Ethics Explained: Principles, Theories, and Moral Living
The Importance of Ethical Study
Why study ethics? Ethics is a discipline that is constantly encountered and studied, deeply intertwined with our culture’s critical knowledge heritage. It helps us develop the capacity to reflect on conflicts and solutions through moral reasoning and argumentation, reinforcing the idea that morality can be based on reason and logical arguments.
Religious discourse, often centered on a supreme good, emphasizes the transmission of values that guide behavior. A religious discourse can be seen as a form of discourse ethics, prioritizing certain values or behaviors. Philosophy, with its rich tradition and history, provides the foundational framework for ethical inquiry.
Defining Morality and Ethics
Morality: Beliefs and Principles
Morality refers to the set of beliefs people hold about justice and evil, right and wrong in human actions. It encompasses what is considered worthy of praise and scorn. While there are different conceptions of morality for everyone, a universal minimum morality exists: a set of fundamental behaviors and values that all people should respect, such as the basic idea that all individuals are born free and equal.
Morality is the subject from which the philosophical discipline called ethics develops.
Ethics: The Study of Morality
Ethics is the theoretical discipline dedicated to the study of morality. It aims to understand moral beliefs, strategies for justifying moral norms, and the values that guide human actions.
The Purpose of Ethical Theories
Ethical theories provide the foundational framework that supports our moral beliefs, judgments, and arguments, enabling us to critically evaluate and even reject them. They do not attempt to describe “what is” but rather aim to determine “what should be,” offering tools to critically judge our own moral beliefs and those of others.
Core Questions in Ethics
Ethics grapples with fundamental questions that shape human existence:
How should one live their life?
This involves determining what constitutes a worthwhile or “good” life. Its purpose is to justify the choice of a supreme good or a value scale that allows us to design our life plan and actions.
What should I do?
This refers to the need for a rational approach to determine our obligations toward others, focusing not just on the “good life” but on moral obligation.
Aristotelian Ethics: Happiness and Virtue
The Pursuit of the Highest Good
According to Aristotelian ethics, ends are the goods towards which actions are directed. The good is that to which all things tend. Everyone agrees that happiness is the highest good:
- Happiness is the ultimate goal of actions.
- Everyone agrees that happiness means living well or faring well.
- However, deep disagreements arise when specifying what it means to be happy or good.
Virtue as a Prerequisite
Aristotle introduces the concept of virtue as a prerequisite for developing a good or happy life.
Fundamental Moral Principles
Several key moral convictions underpin ethical thought:
Promoting Welfare and Preventing Suffering: Utility
Recognizing that promoting human welfare and preventing suffering is morally valid. Utility: What produces happiness or welfare is preferable to that which produces unhappiness.
Equal Moral Dignity: Universal Moral Personality
All persons have equal dignity from a moral point of view. Granting Universal Moral Personality: In moral matters, everyone should be considered equally, recognizing the equal moral dignity of individuals.
Conceptions of a Worthwhile Life: Qualitative Language
Adhering to particular conceptions of what is valuable in life or what makes life worthwhile. Qualitative Language and Contrast: Conceptions of the good life and personal fulfillment are often expressed through qualitative language. Our speech and expressions are laden with evaluations, involving qualitative distinctions between different actions, feelings, or ways of life—judging them as higher or lower, admirable or contemptible.