ethics

• Moral courage


  Doing the right thing even at the risk of inconvenience, ridicule, punishment, loss of job or security or social status, etc.
• Courage


  • Mental (or moral) strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear or difficulty
• Will


  The faculty of the mind which chooses, at the moment of making decision, the strongest desire from among the various desires present
• Will power


  The inner strength to make a decision, take action, and handle and execute any aim or task until it is accomplished, regardless of inner or outer resistance, discomfort or difficulties
• Will does not refer to any particular desire, but rather to the mental capacity to act decisively on one's desires
• Will is important because of its central role in enabling a person to act deliberately and voluntarily
• According to Arthur Schopenhauer, when we become conscious of ourselves, we recognize that our essential qualities are endless urging, craving, striving, wanting and desiring - these are features of that which we call WILL
• Having moral courage and will power


  Means doing the right thing, which may include listening to our conscience
• Disregarding conscience


  May lead to feelings of inadequacy, guilt and diminished personal integrity
• Moral courage demands us to make judgments about what behaviors/acts are supportive of our ethical ideologies and which one are destructive
• Moral courage sounds like


  • I believe strongly in ___________.
  • That joke was offensive to ____________, stop that!
  • Let's volunteer.
  • I am going to campaign for __________.
  • No, thanks, I don't want to hear a secret.
  • I broke this, Mom. I am sorry.
  • This is all my fault. I am sorry.
• Lack of moral courage sounds like


  • I only did it once.
  • This is all your fault.
  • I might get into trouble.
  • It's none of my business.
  • She got what she deserved.
  • That's got nothing to do with me.
  • Nobody else is doing anything about it, why should I?
• Developing Will and Moral Courage


  1. Develop and practice self-discipline

  2. Do mental strength training

  3. Draw inspiration from people of great courage

  4. Repeatedly do acts that exhibit moral courage and will

  5. Avoid deeds that show lack of moral courage and will
• Mental strength training


  Saying NO to useless, harmful or unnecessary desires and deeds and behaving contrary to one's (bad) habits, fortify and refine a person's mindset
• Examples of mental strength training


  • Don't open the internet for a day or two.
  • Drink water or juice, in spite of your desire to have beer.
  • For a week, go to sleep one hour earlier than usual.
  • Resist the desire to gamble.
• Examples of acts that exhibit moral courage and will


  • Helping someone push a car even it means being late
  • Standing up to a bully on the playground
  • Picking up litter
  • Doing homework and chores without being reminded
  • Refusing to listen to or repeat gossip
  • Reporting a crime
• Examples of deeds that show lack of moral courage and will


  • Walking away from someone in need
  • Taking more than your fair share
  • Laughing at someone's misfortune or accident
  • Grabbing the spotlight from someone who has earned it
  • Breaking a promise
  • Lying or cheating or stealing