maintains that morality of an
action is determined solely by its
consequences
Ex. Utitilitarianism (If most people are
happy, the moral act in question is
good or moral; if not then, it is bad
or immoral)

Classifications of Normative Ethics

2.

Non-Consequentialist
(Deolontological) Ethics
- it maintains that morality of
an action is depends on its
intrinsic nature, its motives, or
its accordance with some rules
or principles and not on its
consequences

Examples
1.

Categorical
(Immanuel Kant)

Imperative

Classifications of Normative Ethics

3. Authoritarian Ethics
- it appeals to authority and
force in determining what
constitutes right from wrong,
good from bad, moral from
immoral

Examples
1. Theological
or
the
Divine
Command Theory of Morality
2. Legalism or Legalistic Morality

Classifications of Normative
Ethics
4. Theological Ethics
- it holds that the will of God
is
what
determines
the
rightness and wrongness of
an act

Classifications of Normative Ethics

5. Legalism or Legalistic Morality
- determines right from wrong,
based on a body of clearly
stated and well-documented
body of laws

Classifications of Normative Ethics

6. Ethical Egoism
- maintains that an action is
right only if it is in the interest
of the agent or the doer of an
act

Classifications of Normative Ethics

7. Situational Ethics
- the morality of an action
depends on the situation and
not on the application of the
moral laws to the case

Forms of Ethics
1. Practical Ethics
- concerned with answering
matter-of-fact questions
- it prescribes courses of
action for moral issues where
clear answers are lacking

Forms of Ethics
1. Practical Ethics
- aims to develop a workable
system of behavior that can be
used in the daily conduct of
human existence

Forms of Ethics
2. Theoretical Ethics
- aims to study the meaning of
ethical concepts such as good,
fairness, etc
- attempts to study the nature of
moral acts, inquires into what
makes a right action right and
determine the relations between
facts and values.

Forms of Ethics
3. Moral Skepticism
- it is a general name for the
philosophic attitude that rejects
any claim to certainty, thus
opposed to any form of moral
dogmatism, or to any attitude of
authoritative certainty

Ethical Approaches
1.Atheistic Ethics
2.Theistic Ethics

1. Atheistic Ethics
- assumes that only matter
exists and man is responsible
only to the state since there is
no God who rules the universe
- morality is an invention of
man to suit his requirement
and to preserve society
- moral truths are temporary
and changeable

Tenets of Atheistic Ethics

1.Matter is the only reality.
2.Man is matter and does not
have spiritual soul.
3.Man is free and must exercise
his freedom to promote the
welfare of society.
4.There is no life after death.
5.Man is accountable only to
the State.

2. Theistic Approach
- it adheres that God is the
Supreme Lawgiver
- man must exercise his
freedom in accordance with
Gods will
there
are
absolute
principles of morality which
are not changeable

Tenets of Theistic Ethics

1.God is the supreme Creator
and Lawgiver.
2.Man is free use his freedom
to promote his personal
interest along with that of
others.
3.Man has an immortal soul.
4.Man is accountable for his
actions, both good and evil.

General and Special Ethics

1.General Ethics
- Concern on the moral
principles of morality
- Explain the norms with
which
the
moral
significance of the human
act is determined

2. Special Ethics
- is the application of the
principles of general ethics to
the problems and issues
confronting a personal account
of his circumstances in life
(Agapay, 2008)

Foundations of the Moral

Life
1.Man
2.The Human Other
3.God

Who is man?
What is man?

MAN
1.Is a rational animal (Aristotle)
2.A being there part of this
world and part of the next
(Martin Heidegger)
3.Man is composed of body,
soul and spirit (Msgr. Fulton
Sheen)

5. Man stands out in several ways

(Engelbert J. Van Croonenburg)
He is being in the world
His vocation is the perfecting of
life and personality to the full
measure to which he has been
destined

He is subject to pain and

suffering
He is a being unto death

The composition of human nature

1.Biological powers
- nutrition, locomotion, growth,
and reproduction
2. Psychological powers
- senses and emotions
3. Rational powers
- intellect, will, comprehension,
volition

Moral nature of man:

1.Man by natural insight is
able
to
distinguish
between good and evil,
right and wrong, moral and
immoral.

