CHAPTER 1

ETHICS: AN
INTRODUCT
ION
Ethics and Philosophy
• Greece is traditionally considered the
birthplace of philosophy.
• They began to ponder and study the
processes of nature – the coming and
passing away of life, the changing
seasons and the movement of stars.
• Phythagoras described their pursuit as
philo sophia or love of wisdom.
Ethics and Philosophy
• Socrates recognized for being the first Greek
person to redirect the focus of philosophy
from the natural world to the human person.
• Plato paid attention to Socrates’ regular
outdoor lectures. He took over the task left
behind by Socrates.
• Plato live with the legacy of Socrates such as
“Know yourself” and “An unexamined life is
not worth living”.
Ethics and Philosophy
• Plato honored the memory of his
teacher through hid DIALOGUES, it is a
set of philosophical treatises written in a
conversational style with no less than
Socrates himself as the leading
masterpiece.
• Plato enhanced the ethical orientation of
philosophy by presenting on human life
as a struggle to live more thoughtfully.
Ethics and Philosophy
• Aristotle work on Nicomachean Ethics
• Discussed in this work the necessity of
finding one’s purpose and of practicing
moderation in life if one has to achieve
eudaimonia or happiness.
• For Aristotle, happy life is not merely
and act of doing particular tasks and
acquiring certain objects but also
knowing what these are for.
Ethics and Philosophy
• A person needs to practice and exercise the
virtue of phronesis.
• Phronesis is the careful deliberation or
prudence.
• For Aristotle, an ethical person is the one
who weighs his or her options and actions
with caution.
• This process of weighing options is an
activity of thinking, which, as suggested as
the realm of philosophy.
 Base on your
understanding,
what is
Philosophy?
Philosophy
• Philosophy means “love of wisdom”
• It is an activity people undertake when
they seek to understand fundamental
truths about themselves, the world in
which they live, and the relationships
to the world and to each other.
Sample Philosophy
 “Make improvements, not excuses.
Seek respect, not attention”
 “Do not fear failure but rather fear
not trying.”
 “Life has no remote… get up and
change it yourself!”
 Don’t wait for the right moment to
start, start and make each moment
right.”
Try to think!
Right and Wrong
Good and Bad
Ethics
and
Morality
Ethics and Morality
• Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are
the three major figures in classical
or ancients philosophy.
• Generations of philosophers who
succeeded them also proposed a
way of conceiving ethics in the
same way.
Ethics and Morality
• In Ethics, we therefore find a clear
illustration that dispels the common
perception of philosophy as a study
of concepts that are either too
complicated or detached from reality.
• The questions, “Who am I?”, “What
am I to do with my life?”, or “What
do I want to be?”
Ethics and Morality
• Ethics define as a philosophical
reflection on the realities of life for
a fuller and more meaningful
human experiences.
• Morality refers to commandments,
rules, or traditions commonly
considered as authoritative and
unchangeable.
Ethics and Morality
Insert table of ethics and morals
Ethics and Morality
• When people conform with and obey
what is prescribed by existing rules or
norms, social order is preserved and
unanimity among members of a
community is guaranteed.
• Which popular reality show is inspired
by the given statement above?
Ethics and Morality
Ethics and Morality
• Aristotle had a point when he described
man as a rational animal. Not only did he
mean that man has the ability to think; he
also inferred that man can think for himself.
• It is not surprising at all if despotic leaders
such as Adolf Hitler of Germany, Joseph
Stalin of Russia or Pol Pot of Cambodia
considered intellectual activities major
threats against their regimes.
Ethics and Morality
• What current issue can we
consider as related to this
concept???

• CHINA in handling of pro-

democracy movement in Hong
Kong
Ethics and Morality
• One can only be fully human if
he or she is genuinely free to
enjoy the experience –
mentally, emotionally,
spiritually, physiologically
• Rules and standards are
important guides for action.
Ethics and Morality
• The study of ethics is, therefore
crucial before it allows people to
be more in touch with their
humanity. Life is too rich, too
complex, too meaningful to
confined within the formularies
of action and prohibition.
Moral Philosophy
The Branches of Moral Philosophy
 Meta-Ethics investigates big picture questions. It
examines the question whether or not ethics is
possible.
 Normative Ethics focuses on providing a
framework of deciding what is right or wrong. It
concerns itself with what theory is applicable in
light of a given situation.
 Applied Ethics addresses specific, practical issues
of moral importance such as war and capital
punishment. It also tackles specific moral
challenges that people face daily.