GED0114 Week 1: Introduction of Concepts

The study of ethics in specific situations, professions, or institutions, e.g., medical ethics, research ethics, etc. It is also called as practical ethics.

• Applied ethics

• Standard ethics

• Professional ethics

• Normative ethics

Answer explanation

Practical ethics attempts to answer the question of how people should act in specific situations. For example, is it ethical for a business owner to bluff during negotiations with another company? Or, is it morally permissible for a doctor to engage in mercy killing when a terminal cancer patient begs to be put out of her misery?

The science of human duty, or the rules of human conduct. Its main function is “to combat the deleterious consequences of human sympathies” as it reach for the “betterment—or at least non-deterioration—of the human predicament”.

• Ethics

• Justice

• Rights

• Beliefs

Answer explanation

Ethics/morals are the standards of conduct (or behavior) that distinguish between right/wrong, good/bad, etc.

These scenarios test whether ethical theories are effective in application in certain situations.

• Ethical duties

• Ethical actions

• Ethical dilemmas

• Ethical principles

Answer explanation

These dilemmas can (1) challenge holding two or more moral beliefs (e.g., one must act based on the greater good and everyone is equally valuable); or (2) if a moral belief is valid in the first place (e.g., in all cases, one must not hurt another person).

These are our preconceived ideas or principles we use to justify our actions.

• Ethics

• Morality

• Moral beliefs

• Moral arguments

Answer explanation

Moral beliefs are principles that people often used to justify their actions (Timmons, 2022).

It provides rational argumentation that justifies a claim.

• Morality

• Ethicality

• Ethical theories

• Moral reasoning

Answer explanation

Moral reasoning provides moral beliefs reasons or premises which would support claims as to why or why not it is justified (Shafer-Laundau, 2012).