The Importance of Rules to

Social Beings
Rules
 Is a prescribed guide for conduct or action.
 The laws or regulations prescribed by the founder of a
religious order for observance by its members.
 An accepted procedure, custom or habit.
 RULES POLICIES LAWS

-Are statements made to let - Is a sort of procedure set - Are set standards,
you know about what to do by an organization. principles, and procedures
or what not to do in a that must be followed in
specific place or situation. - Policies are only society.
documents and not law, but
- Guidelines that drives these policies can lead to - Law is mainly made for
processes and procedures. other laws. implementing justice in the
society.
- A guide for conduct.
- Is more formal as it is a
system of rules and
guidelines that are derived
for the welfare and equity
in society.

- Enforceable.
Social Beings
 Are creatures that interacts regularly with others and
cooperates with others to achieve common goals.
 Also means surviving by adopting the fundamental
principle of society “live and let live”
What would happen if
RULES do not exist?
What would happen if RULES do not
exist?
Rules are important because...
 It avoids or limits conflicts.
 Allows for a peaceful settlement between people with
disagreements.
 Help guide actions toward desirable results.
 The rules are there for order and for the safety of people.
Moral vs. Non-moral Standards
WHY DO WE NEED TO DISTINGUISH
MORAL STANDARDS FROM NON-
MORAL STANDARDS?
Some values have moral implications while
others don’t.
Ethics and Morals
Ethics
Is the study of what is right and wrong in human conduct.
 Guiding principle of conduct of an individual or group.
 Influenced by profession, field, organization, etc,.
 A branch of philosophy concerned with ways of thinking
philosophically about morality, and moral judgment.
Morals
 Are the prevailing standards of behaviour that enable people to live
cooperatively in groups.
 Refers to what societies sanctions as right and acceptable.
 Are our own principles.
Amoral and Immoral
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MORAL STANDARDS
Moral Standards

 Involves the rules people have about the kinds of actions they
believe are morally right and wrong, as well as the values they place
on the kinds of objects they believe are morally good and morally
bad.
 The norms about the kinds of actions believed to be morally right
and wrong.
 Values placed on the kinds of objects believed to be good and bad.
MORAL STANDARDS = NORMS+VALUES

Norms – action or behaviours

Values – underlying beliefs + ideals

Moral Standards
Characteristics
1. Involves serious wrongs or significant benefits.
2. Ought to be preferred to other values.
3. Are not established by authority figures.
4. Are based on impartial considerations.
5. Are associated with special emotions and vocabulary.
NON-MORAL STANDARDS
Non-Moral Standards

 The standards by which we judge what is good or bad and right or

wrong in a non-moral way.
 Refer to rules that are unrelated to moral or ethical considerations.

Examples:
o Standards of Etiquette
o Law
o Standards of Aesthetics
Summary
 Rules help social beings to behave in an appropriate way.
 Ethics is concerned with questions of how people ought to
act, and the search for a definition of right conduct and the
good life.
 Moral standards deals with general rules about what kind
of behaviour is considered right or wrong, good or bad.
 Non-moral standards are any violations that does not
impose a serious threat to human well-being.
THANK YOU!