ETHICS &

HUMAN
INTERFACE
• Etymologically the term "ethics"
correspond to the Greek word "ethos"
which means character, habit, customs,
ways of behaviour etc.

• Ethics may be defined as the systematic

study of human actions from the point of
view of their rightfulness or wrongfulness,
as means for the attainment of the
ultimate happiness. It is the reflective
study of what is good or bad in that part of
human conduct for which human has some
personal responsibility. In other words,
Ethics is a set of standards that a society
places on itself and which helps guide
behaviour, choices and actions.
 Ethics is one of the branches of philosophy. As a
philosophical discipline, ethics is the study of the
values and guidelines by which we live. It also involves
the justification of these values and guidelines. It is
not merely following a tradition or custom. Instead it
requires analysis and evaluation of these guidelines in
light of universal principles.

Ethics is also called "moral philosophy". The

word "moral" comes from Latin word "mores” which
signifies customs, character, behaviour etc. It is the
reflective study of what is good or bad in that part of
human conduct for which human has some personal
responsibility.
• As moral
philosophy, ethics is
the philosophical
thinking about
morality, moral
problems, and moral
judgments.
Socio-Political Evolution of Ethics

Ethics is as old as humanity. The first ethical precepts

were certainly passed down by word of mouth by parents and
elders, but as societies learned to use the written word, they
began to set down their ethical beliefs. These records
constitute the first historical evidence of the origins of ethics.

In the Western Philosophy, the history of ethics can be

traced back to the fifth century B.C with the appearance of
Socrates. As a philosopher among the Greeks his mission was to
awaken his fellow humans to the need for rational criticism of
their beliefs and practices.
Plato's theory of forms could be seen as the first attempt
at defending moral realism and offering an objective
ground for moral truths. He was the fountainhead of
religious and idealistic ethics, Aristotle engendered the
naturalistic tradition of ethics.

Aristotle's ethical writings (i.e. Eudemian Ethics,

the Nicomachean Ethics, and the Politics) constitute the
first systematic investigation into the foundations of
ethics. Aristotle's account of the virtues could be seen as
one of the first sustained inquiries in normative ethics. It
was a clear mixture of Greco-Roman thought with
Judaism and elements of other Middle Eastern religions.
 The medieval period was dominated by the
thoughts of Christian philosophers and theologians
like Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. The influence of
Christianity dominated, the ethical scenario so much
that during this period philosophy and religion were
nearly indistinguishable.

The rise of Christian philosophy produced a

new era of history of ethics. In times of St. Augustine,
the most prominent philosopher of the early
medieval period, ethics became a blend of the
pursuit of earthly well-being with preparation of the
soul for eternal salvation.
 The next towering figure of medieval philosophy
is Thomas Aquinas. He brought about a true
reconciliation between Aristotelian science and
philosophy with Augustinian theology. Aquinas greatly
succeeded in proving the compatibility of Aristotelian
naturalism with Christian dogma and constructing a
unified view of nature, human, and God. emphasizing that
all things have a divine nature, purpose, or essence which was
evident through natural inclinations
The social and political changes that characterized the
end of medieval period and the rise of modern age of
industrial democracy gave rise to a new wave of thinking
in the ethical field.
The development of commerce and industry, the
discovery of new regions of the world, the Reformation,
the Copernican and Galilean revolutions in science, and
the rise of strong secular governments demanded new
principles of individual conduct and social organization.
Some of the modern philosophers who contributed to
the great changes in ethical thinking were Francis Bacon,
René Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, Gottfried Wilhelm
Leibniz, Benedict de Spinoza, John Locke, David Hume,
Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill and Friedrich Nietzsche.

