Is ethics, philosophy

and religion relevant in

todays modern world?
LUQMAN HAKIM ROSLI
CHAN SIN WEI

CE 16098
CE 16173

ABDULQODOS MOHAMMED AL-ORABI CV 17802

AREZOO SHAHRAD

PE 17742

POR HONG YANG

EE 16148

INTRODUCTION

What is the answer?

Is ethics, philosophy and religion relevant in todays modern world? Many
have argued and debated over this question. Below are both sides of the
argument taken from
http://www.debate.org/opinions/is-religion-still-relevant-in-modern-westernsociety
Those who said yes People need religion more now than ever. I absolutely
believe that religion is more than relevant in modern western society. In
this day and age, with all the wars, poverty, economic failure, disease and
natural disaster. People not only need but want something to believe in
that is better than the hell we live with on earth. by 5h4yGlory
Those who said no Religion is no more relevant in western society, it has
lost its battle with science in modern world. I think that in western society
with the rise of science, the fall of religion began. Also in this fast moving
world people have no time for themselves so how will they get time for
god? by delicatepink

The answer is yes

Even with all our technology and modern cities, we
still fall prey to the dark side of mankind. We are
still driven by greed and selfishness. Below is the
CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX of 2012 from
Transparency International which proves the world
is still driven by selfishness.

MAIN CONTENT

Those who fail to

understand history are
doomed
to
repeat
it
To understand how religion, ethics and philosophy
can help us in the modern world, we must first
understand life before it.

Ethics, religions and philosophy play a significant

role in our human life.
But before we proceed, we must truly understand
the definition of each one of them, religion,
philosophy and ethics. Understanding them will
help you relate more religion and science

What is religion?
Religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems,
and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence.
The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with
faith, belief system or sometimes set of duties.
There are numerous definitions of religion. The typical
dictionary definition of religion refers to a belief in, or the
worship of, a god or gods or the service and worship of God
or the supernatural
However , writers and scholars have expanded upon the
belief of god definitions as insufficient to capture the
diversity of religious thought and experience.

The meaning of
philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental

problems, such as those connected with reality,
existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind and
language.
The word Philosophy comes from the ancient Greek
(philosophia) which literally means love of wisdom
Philosophy is an activity of thought, a type of thinking.
Philosophy is critical and comprehensive thought .

Definition of ethics
The word ethics comes from the Greek word ethos, which
means character.
Ethics is the philosophical study of the moral value of
human conduct and of the rules and principles that ought
to govern it.
Ethics defines the elements essential to human well-being
and proposes principles to be used as guidelines for
generating an ethical culture.
Ethical wisdom is the product of a long history of human
struggle. By trial and error societies discover how to create
mutually enhancing relationships.

An Overview of Society
Without Ethics, Religions and
Philosophies in History

Society Without Philosophy

The behaviour, thinking, attitude and belief of people living in preRenaissance philosophy period were indifferent.
Three of the most common conflicts society in pre-Renaissance faced were
questions about the value of individualism, human life and democracy in
society.
According to Socrates, society in the pre-Renaissance period lacked to
develop philosophic thinking.
The thinking of people in pre-Renaissance period was largely based on
their daily encounters and teaching by the old.
The attitude of the society was poor because there were no philosophers to
provide the correct guidance to direct their life in the right natural ways.

Society Without Religion

Arabs in Jahiliyyah period led a terrible life and carried indifferent kind of
thinking.
Their broken life can be clearly seen from different aspects: social,
economy, believes and values they carried.
In terms of business conduct, businessmen conducted their business with
suppression.
Society of Jahiliyyah also practised a system called Kabilah in which
different clans with their own tribal characteristics.

An Overview of Society With

Ethics, Religions and
Philosophies in History

Society With Ethics

Since the rise of Renaissance period, ethical values became an important

part in the life of all people. The ethics involved are applied ethics,
descriptive ethics and normative ethics.
Applied ethics taught human beings how to exam issues
philosophical and moral standpoint and put into real life practice.

from

Normative ethics which can be defined as the study of ethical action

investigates the set of related questions when considering how one should
act.
Descriptive ethics is the study of peoples beliefs about morality and it is a
form of research on What do people think is right from generation to
generation.

