ETHICS VS.

MORALITY  The qualities that one should

develop in oneself are called
virtues (ex. honesty, fairness,
kindness, faithfulness, generosity,
prudence, integrity, bravery, etc.).
 For example:
Aristotle claimed that in order to
become an honest person, one
should tell the truth. (Aristotle)
Eventually it becomes a habit.
 One learns how to tell the truth
appropriately, without being
brutally honest all of the time or
lying whenever it is easier to do so.
ETHICS  It is a learning process that
continues throughout your life.
 4 Major areas of Study:
DEONTOLOGICAL THEORY
1. Descriptive ethics
– this is the division of philosophical or  This type of theory claims that there are
general ethics that involves the features within the actions themselves
observation of the moral decision- which determine whether or not they
making process with the goal of are right.
describing the phenomenon.  These features define the extent to which
– Describes the nature, essence or the actions conform with recognized
substance of reality. moral duties.
– reports what people believe,  Deontological theories do not consider
how they reason, and how they act. consequences to be important when
determining whether or not an action is
2. Normative Philosophy ethical.
– concerned with criteria of what is – It doesn’t matter if the drunk
morally right and wrong. driver made it home safely.
– It includes the formulation of  Immanuel Kant's ethical theory
moral rules that have direct is deontological.
implications for what human actions, – He claims that actions are only
institutions, and ways of life should morally right when they are done out of
be like. duty.
– 3 types of normative theories: – He sees moral duties as unchanging
• virtue theories, deontological laws for human conduct.
(moral obligation) theories, and – Always act out of duty, in accordance
teleological theories with a good will
 I.e. One does the right thing because one
VIRTUE-BASED THEORY recognizes that it is the right thing to do,
not because it pleases you to do it or will
 Virtue based theories focus on the promote good consequences.).
character of the person.
 According to virtue based theories,
ethics is about what sort of person one
should strive to become.
TELEOLOGICAL THEORY (3) Man knows that he is responsible for his
 This describes an ethical theory which actions.
judges the rightness of an action in (4) Man knows that those actions are
terms of an external goal or purpose. considered wrong are punishable and that
 According to a teleological theory, those actions that are right are rewardable.
consequences always play some part, be
it small or large, in the determination of Humans: The Sole Moral Agents
what one should or should not do.
 Theory of morality that derives duty or  It is their being rational that makes
moral obligation from what is good or humans humans.
desirable as an end to be achieved.  The human person’s perceptual
knowledge helps him/her draw
3. Practical Philosophy judgements as he/she compares ideas.
– A division in philosophy which  The human person, therefore, does not
reflects on truth with due recourse of just perceive things but also analyzes,
action. assesses, criticizes, or intellectualizing
– the attempt to work out the things.
implications of general theories for
specific forms of conduct and moral Intellect Compared with Will
judgment; formerly called applied ethics.  What does intellect do?
– It knows.
4. Critical Philosophy (Epistemology) – Acts as the thinking faculty of the
– is the study of the nature and scope of human person.
knowledge and justified belief. – Enables him/her to search for truth
– It analyzes the nature of knowledge  What about the will?
and how it relates to similar notions such – It chooses.
as truth, belief and justification. – It implements what it has chosen.
– asks questions like: "What is – Enables him/her to choose which is
knowledge?", "How is knowledge good.
acquired?", "What do people know?",
"What are the necessary and Concrete Basis of Morality
sufficient conditions of knowledge?"
 Morality becomes vivid when one
Postulates in Ethics (Presumed to be true) encounters a moral experience.
 This moral experience leads him/her to
(1) The existence of God. a moral problem.
(2) The existence of intellect and free will.  The human person is duty-bound to
(3) The spirituality and immortality of the face his/her obligation.
human soul  Ex.
– Should a person who has no money,
Moral Assumptions steal?
– Should a person who has no answer
(1) As a rational and free grade of animal, man in an exam, cheat?
knows that there are actions that are right or
wrong, and good or bad.
(2) Man knows that there are actions that he is
not obliged to do.
BIOLOGY PREVAILING ISSUES SURROUNDING
THE AUSPICES OF BIOETHICS:
 Natural science that deals with the issue of
 Human life
life.
 Health
 Important in bioethics because it deals
 Research
with the multifarious (DIVERSE)
 Science
dimensions and domains of all life
forms.  Technology
 Philosophy, theology, law and medicine
BIOETHICS
HEALTHCARE ETHICS
 This term was introduced by DANIEL
CALLAHAN in 1969, together with
 A domain in the practice of the
WILLARD GAYLIN when they
healthcare profession that sets the
founded the HASTINGS
standards or guidelines relative to
CENTER/Institute of Society, Ethics and
studies, inquiries, and decisions on the
the Life Sciences
part of healthcare professionals in
—located in the village of Hastings-on-
relation to the delivery of healthcare.
Hudson, just north of New York City
 Deals with ethical issues such as: life-
—took the lead in setting the direction,
support system, testing of diseases,
methods, and intellectual standards of
access to healthcare services, brain
bioethics through its own journal, the
death, clinical death, suicide,
Hastings Center Report (Callahan 1971,
euthanasia, vices and virtues, conscience
1973).
and law.
 Popularized by VAN RENSSELAER
POTTER in 1970 PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
 A discipline that deals with the ethical
 The normative moral system that
implications of biological research.
injuncts a kind of behavior that is
 The study of ethical issues that emanate
expected of a professional.
from the changes and developments in
 NOT ONLY OF AN INDIVIDUAL
the life science technologies.
BUT ALSO AS A GROUP.
 A branch of ethics that deals with the life
sciences and their impact in society. CASE STUDY
 A branch of ethics that analyzes moral
values in the context of biomedical Barbara Gonzales is a special procedures
sciences. nurse at a medium-sized community
hospital. She enjoys her position as it allows
 A branch of the ethics of biological
her to spend additional time with the
science and medicine. patients who have come in for
 A systematic study of the human cardiac stress tests. In fact, she enjoys
conduct in the areas of the life sciences almost all aspects of her job with the
and healthcare. exception of dealing with Dr. Jones, who is
 It belongs to the auspices of medical invariably late for procedure appointments.
ethics and is loosely anchored in the Barbara understands that physicians have
avenues of life sciences. full schedules and often must take additional
 The study of the moral problems in time with some patients, which makes them
medicine and biological technology. late for all other appointments that day.
However, in this case, it is not a professional
issue that is causing the problem but rather a
personal one. It is widely known among staff
that he is having an affair with a nurse from
the critical care unit and spends time talking
with the nurse while on the job. Barbara
does not care who Dr. Jones is having an
affair with and feels it is not her business to
judge. However , she resents being brought
into the matter, as the doctor directed her to
tell his waiting patients that he is being held
up in an
emergency.
➢ Is Nurse Barbara making a big deal over a
small matter?
➢ Does she have a duty to cover for
her colleague?
➢ How would you address this issue?
➢ What best serves the patients?

NIGHTINGALE’S PLEDGE
 was composed in 1893 by Lystra E.
Gretter and a Committee for the
Farrand Training School for
Nurses, Detroit. It was called the
Florence Nightingale Pledge as a
token of esteem for the founder of
modern nursing.
 It was first administered to the 1893
graduating class of the Farrand
Training School, Harper Hospital,
Detroit, Michigan. It is as follows: