 are a system of moral principles and a

branch of philosophy which defines what

is good for individuals and society.
 They affect how people make decisions
and lead their lives.
 concerned with what is good for
individuals and society and is also
described as moral philosophy.
 derived from the Greek
word ethos which can mean custom,
habit, character or disposition.
 how to live a good life
 our rights and responsibilities
 the language of right and wrong
 moral decisions - what is good and bad.
 Utilitarian Approach
 ethical actions are those that provide the greatest
balance of good over evil.
In order to take the utilitarian approach, the
problem must be analyzed from several different
perspectives, and the solutions to each must be
contemplated to arrive at the one that favors the
greater good.
 The Rights Approach
 The rights approach is predicated on the notion that
humans have the right to choose paths which affect
their destiny because they are human. Furthermore,
humans are justified in their expectation that their
rights should be respected. These rights include the
right to the truth, the right of privacy, the right to not
be injured, and the right to fulfillment of promise
 Fairness or Justice Approach
 The fairness approach assumes that people
should be treated equally regardless of their
station in life, that is, they should not be
subject to discrimination.
 Common Good Approach
 The common good approach suggests that
ethical actions are those that benefit all
members of the community.
 The Virtue Approach
 The virtue approach describes an
assumption that there are higher orders of
goodness to which man should aspire, and
that only moral actions will help us achieve
that higher level.
 Ethical problem solving involves
accumulating all the facts surrounding
an issue and considering…
 what the possible solutions to the
problem are, and what benefits and
harms result from each and whom they
affect;
 what rights each of the parties to the
problems has;
 what solutions to the problem treat all
parties equally;
 what course of action promotes the
common good;
 and, what actions develop moral virtues.
 isthe criteria of judgment about the sorts of
person we ought to be and the sorts of action
we ought to perform
 the quality of things manifesting their
conformity or non-coformity with the norm or
criteria. (that which conforms is good or
moral, that which do not conform is evil or
immoral)
 The subjective norm of morality – Conscience
 The objective norm of morality – Law
(natural
 The subjective/proximate norm of
morality.
◦ It is proximate because it is what directly
confronts an action as good or bad.
 Function: to examine/investigate, to judge,
to pass punishment on our moral actions.
◦ It approves & commends; reproaches &
condemns; forbids & commands; accuses &
absolves.
 Synderesis – it is the quality by which man
naturally perceives the truth of the self-
evident principles of the moral order.
 Derived from the Latin words “con” plus
“scientia” which means “with knowledge”
of what is right or wrong or “trial of
oneself” both in accusation and in defense.
 It is the “inner or little voice of God in
man” crying out man’s moral obligations and
telling him what to do and what to avoid in
the moral order.
 It is an act of the practical judgment of
reason deciding upon an individual action as
good and to be performed or as evil and to
be avoided
 Antecedent – judgment is passed before an
action is performed.
 Consequent – judgment is passed after an
action is performed.
 Right/True – judges what is really good as
good and waht is really evil as evil
according to the true principles of morality.
 Erroneous/False – judges what is really
bad as good and vice versa according to a
false interpretation of the moral principles.
 Certain conscience – a subjective assurance
of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of certain
actions to be done or to be omitted.
 Doubtful conscience – a vacillating
conscience, which is unable to form a
definite judgment on a certain action.
 Certain conscience – a subjective assurance
of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of certain
actions to be done or to be omitted
 Doubtful conscience – a vacillating
conscience, which is unable to form a
definite judgment on a certain action.
 It is an ordinance of reason directed towards
the common good and promulgated by the
one who has the care of the community or in
authority.
 Ordinance/mandate – because it contains a decisive
command to perform or to avoid the performance of
something.
 Reasonable – a law should not be dictated by a
despotic desire or momentary whim of an authority.
It must not be capricious, arbitrary, discriminatory
and whimsical
 For the common good – means that that law should
benefit all citizens and not the exclusive benefit of
some favored groups.
 Promulgated – means the law must be officially
published for the porpuse of informing the people.
 Enacted by a competent authority – a person who is
elected or appointed to make laws.
 Eternal Law
 it is the Divine reason or the will of God
commanding that the natural order of things be
preserved and forbidding that it be disturbed
(St. Augustine)
 it is the exemplar of Divine wisdom as directing
all actions and movements. (St.Thomas)
 Properties/Features: Unchangeable &
Universal
 Natural Law
 it is man’s participation in the eternal law of God.
 it is an extension of the divine order of things as
apprehended by human reason.
 are not written decrees; figuratively speaking, they are
“written in the hearts of men.” They are impressed in
human nature by the author of nature.
 it refers to the nature of all created things which is the
principle of movements and action: chemical, biological,
psychological, or rational.
 it is recognized by all men regardless of creed, race, culture,
historical circumstances.
 All agreed that there is an inner force that compels man
towards good and away from evil.”
 Properties/Features: Universal, Obligatory, Recognizable by
reason, Immutable
 Human Positive Law
 are the laws which proceed from a properly
constituted authority such as the state or
the church.
 this serve to supplement the provisions of
the natural law in view of
the special needs of the
community.
 Laws of the State – contained in the
Constitution and code of Civil Law.
 Laws of the Church – compiled in the Canon
Law.
 HEDONISM
 It is an ethical theory which holds that the
supreme end of man consists in the
acquisition of pleasure.
 Sensible pleasures are the highest good of
life.
 Morality is grounded on the pleasure or
satisfaction that an act brings or entails.
 The good action is the pleasant action.

