re 2 (2.1)

• Definitions of Ethics:

  • Rules of behaviors on ideas about what is morally good and bad
  • Area of study that deals with ideas about what is good and bad behaviors
• Ethics can be defined from three aspects: etymological, traditional, and modern definitions
• Etymologically, ethics comes from the Greek word ethos which means custom, usage or character
• Traditionally, ethics is a practical science of the morality of human acts
• Morality is defined as the quality of human acts by which they are constituted as good (moral), bad (immoral), or indifferent (amoral)
• Human Acts are actions done by a person knowingly, freely, and voluntarily
• From the modern perspective, ethics is defined as a philosophical reflection on "creative responsibility"
• Difference between traditional and modern approaches: traditional focuses on the act while the modern is on the person
• Importance of Ethics:

  • Improves decision making
  • Assists in dealings
  • Evaluates different ethical systems
• The Nature and Scope of Ethics:

  • Ethics is a normative science interested in the norms and standards of human conduct
  • Ethics seeks to define the moral ideal in which our conduct should conform
  • Ethics covers the morality and the whole experience of a person such as feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and judgment concerning what "ought to be done"