ETH

• Personal Values:

  • Best way to know yourself and understand ethics
  • More concern about life and death and its significance to human life
• Understanding Ethics and Morals:

  • Morals are specific beliefs or attitudes that guide our actions
  • If our beliefs align with others, it is considered moral; if not, it is considered immoral
  • Moral reasoning and moral judgment are included in the concept of morals
  • Ethics involve studying and understanding ideal ways of human behavior and thinking
  • Moral valuation can be affected by moral issues, which depend on our values and what is significant to us
• Moral Dilemma:

  • Occurs when we are confused with our decision between right and wrong
  • In choosing what is right over wrong, we need to assess our level of reasoning
  • Motivated by the fear of punishment or desire for reward
• Moral Theory:

  • Having a moral theory provides a structured framework for determining what is good or bad for an individual
  • Authorities such as the law, religion, and culture guide ethical behavior and provide standards to follow
• Fraternity:

  • Brotherhood or sisterhood formed around common goals and aspirations
  • Members share efforts, friendship, and knowledge
  • Pros of joining a fraternity include a sense of belonging, lifelong friends, philanthropy, networking, and academic assistance
  • Cons include time commitment, shrinking friendship circle, stigma, hazing, and substance abuse
• • Consequences include anxiety, sadness, shame, anger, depression, stress-related disorders, suicide, low self-esteem, withdrawal, changes in mood and behavior, emotional distress, and bullying others
  • Cyberbullying is hurtful due to its permanence, audience size, familiarity, social networking, and speed
• Cyberbullying:

  • Involves using technology to hurt, embarrass, threaten, or intimidate others
  • Effects include hurt feelings, sadness, anxiety, depression, anger, shame, fear, low self-esteem, trust issues, poor academic performance, suicide, and bullying others
  • Two kinds: direct attacks and cyberbullying by proxy
  • Reasons for cyberbullying include anger, frustration, revenge, entertainment, seeking reactions, and power hunger
• Ethics:

  • About pursuing good things and avoiding bad things
  • Determines what is acceptable and unacceptable in human behavior
  • Defined as a set of concepts and principles guiding behavior that helps or harms sentient creatures
  • Includes moral philosophy, code of morals, and the study of standards of conduct and moral judgment
• • Normative ethics studies what makes actions right or wrong, while applied ethics deals with practical moral considerations
• Valuation:

  • Ethics comes from the Greek word "ethos," meaning character
  • Philosophy is the love of wisdom and the study of ultimate causes, reasons, and principles through human reason alone
  • Ethics deals with what is right or wrong in human behavior and conduct, asking questions about morality, self-interest, and valid theories of conduct
  • Branches of philosophical study of ethics include meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics
  • Meta-ethics explores the status, foundations, and scope of moral values
• Ethical theories attempt to provide a set of fundamental moral principles in harmony with our moral intuitions
• Religious Ethics:

  • An authoritative rule book to tell us what rules to follow
• Duty Ethics:

  • Fulfill your obligations
  • Duties and rights are two sides of the same coin
• Kant's Approach to Ethics:

  • Shared ability of humans to reason should be the basis of morality
  • The ability to reason makes humans morally significant
  • Actions should be consistently generalized
  • If something is wrong, it is always wrong according to Kant
• Ethics refers to standards of conduct based on moral duties and virtues derived from principles of right and wrong
• Values are determined by the society we grow up in, and there are no universal values
• Moral values are customs or conventions that vary from culture to culture
• Morally Inconsistent:

  • Making opposite moral judgments about cases that are not relevantly different
• Types of Ethics:

  • Descriptive study reports how people make moral valuations without judgment
  • Normative study prescribes what should be considered the right way of acting
• Law is a guide to ethical behavior enforced through sanctions by various persons and institutions
• Positive Law:

  • Refers to rules and regulations posited by an authority figure
  • Requires compliance
• Environmental Law:

  • Regulates human interaction with the natural environment
  • Aims to reduce impacts of human activity on the environment and humanity
• Areas of Concern:

  • Air & water quality
  • Global climate change
  • Agriculture
  • Biodiversity & species protection
  • Pesticides & hazardous chemicals
  • Waste management & remediation of contaminated land
  • Management of public lands & natural resources
• Environmental Laws:

  • Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA No. 9003)
  • Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 (RA No. 8749)
  • Animal Welfare Act of 1998 (RA No. 8485)
  • Philippine Mining Act of 1995 (RA No. 7942)
  • Various laws on forestry, fishery, pollution control, and wildlife protection
• Environmental Attitudes:

  • Aim to protect ecosystem services for future generations
  • Environmental ethics define moral obligations toward the environment
• Three Ethical Worldviews:

  • Anthropocentrism: Humans have complete authority over environmental decisions
  • Biocentrism: All forms of life have an inherent right to exist
  • Ecocentrism: Earth itself has moral value and should be treated with respect
• Environmental Management:

  • Aims to control human impact on the environment to preserve natural resources
  • Focuses on sustainability and carrying capacity
• Sustainability:

  • Involves managing economic, social, and ecological systems for long-term viability