understanding morals sept 09

8/6/2019 Understanding Morals Sept 09

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MORAL EDUCATION



UNDERSTANDING MORALS

What do you knowabout ³Morals´ and³Ethics´?



W.Damon(1988), nosingle definition of morality that is universal

and acceptable toeveryone.Differences in theinterpretation of theseterms results in

conflicting views,misunderstandings anddisputes.



Different views cause conflicts and wars!



Definition Morals and Ethics

Etymologically, the word³ethics´ is derived from theGreek word ³ethos´ which

means custom or usage,whilethe word ³morals´ comesfrom the Latin ³mores´which has the same

meaning as ethos



Ethics can be defines as aphilosophical study of morals

± good behaviour, moralobligation, moral attitude,moral responsibility, social

justice and good livingqualities.W.K.Frankena(1973), ethics

is moral philosophy or philosophical thinking aboutmorality, moral problems and

judgement.



Normative Statements and Descriptive

Statements (Non-normative Statements)Normative statementsV.Grassian says thatattempts to give coherent or logical, systematic and

justifiable answers to moralquestions are callednormative ethics.This means that moral ethicsfocuses on normative

statements which haveimplications on humanbehaviour.



Normative Statements

Hence, a normativestatement is a value

judgement that is goodor bad, wrong or correct,acceptable or unacceptable.

The example, ³Abortionis an immoral act´, is anormative statement.



Normative Statements

Deon ticJ e tn s(ob li tion )

r e t icJ en ts

o r lJ e m e n ts

N o n - m o r lJ e m e n ts

C t eg o r o f N o r m a ti eS a te m e n ts



Deontic Judgement (Judgement of moral obligation)

A normative statement isusually in the form of value

judgement.

According to Frankena(1973), in moral judgments,we can say that a c ertain

a c tion or type of a c tionis morally good or bad;correct or wrong, obligationor non -obligation,necessary or unnecessary

to carry out.S uch a judgement is calleddeontic judgement.



Aretaic Judgement

(Judgement of moral value)We can discuss mattersthat are concerningpersons, their motives,

aims and behaviouraltraits or nature.

S imilarly, we can alsosay they are morallygood, bad, virtuous,vicious, responsible,blameworthy, saintly,despicable, and so on.This statement called

Aretaic Judgement.



Normative with Moral JudgmentsJudgments of Moral Obligation(DeonticJudgments)

ertain or types of actionYou need to be a dedicated

teacher.

What John has done is wrong.We need to keep our promise.

Moral ValueJudgments

(AretaicJudgments)

Motives, aims, personality,behaviour etc

My father is a kind -hearted man. A good person does not cheat. Ali¶s motive is good.



Normative Statements with Non-moral Judgments ( Descriptive Statements)

Value judgments of the non -moral domain evaluatematters connected with cars,art, experience, forms of government, etc..We do not intend to say theyare morally good or bad,necessary or unnecessary, etc

In other words, they arefree from moral values



Non-moral JudgmentsJudgments of

on -moralobligation(DeonticJudgement)

You need to buy tickets for thisconcert

You need to buy a new pair of shoes. All hostel residents should care

for their own safety.Judgments of

on -moralvalue (AretaicJudgement)

That car is good.

His life is not happy.S weet food is not healthy.



Change a non-normative statement into a

normative statementN on -normative (Descriptive)

Fewer people areregistering themselves asvotersS uicide cases haveincreasedParents have authority inthe family

N ormativeGood citizens mustregister themselves asvotersKilling oneself as apersonal sacrifice ispermitted.

Always obey the ordersof your parents



Agenda Lecture Today

Lecture ± understanding moralS hort break

Presentation matters ± build your group &³Lucky draw´Funny video clips for youDismiss



B asic Concept of Value

According dictionary,value has twomeanings.

Firstly from the point of view of price which canbe counted.S econdly, fromsomething that can befelt ³internally´ or in our thoughts.



The Value of Morality

Hence, value exists inmany aspects.It is found in morality.Why there are peoplewho are rich and yet donot feel happy in life?



Characteristics of Value

1) Value can be seen,appraised and ³felt´through the subject¶s

speech, movement,conducts, attitude andactions.2) Value changes fromtime to time and isdifferent from one placeto another.

N evertheless, theessence or core of thatvalue still exists and

remains stable3) The values of aperson may differ fromthose of another andthe perception of anindividual towards acertain value may alsodiffer from that of another individual.



F unctions of Value

1) It acts as a criterionor standard which isconsistent and strong

for an individual or society to act in a waythat is good, correct andacceptable.



F unctions of Value

2) It is an indicator,reference, and guide tosolve moral conflict.

Different moral valuemay be in conflict witheach other, but a guidefrom value itself will be

referred in order toresolve the conflict.



F unctions of Value

3) It places a restrictionon the behaviour or action of an individual or

the society. An individual will or willnot do something or behave according to the

values held by him



F orms of Value

1. Instrumental or Extrinsic Values2. Intrinsic Values

3. S ubjective Values4. Objective Values5. Relative Values

6. Absolute Values



Instrumental or Extrinsic ValueQ uality received or rejected as instrument toachieve certain objective.Dependent on other values to achieve certainobjectiveS econd order values, i.e. bravery, diligence, respectfor othersExample:

1. bombing of Hiroshima to end the S econd World War 2. Imposing the death penalty for drug traffickers to

stamp out drug trafficking activities.



Intrinsic ValueQ uality received or rejected solely because itis good or bad without considering its effect.N ot dependent on other values to achieve

certain objectives. The value mentioned isitself the final objective.Example: A judge passes a ³death byhanging sentence´ on a person found guiltyof trafficking drugs purely because it isobligatory for the judge to do so.



Subjective ValuesQ uality accepted or rejected by someone who giveshis views

Accepted or rejected on the basis of an individual¶sopinion.Example: Issue: ³The U S A desire to attack Iraq´Britain said that the U S should attack Iraq for the sakeof long -term peace in the world so that Iraq could notcontinue to produce weapons of mass destruction.

France, on the other hand, said that the U S shouldnot attack Iraq because such an attack wouldsacrifice the lives of many innocent people in Iraq.



Objective ValuesQ uality that may be valuable or not valuablebut free from personal choice.

Accepted or rejected base on the basis of a

set of criteria agreed upon by all or a majorityof peopleExample:

1. War is a horrible tragedy.2. Violence does not reflect humanitarian values



Relative ValuesValue accepted or rejected by regulations in asociety in order to achieve certain societalobjective

It is arbitrary, not perfect, and differs in otherssocietiesan changes with time

Example: In Malaysia, a family can develop

only through an official marriage of a couple.On the other hand, in alifornia, a family canbe formed without an official marriage.



Absolute ValuesValue the worth of which is not related to thecustom of a certain society.Generally accepted and tested or proven to be

good or badonstant at all times and in all places and in

almost all norms of societyExample: Living as a legally married couple isa good practice.



EXERCISE F OR CHAPTER

ONE



THAT·S ALL F OR TODAY

understanding morals sept 09

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