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    Chapter 1 - What Is Morality?

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    Jaquelyn Jacques
    Morality can be studied in different ways including descriptively and philosophically. Descriptively focuses on observing behavior while philosophically considers what makes things right or wrong. Morality applies to how humans relate to others, society, nature, religion, and themselves. It overlaps with law and religion but is distinct from both. Morality does not require religion and can be understood based on self-interest, tradition, or shared human values. In summary, morality concerns how humans treat each other to promote good and prevent harm.

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    Chapter 1 - What Is Morality?

    Uploaded by

    Jaquelyn Jacques
    55 views10 pages
    Morality can be studied in different ways including descriptively and philosophically. Descriptively focuses on observing behavior while philosophically considers what makes things right or wrong. Morality applies to how humans relate to others, society, nature, religion, and themselves. It overlaps with law and religion but is distinct from both. Morality does not require religion and can be understood based on self-interest, tradition, or shared human values. In summary, morality concerns how humans treat each other to promote good and prevent harm.

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    CHAPTER 1 – MORALITY

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    Morality can be studied in different ways including descriptively and philosophically. Descriptively focuses on observing behavior while philosophically considers what makes things right or wrong. Morality applies to how humans relate to others, society, nature, religion, and themselves. It overlaps with law and religion but is distinct from both. Morality does not require religion and can be understood based on self-interest, tradition, or shared human values. In summary, morality concerns how humans treat each other to promote good and prevent harm.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    55 views10 pages

    Chapter 1 - What Is Morality?

    Uploaded by

    Jaquelyn Jacques
    Morality can be studied in different ways including descriptively and philosophically. Descriptively focuses on observing behavior while philosophically considers what makes things right or wrong. Morality applies to how humans relate to others, society, nature, religion, and themselves. It overlaps with law and religion but is distinct from both. Morality does not require religion and can be understood based on self-interest, tradition, or shared human values. In summary, morality concerns how humans treat each other to promote good and prevent harm.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 10

    CHAPTER 1 –

    WHAT IS MORALITY?
    KEY CONCEPTS: PHILOSOPHY, ETHICS, MORALITY, GOOD, BAD,
    RIGHT, WRONG, HEDONISM, HAPPINESS, PLEASURE,  EXCELLENCE,
    HARMONY, CREATIVITY, AMORAL, NON MORAL, DESCRIPTIVE
    ETHICS, NORMATIVE ETHICS, METAETHICS,  VALUES, SUBJECTIVE,
    OBJECTIVE, SITUATIONAL, CUSTOM, TRADITION, LAW, RELIGION. 
    • What is philosophy and ethics’
    relationship to morality? Philosophy –
    comes from the Greek words “philia” and
    “Sophia” which means ‘love’ or ‘friend’ of 
    wisdom. Philosophers try to be a friend of
    wisdom by asking questions and studying
    why something is the  case. While Ethics
    seeks wisdom by asking about right and
    wrong, good and bad.
    • Terms and characteristics 
    • Ethics comes from the Greek “ethos” meaning
    “character”. 
    • Morality derives from the Latin “moralis” meaning
    “customs or manners”. Commonly we speak of people
    being  ethical or moral to mean good or right and
    unethical and immoral to mean wrong or bad.
    Philosophical ethics is the study of what makes something
    moral or ethical, good or right, and unethical or  immoral
    bad or wrong. Philosophers have considered what makes
    something morally good or bad, right or  wrong in relation
    to a range of characteristics.
    APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF MORALITY

    • There are two major approaches to the study of morality:


    • 1. The scientific or descriptive approach emphasizes the observation of human behavior
    and  the positing of conclusions based on those observations. Psychologists, for example,
    have  claimed that human beings are basically selfish based on observations of conduct.
    This  approach is descriptive in that it is ‘value-free’, making no judgments about the
    rightness or  wrongness of the behavior. 
    • 2. A second approach is more properly philosophical and has two parts. 
    • The first part is normative or prescriptive. How should we ought to act?
    • The second part is metaethical. A metaethicist is committed to the analysis of the 
    language, concepts, reasons and foundational structure of ethical systems.
    WHAT IS MORALITY?
    • In order to further define morality we need to say how it is similar to and different from
    other areas and  non moral uses of key terms. 
    • Aesthetics. Ethics like aesthetics is a part of philosophy concerned with values. Ethics
    differs from aesthetics  in that it is concerned with moral value although moral value and
    aesthetic value connect and overlap.
    • Non Moral uses of key terms.
    • Good, bad, right and wrong are often used in a non-moral sense, e.g., good  meal,
    bad tooth, etc. These uses often refer to function. Aristotle argued that morality is tied to
    the function  of a human being. This should not be confused with any idea that meals or
    teeth are directly linked to the  moral. 
    • Manners or etiquette. Manners and etiquette are forms of socially acceptable and
    unacceptable behavior.  For example, swearing or use of foul language is in most contexts
    considered unacceptable. However there  is no necessary connection between this and
    immorality. Of course manners and morals overlap but care is  required to distinguish them
    when there is no obvious connection. 
    TO WHOM OR WHAT DOES MORALITY APPLY? MORALITY MAY BE APPLIED TO FOUR AREAS: 

    1. Religion. Morality determined by relation between


    human being and supernatural being.
    2.Nature. Morality determined by relation between
    human being and nature. 
    3. Individuality. Morality determined by relation the
    individual has to him or herself.
    4. Society. Morality determined by relation between
    human being and society. 
    MORALITY, LAW AND RELIGION

    Morality also overlaps with Law and Religion but shouldn’t be confused
    with them. 
    1. Morality and Law. Morality and law are not the same although of
    course they overlap. Law might be  thought of as a public codification
    of morality for a culture, although certain laws in that system, or even 
    the system itself, might be deemed immoral. Law is not a necessary
    attribute of morality  although morality may well be thought to be a
    necessary attribute of law. 
    2. Morality and Religion. Is morality dependent upon religion? Can you
    be moral and non-religious? 
    Morality need not be based exclusively on religion for
    five reasons. 
    1. Supernatural existence cannot be proven. 
    2.Non religious people can be moral. 
    3. Religious foundation for ethics is difficult to
    establish. 
    4.Which religion would be best ethically? 
    5.How could it be shown that one religion is best? 
    Therefore, no necessary connection between ethics
    and religion. Why should human beings be moral?
    Why should human beings do what is right? 

    1. Enlightened self-interest – “I will be better off”


    2. Tradition and law – best to do because some
    authority says so 
    3. Shared human needs, goals, desires and objectives
    MORALITY: A WORKING DEFINITION

    Morality deals with humans and how they


    relate to others and the world around them. It
    deals with how we treat one another so as to
    promote what is good and right. 

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