 The bad action is that which produces pain

or unhappiness.
 UTILITARIANISM
 Is a theory very mush akin to Hedonism.
 This norm of morality holds that actions are right
in proportion as they tend to promote happiness,
wrong as they tend to produce unhappiness.
 It makes “utility” the norm of morality.
 The goodness or badness of an action would

depend on the effects or consequences of the

action.
 An act is good if and when it gives good results,
if it works, it makes you successful, if it makes
you attain your purpose, bad if it does not.
 MORAL RATIONALISM
 Is the theory which maintains that all
knowledge and all truths are derived from
human reason.
 The command of reason is categorical and
all are obliged to obey, it is our moral duty
to obey unconditionally.
 True morality, must be autonomous in
character
 MORAL POSITIVISM
 This theory holds that the basis/source of all moral laws is the
laws of the State.
 Good is that which is in accordance with the laws of the

State; bad is that which is forbidden by the State.

 The proponent of this theory is Thomas Hobbes
 Nature was in a state of universal war. Mankind was in a

state of war before the formation of the State.

 Man is a wolf unto his fellowmen (Homo homini lupus)

 Thus, there was no law, no morality, no distinction between

right and wrong.

 To end this state of war and anarchy, men came together to
form the State.
 Thus, laws, rights and duties were then established.
 Morality then has it source, its origin from the laws of the
State.
 MORAL EVOLUTIONISM
 This is the theory of all those who holds that
morality is never fixed or absolute, but is
continually changing and evolving gradually
into a perfect morality
 Friedrich Nietzsche - believed that
morality – the distinction between right and
wrong – did not exist in the beginning or
originally unknown.
 Good is that which anybody desired.
 MORAL SENSISM
 Is an ethical theory which holds that man is
endowed with a special moral sense (other
than reason) by virtue of which man
distinguishes between right and wrong.
 The basis/source of morality is man’s
senses; what a person’s feel about the
human act.
 Good if I feel it is good; bad if I feel it is

bad.
 This view expressed when we say he has

“no sense of morality,” “no moral taste”

 COMMUNISM
 Its moral philosophy is the logical
consequence of metaphysics or view of
reality known as dialectic materialism
 It is founded on the theory of change,
evolution and revolution.
 Morality is changing since all things changes.