Ethics Terminologies

Ethics Terminologies
Dimensions of Ethics
 Ethics - moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of

an activity.
 Altruism - disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.
 Egoism - an ethical theory that treats self-interest as the foundation of

morality.
 Psychological egoism - is the thesis that we are always deep down motivated
by what we perceive to be in our own self-interest.
 Ethical egoism - is the normative theory that the promotion of one's own good
is in accordance with morality.
 Moral relativism - is the idea that there is no universal or absolute set of moral
principles. The view that what is morally right or wrong depends on what
someone thinks. (To which the claim that opinions vary substantially about
right and wrong is usually added.)
We can think of this position as coming in two flavors:
Subjectivism: What is morally right or wrong for you depends on what you think is
morally right or wrong, i.e., right or wrong is relative to the individual. The 'moral
facts' may alter from person to person.
Conventionalism: What is morally right or wrong depends on what the society we are
dealing with thinks, i.e., morality depends on the conventions of the society we are
concerned with. The 'moral facts' may alter from society to society.
 Moral Objectivism: The view that what is right or wrong doesn’t depend on
what anyone thinks is right or wrong. That is, the view that the 'moral facts' are
like 'physical' facts in that what the facts are does not depend on what anyone
thinks they are.
Cultural relativism - is the idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should
be understood based on that person's own culture, rather than be judged against the
criteria of another.
 Determinism - a theory or doctrine that acts of the will occurrences in

nature, or social or psychological phenomena are causally determined by
preceding events or natural laws
 Epicureanism - Epicureanism teaches that happiness (or the greatest good) is
to seek modest pleasures in order to attain a state of tranquillity, freedom from
fearand the absence of bodily pain.
This state of tranquillity can be obtained through knowledge of the workings of

the world, the leading of a simple, moderate lifeand the limiting of desires. It is
the system of philosophy based on the teachings of the ancient Greek
philospher Epicurus. It was founded around 307 B.C.
 Stoicism - an ancient Greek school of philosophy founded at Athens by Zeno of

Citium. The school taught that virtue, the highest good, is based on knowledge;
the wise live in harmony with the divine reason, that governs nature, and are
indifferent to the vicissitudes of fortune and to pleasure and pain.
 Utilitarianism - is an ethical theory that determines right from wrong by

focusing on outcomes. It is a form of consequentialism.
Utilitarianism holds that the most ethical choice is the one that will produce the
greatest good for the greatest number. It is the only moral framework that can
be used to justify military force or war.
 Kantianism - is defined as a branch of philosophy that follows the works of

Immanuel Kant who believed that rational beings have dignity and should be
respected.
 Moral Absolutism - is the ethical belief that there are absolute standards
against which moral questions can be judged, and that certain actions are right
or wrong, regardless of the context of the act.
 Emotivism - is the non-cognitivist meta-ethical theory that ethical judgments

are primarily expressions of one's own attitude and imperatives meant to
change the attitudes and actions of another.
 Hedonism - the ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of
desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life. (charvaka philosophy
in India)
 Pluralism - a condition or system in which two or more states, groups,

principles, sources of authority, etc., coexist.
Political Attitudes
 Radicalism - denotes political principles focused on altering social structures

through revolutionary or other means and changing value systems in
fundamental ways.
 Liberalism (Classical liberalism, Modern liberalism) - Liberalism is a political

and moral philosophy based on liberty and equality. It takes protecting and
enhancing the freedom of the individual to be the central problem of politics.
 Conservatism - commitment to traditional values and ideas with opposition to

change or innovation. The holding of political views that favor free enterprise,
private ownership, and socially conservative ideas.
 Pragmatism - an approach that evaluates theories or beliefs in terms of the

success of their practical application.
 Capitalism - an economic and political system in which a country's trade and

industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.
 Socialism – a political and economic theory of social organization which

advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be
owned or regulated by the community as a whole.
 Communism – is a theory or system of social organization in which all property

is owned by the community and each person contributes and receives according
to their ability and needs. An extreme form of socialism.
 Anarchism – is a political belief that, government is harmful, unnecessary and

no government is supposed to exist. Anarchism is also a social philosophy
which considers the state undesirable and instead promotes stateless societies.
It is generally used in negative sense, although Anarchism promotes voluntary
government.
 Authoritarianism - is a form of government characterized by strong central

power and limited political freedoms. Here, Individual freedoms are subordinate
to the state and there is no constitutional accountability under
an authoritarian regime.
 Fascism - is a political ideology usually characterized by authoritarianism and

nationalism. It is a governmental system led by
a dictator having complete power, forcibly
suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, e
tc., and emphasizing anaggressive nationalism and often racism.
 Economic determinism - is a socioeconomic theory
that economic relationships (such as being an owner or capitalist, or being a
worker or proletarian) are the foundation upon which all other social and
political arrangements in society are based.
 Marxism – Marxism believes that history was largely determined by the struggle
between the ruling classes and the oppressed classes, which had conflicting
interests. It argues economic virtue determines all other virtues of self.
International Morality
 Realism - is an approach to the study and practice of international politics. It

emphasizes the role of the nation-state and makes a broad assumption that all
nation-states are motivated by national interests, or, at best, national interests
disguised as moral concerns. It argues to take practical decision in
international politics
 Idealism – in international relations represents a set of ideas which together

oppose war and advocate the reform of international community through
dependence upon moral values and the development of international
institutions.
 Neo Liberalism - is a policy model of social studies and economics that

transfers control of economic factors to the private sector from the public
sector. It also propagate the freedom (or liberty) of individuals against the
excessive power of government.
 Feminism - the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the
sexes.
 Pacifism - the belief that war and violence are unjustifiable and that all
disputes should be settled by peaceful means.
 Cosmopolitanism - Broadly, it presents a political-moral philosophy that

argues people as citizens of the world rather than of a particular nation-state.

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Ethics Terminologies

 Ethics - moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of

 Altruism - disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.

 Egoism - an ethical theory that treats self-interest as the foundation of

We can think of this position as coming in two flavors:

 Determinism - a theory or doctrine that acts of the will occurrences in

This state of tranquillity can be obtained through knowledge of the workings of

 Stoicism - an ancient Greek school of philosophy founded at Athens by Zeno of

 Utilitarianism - is an ethical theory that determines right from wrong by

 Kantianism - is defined as a branch of philosophy that follows the works of

 Emotivism - is the non-cognitivist meta-ethical theory that ethical judgments

 Pluralism - a condition or system in which two or more states, groups,

 Radicalism - denotes political principles focused on altering social structures

 Liberalism (Classical liberalism, Modern liberalism) - Liberalism is a political

 Conservatism - commitment to traditional values and ideas with opposition to

 Pragmatism - an approach that evaluates theories or beliefs in terms of the

 Capitalism - an economic and political system in which a country's trade and

 Socialism – a political and economic theory of social organization which

 Communism – is a theory or system of social organization in which all property

 Anarchism – is a political belief that, government is harmful, unnecessary and

 Authoritarianism - is a form of government characterized by strong central

 Fascism - is a political ideology usually characterized by authoritarianism and

 Realism - is an approach to the study and practice of international politics. It

 Idealism – in international relations represents a set of ideas which together

 Neo Liberalism - is a policy model of social studies and economics that

 Cosmopolitanism - Broadly, it presents a political-moral philosophy that

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