2. Man is obliged to do what

is good and to avoid what is
evil.
3.
Man
feel
himself
accountable for his actions
so that his good deeds merit
reward, while his evil deeds
deserve punishment

Man as a person
Person
from
the
Greek
word
prosophon which means the
mask worn by stage actors
an
individual
existing
separately
and
independently
from others, capable of knowing
and loving in an intellectual way,
and deciding for himself the
purpose of end of his actions

Personality
- is the sum of a persons
physical constitution, abilities,
and
habits
which
define
characteristics
behavior
(Agapay, 2008)
- the aspect of the body
- the principle of rational
action (Brennan, 1966)

Character
- refers to the persons
choice of values and his
intelligent exercise of his
freedom (Vernon Jones)
- an aspect of human soul
- the principle of moral
action (Brennan, 1966)

2. The Human Other

What is our right and duties
in relation to other people?

Duty
- oughtness in mans
doing or omitting an act ,
and in respecting the rights
of God and other men.

Make a contrast
between duty and
moral obligation.

Duty is Correlative of Right

1.Without duty, there is no
right.

2. Concerning the same

person, duty comes before
right;
concerning
other
persons,
right
comes
before duty.

3. Both duties and rights stem

from mans rational nature and
therefore,
from
the
fundamental law or its author,
God.

Kinds of Duties
1.Natural and acquired
a. Natural
- are those that comes from
the very nature of man.

Kinds of Duties
b. Acquired duties
- are those that come from
ones
social
status
of
membership
in
an
established temporal society
such as the state and church

2. Perfect and imperfect

a.Perfect
- Are those called
strict justice

for by a

b. Imperfect
- are those called for by nonjuridical considerations such
as pity and gratitude

3. Affirmative and negative

a.Affirmative duties
- Are those that a person must
do.
b. Negative
- are those that a person must
omit or refrain from doing

Apparent disagreement
between rights and duties
1.The grave duty
Ex. Welfare of country over
individuals
desire
for
wealth, the defense of
country over life

2. The greater authority

Ex. God before man, country
before
family,
constituents
before family business
3. The closer ties
Ex.
Countrymen
before
foreigners, constituents over
the
people
from
other
provinces.

4. The more extensive

- tenants over landlords,
accused over the state,
laborers over employers,
consumers over companies.

5. The more pressing

Ex.
Relief
goods
over
rehabilitation of highways,
search and rescue over
seminar.
6. The more sensible
- forgiving sin before church
attendance, public service
before division.

Exemption
depends on:

from

1. The kind of duty.

2.The kind of necessity

duty

1. Define necessity
2. Identify and discuss the
degree of necessity
3. Principles on exemption
of duty

Necessity
- the condition in which one
has to do a duty in the face of
hardship or danger.

Degrees of necessity
1.Common or ordinary necessity
- the selection is between a
duty and a minimal difficulty
Ex. Duty of nurses, police, traffic
enforcers, teachers.

2. Grave necessity
- the selection is between
duty and a serious hardship
Ex. Star witness in a plunder
case, government workers
abroad, police chief in a
hostage drama, over-time in
govt. offices

3. Extreme necessity
- the selection between
duty and death
Ex. Members of AFP in
combat, members of bomb
squad

Principles of exemption from

duty
1.Common
or
ordinary
necessity
never
excuses
anybody from duty.
2.Not even extreme necessity is
exempted
from
negative
natural duty.

3.
Extreme
of
grave
necessity excuses action on
affirmative duties.

Right
- anything that is just or
which ought to be (Cruz,
1993)
- it is persons moral power
to do, to refrain from doing, to
have, and to compel others to
give him something (Cruz,
1993)

Kinds of Rights
1.Natural and acquired
Natural
- founded on the nature of
man
Ex. right to life, to work and
earn

Acquired
- those founded on a mans
status and work or on others
exertions for him
a.Divine
- rights of God by virtue of
His
being
Creator
and
Supreme Being

b. Human
- these are rights of man
as founded on human
positive law
1.Ecclesiastical
2.Civil

2. Alienable and inalienable

Alienable
- rights that may be given
up
Ex. Right to education, right
to rally, to see the witnesses
face to face

2. Inalienable right
- rights that cannot be
given up
Ex. Right to life, right to
worship God.

3. Perfect and Imperfect

Perfect
- founded
justice

on

the

strict

Imperfect
- non-juridical and based on
claims such a s gratitude and
charity

Properties of Rights
1.Co-action
2.Limitation
3.Collision

Human Acts
- are those performed
by a person who is
acting knowingly, freely,
and willfully (Agapay,
2008)

Acts of man
- instinctive and are not
under the control of the
freewill (Agapay, 2008)