Fundamentals

of
Ethics and Values

Values and Ethics

Lets take a
look at what
really
matters to
you.

What do you believe in?

Who do you care about?
What motivates you?
Are you a spiritual person?
Why are you really in Institution?
How do you tell the
difference between right and wrong?

Values and
Ethics

Values are concerned with what is

good and desirable, while ethics deal
with what is right and correct.
Ethical Dilemma situation where one
must make a choice among two or
more alternatives. A dilemma occurs
when no one answer can conform to
all the ethical principles involved.

Ethics

Ethos: Greek word for character and

customs (traditions)

Ethics: the discipline of what is good or

bad, with moral duty / obligation; principles
of conduct governing an individual or group

Ethics: Ethical codes of conduct

instruct us on what we ought or
ought not to do.

Identifying Ethics
Principles of ethics should provide us
guidance as we make choices in a
complicated world.
Ethics should help us to identify moral
principles and morally relevant features
of the choices we face.

There is no simple recipe for ethical

decision making.

Philosophical and religious theories

and alternative values play together.

Role of Religious Belief in Ethics:

For those of us who have religious
beliefs, often these beliefs are
intimately tied to our values and to the
ethical principles we accept. But it
would be a mistake to suppose that
ethical values are simply religious values
at least, the relationship is more
complex than people sometimes realize.

Values

Value from the Latin valere: to be

strong,
to be worth
Values are feelings and convictions regarding
what is of strong worth (i.e. important)
to us in what we think, say or do
Values are inherent in all societies ideals
and shared beliefs that bond a community
together

What are
They are
values?
the ideas and beliefs about life

that guide us to do what we do and be

what we are
They can be about:
Politics
Religion
Being of service
Education
Money
Career

Family
Dishonesty
Taking Risks
Respect
Leisure
And so on

Friends

What are human values?

Universal values that span across

cultures, nationalities and classes
The desirable qualities inherent in
every human being
Values to be brought out, not
poured in

11

Basic Values:
Trustworthiness
Respect
Responsibility
Fairness
Caring
Citizenship

Different kinds of Values

Moral Values:
Values you hold for yourself but
dont force on others such as right
vs. wrong, honesty vs. dishonesty,
being of service to others

Aesthetic Values:
Personal standards of beauty as
seen in nature, art, music, personal
appearance

Performance Values:
Benchmarks you set for yourself
such as accuracy, speed, reward for
achievement, self-discipline and
overall accomplishment

Values Checklist

Having good friends

Having a positive relationship
Having self-respect & the
respect of others
Being financially secure
Being spiritual
Making a meaningful
contribution to mankind
Being a moral person
Being a great athlete
Being physically attractive
Being creative
Being personally responsible
Getting along well with people
in general

Having freedom and

independence
Being well educated
Serving others
Having peace of mind
Getting recognition (being
famous)
Being a good citizen
Being healthy
Being intelligent
Having strong family ties
Being honest & having
integrity
Being dedicated and
committed

Where do we get values?

our homes,
school,
society,
friends,
TV,
Mosque,
music,
books,
families,

culture,
employers,
Corporation,
Factories etc

Your age will greatly influence your

values. Different people and things
influence
you at different ages:
Ages 1-7 --- parents

Ages 8-13 --- teachers, heroes (sports,

rocks, TV)
Ages 14-20 --- Accompany
Ages 21+ your values are established,
but you may test your values from
time to time.

What more basic values are

involved?
Helping out on your father-in-laws farm,
you discover that he has ceased to use
appropriate environmental precautions.
His plow patterns are leading to
excessive soil erosion and excessive
pesticide run-off. There is reason to
believe that his unsafe practices are
significantly contributing to groundwater
contamination, and that erosion from his
fields is

Ethics and ethical decision making are not

simply the province of philosophers or
ethicists. Our choices reveal our values to
the world. These values are either
unreflective and shallow, or reflective and
deep.

Philosophical deliberation should help us to

make our values and choices deep and
thoughtful. Maybe this makes it more
likely that our choices will be the right
ones.

Hypocrite One who subscribes to

one set of values, and does another.
Immaturity - One who has not
Maturity
identified his values.
Clear values
Life of purpose
Meaning and
direction

Its not doing

things
right,
but doing the right
things.

OPEN FORUM

Values & Ethics

The words morals and morality came up regularly.

Is there a connection between morality and
ethics?
Generally, the words are used interchangeably.
There is, however, a difference:
Morality is usually more theoretical; it is a
philosophical concept.
Ethics are the practical application of morality
in daily life.
The difference is that of theory and practice.
If a person has a moral character, he or she will
generally deal with other people in an ethical
manner.