Ethics in Education

Key Concepts of Ethics: A Review

Presented by

Ma. Lourdes D. Rola, LPT, MAEd
Master Teacher I
Caloocan High School

Multiple Choice

 A set of rules of human behavior, which has been influenced by the standards set by

the society or by himself in relation to his society is called ethics.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Which among the following are non-moral standards by which we judge manners as good

or bad?

• Standards of Law

• Standards of Etiquette

• Standards of Language

• Standards of Aesthetics

Standards of Etiquette

• A teacher might remind students to say "please" and "thank you" when asking for or receiving something.
  
  

• This is not about moral right or wrong but about maintaining polite and respectful classroom behavior.

Standards of Law

​are non-moral standards by which we judge an action to be legally right or wrong

​Schools often have rules related to internet use. For instance, using school computers to access certain websites may be against school policy and, in some cases, even local law if it involves illegal content.

Standards of Language

are non-moral standards by which we judge what is grammatically right and wrong

Standards of Aesthetics

• are non-moral standards by which we judge good and bad art

Standards of Athletics

• are non-moral standards by which we judge how well a game is being played

Ethics etymology

Greek word "ethos"

customs, usage, or character

Multiple Choice

From which Greek word does the word "ethics" come from?

• ethanos

• ethan

• ethos

• ethas

Meta-ethics

•deals with the nature of moral judgment.

•prescribes moral principles or maxims for us to follow if we are to live moral lives.

•

Meta-ethics

• deals with the nature of moral judgment.
• prescribes moral principles or maxims for us to follow if we are

Normative ethics

• is concerned with the content of moral judgments and the

criteria for what is right or wrong

• attempts to answer our questions regarding the practical ends

of human action.

Applied ethics

• involves examining specific controversial issues, such as

abortion, infanticide, animal rights, environmental concerns,
homosexuality.

• A human act is a conscious, voluntary and free act. It does not

force nor coerced a person to perform an act.

• Freedom is the foundation of morality and depends on truth

and makes you responsible for your actions.

• We experience hedonistic lifestyle when we begin to look at

things as moral in their capacity to provide pleasure and prevent
pain.

Etiquette

• The set of rules or customs that determine the accepted and

proper behaviors in a particular social group

• is concerned with proper behavior that makes us show respect

and courtesy to others.

• Law is an ordinance of reason, promulgated by legitimate

authority for the purpose of the common good.

• The sense of the good serves as a moral power in each

person to actualize a world that is just.

• Moral standards are not established by the decisions of

authoritarian bodies, nor solely appealing to consensus or
tradition.

• Moral standards have universal validity that they apply to all

who are in the same situation. This is exemplified in the golden
rule: “Do not do unto others what you would not have them do
unto you.”

Aristotle

• According to Aristotle, moral virtue is attained by means of habit.
• According to Aristotle, having virtue means doing the right thing,

at the right time, in the right way, in the right amount, toward the
right people.

• Aristotle, a Greek philosopher is the one who developed the Virtue

Ethics Theory.

• Virtue Ethics reflects the ancient assumption that humans have a

fixed nature.

• Virtue ethics theory focus on the determination of what makes a

person, or character, good rather than what makes an action good.

• Aristotle’s virtue ethics recognizes that eudaimonia or happiness

is the ultimate purpose of a person.

Natural Law Ethics

• Natural Law Ethics is developed by St. Thomas Aquinas.

• The three determinants of moral action are :
(1)The Object or The End of An Action (Finis Operas)
(2)The Intention of the Agent (Finis Operantis)
(3)The Circumstances (Circumstantiae)

• Natural rights are inalienable rights.

Teleological Ethical Theory

• claims that what makes an action right or wrong are the

consequences of the action

Deontological theory

• places special emphasis on the relationship between duty and
• the morality of the action.
• claims that our motivations to do good come from our idea of

“duty.”

Immanuel Kant

• The most prominent Deontological Theory was propounded by,

a German philosopher.

• Based on Kant, the only correct motive for moral actions is duty

in which he calls acting from duty i.e., one acts with a good
will if s/he does the right thing for the right reason/motive.

Hypothetical and Categorical
Imperatives

• Hypothetical imperatives are commands that we should follow

if we want something.

• Categorical imperative are commands we must follow,

regardless of our desires. It is the source of “moral from within.”

Hypothetical and Categorical
Imperatives

• An action is considered to be good if it passes through the

principles of categorical imperatives namely:

• Universalizability Principle,
• Humanity Principle or Principle of Respect for Person,
• Autonomy Principle, and
• Kingdom of Ends Principle.

Dilemma

• a situation where a person is forced to choose between two or

more conflicting options, neither of which is acceptable.

