Wendell Allan Marinay

Ethical Systems

Ad usum privatum;
For discussion purposes only

In dealing with human conduct from the perspective of obligation and value,
ethics investigates a variety of related concerns. Among them are whether a
standard of morality exists that applies to all people at all times everywhere, the
precise nature of moral responsibility, the conditions under which one is morally
accountable or responsible, and the proper end of law. When ethicists use words
like good or right to describe a person or action, they generally mean that the
person or action conforms to some standard. A good person or action has certain
desirable qualities. Ethicists often disagree about the nature of those standards
and desirable qualities and follow different paths in establishing standards and
discovering with qualities are desirable.

TYPES OF ETHICS

Normative Ethics

determines what moral standards to follow so that our actions may be morally
right or good.
o Applied normative ethics
Applied because ethicists applies or used ethical principles in an
attempt to resolve specific moral problems or issues
Attempts to explain and justify positions on specific moral
problems like capital punishment, discrimination, among others
o General normative ethics
Reasoned search for principles of human conduct, including a
critical study of the major theories about which things are good,
which acts are right, and which acts are blameworthy
Attempts to determine precisely what moral standards to follow so
that our actions may be morally right or good
Attempts to formulate and defend a system of basic ethical
principles which presumably is valid for everyone

For example:
- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
- Always act in such a way that you bring about the greatest
good for the greatest number
- Always act in your own best interests

Teleological
- from teleology which literally means the theory of
ends or purposes

Wendell Allan Marinay

Ethical Systems

Ad usum privatum;
For discussion purposes only

- maintains that the morality of an action depends on

the nonmoral consequences that the action brings about
- also referred to as consequentialist
- Examples of consequentialist theories: Egoism which
is concerned with the best consequences for self;
Utilitarianism which concerns with the best
consequences for everyone

Deontological
- from deontology which refers to the theory or study of
moral commitment
- maintains that the morality of action depends on
factors other than consequences
- simply known as nonconsequentialist
- Examples of nonconsequentialist theories: Divine
command which is concerned with acting in such a
way that ones actions conform to the laws of God;
Categorical imperative is concerned with acting in
such a way that one could wish the maxim of ones
action to become a universal law; Prima facie duties
are concerned with acting in accordance with an
overriding obligation as indicated by the circumstances
involved

Nonnormative Ethics

Consists of either a factual investigation of moral behavior, or an analysis of the

meaning of the terms used in moral discourse and an examination of the moral
reasoning by which moral beliefs can be shown to be true or false
o Scientific or Descriptive Study
Involves factual investigation of moral behavior
Concerns with how people do in fact behave
Widely used in the social sciences: Anthropologists and
sociologists investigate and describe moral attitudes. They report
on how moral attitudes and codes differ from society to society,
investigating and describing the values and behavior of different
societies

Ethical Absolutism
- there exists one and only one moral code
- maintains that this code applies to everyone, at all
times, everywhere

Wendell Allan Marinay

Ethical Systems

Ad usum privatum;
For discussion purposes only

Ethical Relativism
- denies that there is a single moral standard that is
universally applicable to all people at all times
- denies that there exists only one moral code, law,
principle, or standard
- insists that there are many moral codes, which take
root in diverse social soils and environments
NOTE: (Ethical relativism is different from Cultural
relativism. The latter is a sociological fact: Research
proves the existence of many obviously different and
often contradictory moral codes.)
- Ethical relativists are not merely saying that what is
thought right in one part of the world is frequently
thought wrong in another
- Rather, ethical relativists assert that precisely the same
action that is right in one society at one time can be
wrong in another
- In brief, ethical relativists believe that what is thought
right is right

o Metaethics
Largely the province of philosophers
Is concerned with the meanings of such important ethical terms as
right, obligation, and responsibility
Would be more concerned with the meanings of such words as
good or bad than with the what we think is good or bad

Naturalism
o Maintains that ethical statements can be translated
into nonethical statements

Autobiographical naturalism simply

expresses the approval or disapproval of the
speaker (Ex: The act of stealing was right,
you mean, I approve of that act of
stealing.)
Sociological naturalism simply expresses
that the approval or disapproval of the
majority (Ex: The act of killing was right
means The majority approves of the act of
stealing.)
Theological naturalism expresses divine
approval or disapproval (Ex: The act of

Wendell Allan Marinay

Ethical Systems

Ad usum privatum;
For discussion purposes only

stealing was right, in effect, means God

approves of that act of stealing.)
o Nonnaturalism defies1 translation into a
nonethical form; insists that some ethical words can
be defined only in terms of other ethical words
(Ex: The act of stealing was right, can be
translated into other ethical statements, like, That
of stealing was proper or That act of stealing
should have been performed or That act of
stealing was good.
o

Emotivism or Non-cognitivism claims that

ethical statements are used to evoke2 a
predetermined response or to encourage a
predetermined behavior; ethical statements can be
used to make someone feel or behave in a certain
way. (For instance: If a teacher says to a student,
Cheating is wrong, the teacher is trying to instill
to the student a certain attitude toward cheating.
The teacher may also be trying to elicit a noncheating behavior. The ethical statements,
therefore, amounts to commands like Dont cheat
or Dont lie or Dont break promises.

DIFFICULTIES RELATIVE TO MORALITY

1
2

Difficulty in determining the source of morality

o Some sources (or Origin) of morality: Religion, nature of things, laws and
norms, social consensus, intuitions and feelings

Difficulty relative to the question of criterion in the acceptability or the non

acceptability of a particular act or behavior
o not only to ask what is right or wrong in particular acts or behaviors but
also ask what is the meaning of the words right and wrong and why use
them (words).

Difficulty regarding the prescriptive character of morality

o On the imposed obligation

Difficulty in nailing down the point of view

Challenges, confronts, resists

To call forth, to cite, to bring to mind

Wendell Allan Marinay

Ethical Systems

Ad usum privatum;
For discussion purposes only

o On the limitation of language and categorization of what is moral