Society With Religion

The establishment of Madina city which is closely related to the spread of

Islam in Arabic region can be considered as a foundation of the
transformation in the life of Arabs.
In terms of social, all the Muslims are considered as a whole big family
which lives together as one.
Discrimination and stereotype on the minors must not be practised among
Muslims.
Islamic teaching in Quran and laws are instilled among the muslims in
order to promote healthy and organised life-style.
In terms of economy, there shouldn't be discrimination or suppression in
business conduct as it opposes the laws and teachings of Islam.

Society With Philosophy

Philosophy has a huge impact on the life of european people after the Dark
Ages.
Socratic Problem which is a famous philosophy by Socrates taught the society
how to develop philosophic thinking in daily life. With this philosophy, the
question and answer method is used to solve daily conflicts and difficulties.
In terms of politics and government establishment, it is noted that Platos
Republic is a standard guideline of european countries to establish their own
government.

DISCUSSION

How religion and HSE

connects

Companies that consider environmental protection,

occupational health and safety at work as important as
providing quality products usually have departments
responsible which are called Environmental , Health and
Safety or in other way HSE. The goal of HSE is to prevent
incidents or accidents .

To achieve the goal set by HSE departments, we must

understand value as they are an integral part of H&S culture.
Belief in and practice of a religion eg. Buddhism,
Christianity, Islam, Judaism, positively affects a persons
approach to, each of occupational H&S, labour productivity,
and quality (Smallwood, 2000).

The Golden Rule

Eckhardt (2001) says the golden rule which establishes a moral

level of care for others that we are responsible to provide is a
common theme in most, if not all, of the worlds major religions
Buddhist: hurt not others in ways that you would find hurtful
Christian: all things whatsoever he would that men should do to you, do ye even so
to them
Islamic: no one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he
desires for himself
Jain: in happiness and suffereing, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as
we regard our own self
Hindu: this is the sum of the duty, do naught unto others which if done to thee
would cause thee pain

The Golden Rule

Confucian: do not unto others what you would not have them do
unto you
Taoist: regard your neighbours gain as your own gain and your
neighbors loss as your own loss
Zoroastrian: that nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto
another whatsoever is not good for itself.
By the general golden rule concept work is a deed of spiritual value
thus we must know where and how to apply it to make our work
more safe and beneficial. According to Sadeq and Ahmad (1999),
work is a deed of spiritual value, which requires that Allah approve
actions and behaviours. The Islamic Tawhidic principles of justice
and equity, dignity of labour, and removal of hardship, all amplify the
need for H&S.

Integrating the proper values

of religion and ethics into
our working lives
Values : they are important as they influence the
vision, goals,mission,assumptions, and to a degree,
the perceived purpose of H&S( Krause,1993). Ethical
business practice incudes compliance with legislation.
Given that values embrace ethics, the existence of
Occupational Health and Safety legislation amplifies
the need for the inclusion of H&S as a value
Waste : Sadeq and Ahmad (1999) maintain that Islam
seeks to unify the schism between ethics and
economics, one of the six issues being the avoidance
of undue waste

Integrating the proper values

of religion and ethics into
our working lives
Economic issues : From a Christian perspective, Neff
(1991) maintains that emphasis on the financial
bottom line to measure success can result in
unreasonable practices, which can result in hardship
and suffering and consequently, lack of justice. In
terms of Christianity, justice is important as it reflects
Gods character and His concern for his people
Accountability : the Islamic Tawhidic principles include
public accountability. Public accountability implies and
requires organizations to protect and ensure the H&S
of workers derived from their respective communities

Integrating the proper values

of religion and ethics into
our working lives
Sustainability : Larkin (1999) describes a right
livelihood business as a business where the
bottom line is one of principles. Such a business
embraces balance and does not waste resources,
acknowledging that energy and creativity flow
naturally out of well-rounded lifestyles.
HSE and Religion are tied together because if we
chose to ignore all these values, it will affect us in
the future. Would you like to have your life
compromised as a result of inadequate H&S on the
part of someone else.

Conclusion
Our world right now is as stated from the very beginning
is very corrupted, while not in some countries but we
should not ignore the fact that someday we might be as
corrupted as them if we do not take action. Technology
have rapidly developed through the centuries but some
argue that religion only hinders the development and
some have even stated that without religion technology
would have progressed farther and faster but is religion,
ethics and philosophy really all that unimportant?
Religion. Ethics. Philosophy. We cannot ignore them. They
are a part of us and with practice of religion, we improve
ourselves followed by our life and finally our future