Further developments in ethical thinking in the

West came with Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud. Here, it
is not intended to give a detailed analysis of their
contribution to ethics. However, the most influential
ethical thought during this period were the
Utilitarianism, dominated by British and French
Philosophy (e.g. Locke, Hume, Bentham, Stuart Mill) and
Idealistic ethics in Germany and Italy (e.g. Kant, Hegel,
Nietzsche).
 The contemporary ethical scenario is a
further complex area of study. The contemporary
European ethics in the broadest sense attempts
to cover a generous range of philosophies running
from phenomenology to theories of
communicative action. The conditions of
contemporary civilization forced philosophers to
seek for a genuine ground for ethics and moral
life.
 In much of the English speaking world G.E.
Moore's Principia Ethica (1903) is taken to be the
starting point of contemporary ethical theory. Others
like Martin Buber, Gabriel Marcel, Emmanuel Levinas,
Max Scheler, Franz Brentano and John Dewey too have
made significant contributions to the ethical thinking in
other parts of the world.
Scope of Ethics

Ethics deals with voluntary actions. We can

distinguish between human actions and actions of
human: human actions are those actions that are done
by human consciously, deliberately and in view of an
end.
Actions of human may not be wilfully, voluntarily,
consciously and deliberately done but all the same they
are done by human (e.g. sleeping, walking, etc.). It is the
intention which makes the difference between human
action and action of human. In ethics we deal only with
human actions.
What is Ethics?

Derived from the Greek word "ethos", which means

"way of living", ethics is a branch of philosophy that is
concerned with human conduct, more specifically the behavior
of individuals in society.

Ethics may be defined as the systematic study of human

actions from the point of view of their rightfulness or
wrongfulness, as means for the attainment of the ultimate
happiness. It is the reflective study of what is good or bad in that
part of human conduct for which human has some personal
responsibility. In simple words ethics refers to what is good and
the way to get it, and what is bad and how to avoid it.
 Ethics is the study and justification of the
values and guidelines by which we live. It is not
merely following a tradition or custom. Instead it
requires analysis and evaluation of these guidelines
in light of universal principles. As moral philosophy,
ethics is the philosophical thinking about morality,
moral problems, and moral judgments.
 Ethics is the philosophical science that directs
or guides voluntary human actions according to
ultimate principles discovered by human reason.

Ethics is a set of standards that society places

on itself and which help guide behavior, choices and
actions. Ethics is based on well-founded standards
of right and wrong that prescribe what humans
ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations,
benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues.
What Ethics is Not?

Ethics is not morality. Morality can be an

individual set of commitments even when they are
rejected by others. But, one cannot be ethical alone.
Ethics brings other people for the realization of the
self. Morality does not demand acquiescence from
others the way ethics does. It is possible to be moral
alone. A moralist can say I do not believe in war, so
what if everyone else does.
Ethics is not religion. Many people are not religious, but
ethics applies to everyone. Most religions do advocate
high ethical standards but sometimes do not address all
the types of problems we face.

Ethics is not following the law. In law, a man is

guilty when he violates the rights of another. In ethics,
he is guilty if he thinks of doing so (Immanuel Kant). A
good system of law does incorporate many ethical
standards, but law can deviate from what is ethical. Law
may have a difficult time designing or enforcing
standards in some important areas, and may be slow to
address new problems.
 Ethics is not following culturally accepted norms.
Some cultures are quite ethical, but others become
corrupt or blind to certain ethical concerns (United
States was to slavery before the Civil War, caste system
in India). "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" is not
a satisfactory ethical standard.
Ethics, Values and Morals

Ethics can also be defined as prepositional

statements (standards) that are used by members of
a profession or group to determine what the right
course of action in a situation is. Ethics rely on logical
and rational criteria to reach a decision, an essentially
cognitive process.

Values, on the other hand, describe ideas that

we value or prize. To value something means that we
hold it dear and feel it has worth to us.
As such, there is often a feeling or
affective component associated with
values. Often, values are ideas that we
aspire to achieve, like equality and
social justice. Morals describe a
behavioural code of conduct to which
an individual ascribes. They are used to
negotiate, support, and strengthen our
relationships with others.
Values

Values are the individual principles or qualities that guide

judgement and behaviour of a person or a group. Values are like
an anchor in a ship. When a storm comes, a ship is not swept
away by strong currents but remains anchored to the shore. A
person with strong values or character sticks to his principles and
is not swept away, in crisis or under pressure.

Values flow from the highest of our own self. For each one
of us, there are values rooted in the finest part of the self from
where we radiate outwards. These values are an inbuilt
mechanism, which distinguishes the right from the wrong, the
Do's and Don'ts of any action, even when no one is looking.
Values are concerned with character and conduct of a
person and evaluate the voluntary and habitual actions
of individuals with reference to their being right or
wrong.