• When dilemmas involve human actions which have moral

implications, they are called ethical or moral dilemmas.

Dilemma

• a situation where a person is forced to choose between two or

more conflicting options, neither of which is acceptable.

• When dilemmas involve human actions which have moral

implications, they are called ethical or moral dilemmas.

• Moral dilemmas are experience in the individual,

organizational and systemic levels.

Epistemic moral dilemmas

• involve situations wherein two or more moral requirements

conflict with each other and that the moral agent hardly knows
which of the conflicting moral requirements takes precedence
over the other.

Ontological moral dilemma

• involve situations wherein two or more moral requirements

conflict with each other but neither of these conflicting moral
requirements overrides each other

moral dilemma

• Self-imposed Moral Dilemma is caused by the wrongdoing of the moral

agent.

• World-imposed Moral Dilemma means that certain events in the world

place the agent in a situation of moral conflict.

• Obligation dilemma are situations in which more than one feasible action

is obligatory.

• Prohibition dilemma involve cases in which all feasible actions are

forbidden.

• Single Agent Dilemma moral agent is compelled to act on two or more

equally the same moral options but she cannot choose both.

• Multi-person Dilemma involves several persons like a family, an

organization, or a community who is expected to come up with a
consensual decision on a moral issue at hand.

Morality

• Moral dilemmas arise due to inconsistency in our principles.
• Morality is concerned about the rightness or wrongness of

human action. Lawrence Kohlberg is the proponent of Moral
Development Theory.

• Reasoning of individuals undergoing the Pre-conventional level

of Kolberg’s moral development theory is centered on the pain
and pleasure of the consequences of the action/s
performed.

moral dilemma

• During the conventional level of Kolhberg’s moral

development theory, an individual learns to follow rules and
conform to the expectations of the society in which s/he
belongs to.

• Post-conventional level is the highest level of Kohlberg’s

moral development theory wherein an individual realizes that
the ethical principles are not only based on therules or
conventions that his society dictates but based on using one’s
free will and how he understands a situation using his full
rationality.

Consequentialism

• is the ethical theory which claims that the consequences of an

action are the ones that ultimately matter

Utilitarianism

• A philosophy advocating the greatest happiness of the greatest

number

• embodies the principle of utility which states that: “we should

always act so as to produce the greatest happiness for the
greatest number of people.”

• Jeremy Bentham, a British philosopher is regarded as the founder

of utilitarianism particularly quantitative hedonistic utilitarianism.

• Considered as the spiritual father of University College London is

Jeremy Bentham because of his support of extending education to
people of all classes and religion.

• Bentham provides a framework for evaluating pleasure and pain

commonly called hedonistic calculus or calculus of felicity.

Hedonism

• is the belief that morality is determined by the acquisition of

pleasure.

• John Stewart Mill refined the original Utilitarianism of Bentham

and he is known for his short exposition of the theory of
individual liberty and the right to Freedom of speech.

• John Stewart Mill is known for the Qualitative Hedonistic

Utilitarianism which focuses on the qualitative differences
among types of pleasures.

Justice

• Justice is concerned with the equitable distribution of benefits

and burdens to Individuals in social institutions.

• Distributive justice refers to the fair distribution or allocation of

certain things which are generally classified as burdens, when
they are regarded as undesirable, or as benefits when they are
desirable.

Egalitarianism

• is a theory under distributive justice which claims that

distribution is fair if every member of a group receives an equal
share of the distribution.

• Every citizen should enjoy the same basic legal rights (such

as rights to Suffrage, education, and due process) guaranteed
by the state according to political egalitarianism.

Economic Egalitarianism

• Economic Egalitarianism claims that all citizens should enjoy

the same basic socio- economic goods or resources
guaranteed by the state.

• Capitalist Justice is contribution-based Justice. Benefits

should be distributed according to the degree of contribution
that each person provides.

• In socialist justice, a needs-based justice, distribution is fair if

every member of a group receives his share in the distribution
according to or in proportion to his needs.

John Rawl

• John Rawl is an American philosopher who is known for his

Theory of Justice as Fairness.

• Freedom of movement, free choice of occupation is one of the

five basic goods that every person needs as a citizen of the
state according to John Rawl.

• According to John Rawl, basic rights and liberties are basic

goods that every person needs as a citizen of the state.

• John Rawl defines justice as a virtue of social institutions,

measured by fairness in allocating benefits and burdens,
defined by two basic principles: liberty and difference.

Entitlement Theory

• Entitlement theory claims that distributions are fair when no

moral rights are violated in acquiring and transferring ownership
of the goods to be distributed.