There is another view on the values, that this self

managing mechanism is not intuitive, but it is acquired
from the environment by continuous teaching and the
behaviour of others, especially the superior in age and
statues, as perceived by an individual. We cannot deny
the impact of environment, society and family on an
individual for the values he imbibes.
At the same time, we cannot deny the fact that the
source of values is within, which guides one in making
choice in acquisition of learning from the environment.
We can say that there are uniform (Universal) values
inbuilt in each one of us. They flow out of the highest
of our own self, our ultimate holistic potential. They
refer to our intrinsic humanness.

Individual or personal values vary to the extent

one is conscious towards this inner source and the
extent to which one tends to compromise with it in the
given cultural environment and other compulsions.
Thus, both the source 'within' and the 'cultural
environment' are important for inculcation of values.
Intrinsic Values and Extrinsic Values

Values can be viewed from the standpoint of

their importance. All values are experiences of
different degrees of importance in the development
of individuality. So, we classify values on the basis of
importance these values have.
 An intrinsic value is one which has worth in its
own right. It is an End- in-itself. Truth, Beauty,
Goodness, Temperance, Courage, etc. are considered
as intrinsic values. They are good not because of their
consequences but because they are good in
themselves. These values retain even if they were to
exist completely alone. Intrinsic values are said to be
Absolute values.

An extrinsic value is one which is a means to

some other value. It is of instrumental worth only. A
pair of spectacles is good only if there are eyes.
behind spectacles to see through them.
The spectacles have instrumental value. Extrinsic
or Instrumental values are the part of larger
whole. They are means to an End. Wealth, fame,
physical fitness, etc. borrow their worth from
something extraneous to them.

The terms Extrinsic and Intrinsic are used

relatively. They are not always mutually exclusive
or fixed. What is valued by one person for its own
sake may be valued by another person as a means
to an end.
 Values can be graded as Positive Values and
Negative Values, Productive Values and Unproductive
values; Permanent Values and Transient Values.
In general, Intrinsic Values are rated higher than
Extrinsic Values. Positive Values are preferred to
Negative Values: The locus of values is human mind.
It is a special sort of reaction to the environment.

Human mind has three psychical functions

(aspects)-thinking, feeling and willing. The values
corresponding to these functions are Intellectual
Values (Truth), Aesthetic Values (Beauty) and Moral
Values (Goodness). Truth, Beauty and Good are
Universal Values.
Value System

Values constitute an important aspect of self-

concept and serve as guiding principles for an
individual. Considered together, values form 'values
systems'. A 'value system' is an enduring organisation
of beliefs concerning preferable modes of conduct or
end-states of existence along a continuum of
importance.

Thus, the importance of different values co-

varies with the importance of others in the value
system. For e.g. one may value 'honesty' over
'success’.
 TYPES OF VALUE
Value Meaning Examples
These are personal to an individual
both in terms of their possession and
their use. These values are cherished Cleanliness
by individual irrespective of his social Discipline
Personal Value relationship. Punctuality

These values refer to certain

behaviors and beliefs that are shared
within specific cultures and social
groups. These values form the basis
of relationship of an individual with Courtesy
Social Value other people in society. Charity

These values comprise attitude and

behavior that a society consider
essential for co-existence, order and
general well-being. These enable an
individual in making a distinction Kindness
between right and wrong and good Honesty
Moral Values and bad. Gratitude
Values of Life

It is important for each one of us to possess a set of

values in order to maintain conducive atmosphere. A few
of them are:

• Honesty and loyalty

• Respect for work
• Punctuality, regularity and discipline
• Courtesy and politeness with others
• Judicious use of resources
• Taking initiatives
• Efficiency in completing tasks
Values at Workplace

It is very important for an employee to

possess a set of values in order to maintain a conducive
atmosphere at the workplace. A few of them are mentioned
below:
• Honesty and loyalty for the organization
• Respect for the work assigned
• Punctuality, regularity and discipline
• Judicious use of resources
• Courtesy and politeness with co-workers
• Efficiency in completing tasks
• Willingness to take up new tasks
Morals

Moral is related to issues of right or wrong and

to how individuals should behave. Therefore
Morality means standards of conduct that are
accepted as right or proper. It is based on personal
conscience rather than what the law says.