SAMPLE Ethics in America

‭Chapter 1:‬ ‭Morality & Ethics‬ ‭A. What is Morality, and Where Does Philosophy Fit In?‬

‭The‬‭word‬‭morality‬‭comes‬‭from‬‭the‬‭Latin‬‭root‬ ‭mos‬ ‭,‬‭meaning‬‭“custom.”‬‭The‬‭terms‬ ‭morality‬ ‭and‬ ‭ethics‬ ‭are‬ ‭often used interchangeably, and both words are broadly defined as having to do with right and wrong.‬ ‭However,‬‭there‬‭is‬‭a‬‭difference:‬ ‭Morality‬ ‭refers‬‭to‬‭moral‬‭standards‬‭and‬‭moral‬‭conduct,‬‭while‬ ‭ethics‬ ‭refers‬ ‭to‬‭the‬‭formal‬‭study‬‭of‬‭those‬‭standards‬‭and‬‭conduct.‬‭For‬‭this‬‭reason,‬‭the‬‭study‬‭of‬‭ethics‬‭is‬‭also‬‭known‬‭as‬ ‭“moral philosophy.”‬ ‭Essentially,‬ ‭you‬ ‭can‬ ‭define‬ ‭morality‬ ‭by‬ ‭looking‬ ‭through‬ ‭the‬ ‭lens‬ ‭of‬ ‭ethics.‬‭For‬‭most‬‭professionals,‬‭the‬ ‭philosophical‬‭study‬‭of‬‭morality‬‭is‬‭where‬‭you‬‭might‬‭find‬‭answers‬‭to‬‭your‬‭questions.‬‭For‬‭many‬‭in‬‭the‬‭field‬ ‭of‬‭ethics‬‭and‬‭morality,‬‭the‬‭definition‬‭of‬‭what‬‭is‬‭right‬‭and‬‭wrong‬‭can‬‭often‬‭be‬‭indistinguishable.‬‭However,‬ ‭we have two sides to ethics:‬ ‭Normative and Descriptive‬‭Ethics.‬ ‭Philosophy‬ ‭can‬ ‭be‬ ‭broadly‬ ‭defined‬ ‭as‬ ‭the‬ ‭pursuit‬ ‭of‬ ‭wisdom‬ ‭through‬ ‭individual‬ ‭or‬ ‭group‬ ‭concepts‬ ‭or‬ ‭ideologies.‬ ‭However,‬ ‭the‬ ‭question‬ ‭of‬ ‭exactly‬ ‭what‬ ‭philosophy‬ ‭is‬ ‭can‬ ‭be‬ ‭complicated,‬ ‭and‬ ‭there‬ ‭are‬ ‭several‬ ‭answers‬ ‭to‬ ‭this‬ ‭question.‬ ‭In‬ ‭simple‬ ‭terms,‬ ‭philosophy‬ ‭is‬ ‭the‬ ‭study‬ ‭of‬‭how‬‭we‬‭think‬‭about‬‭the‬ ‭world‬ ‭and‬ ‭our‬ ‭place‬ ‭in‬ ‭it.‬ ‭Philosophy‬ ‭involves‬ ‭the‬ ‭pursuit‬ ‭of‬ ‭knowledge‬‭through‬‭methods‬‭such‬‭as‬‭art,‬ ‭politics,‬‭religion,‬‭logic,‬‭and‬‭metaphysics.‬‭Philosophy‬‭can‬‭also‬‭refer‬‭to‬‭a‬‭body‬‭of‬‭thoughts‬‭or‬‭a‬‭system‬‭of‬ ‭beliefs.‬ ‭It‬‭can‬‭also‬‭be‬‭used‬‭to‬‭analyze‬‭the‬‭origins‬‭of‬‭those‬‭thoughts‬‭and‬‭beliefs,‬‭and‬‭to‬‭understand‬‭the‬ ‭theories‬ ‭behind‬ ‭them.‬ ‭The‬ ‭study‬ ‭of‬ ‭ethics‬ ‭focuses‬ ‭on‬ ‭determining‬ ‭which‬ ‭behaviors‬ ‭are‬ ‭honorable.‬ ‭Philosophy, as a whole, helps to develop critical thinking skills.‬ ‭The‬ ‭field‬ ‭of‬ ‭philosophy‬ ‭has‬‭seen‬‭many‬‭notable‬‭philosophers‬‭contribute‬‭to‬‭the‬‭expansion‬‭of‬‭minds‬‭and‬ ‭ideas‬‭over‬‭the‬‭years.‬‭Each‬‭philosopher‬‭has‬‭brought‬‭their‬‭own‬‭particular‬‭disciplines‬‭and‬‭principles‬‭to‬‭the‬ ‭table,‬ ‭helping‬ ‭to‬ ‭further‬ ‭the‬ ‭development‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭four‬ ‭main‬ ‭branches‬ ‭of‬ ‭philosophy:‬ ‭metaphysics,‬ ‭epistemology,‬‭axiology,‬‭and‬‭logic.‬‭Due‬‭to‬‭the‬‭innovative‬‭contributions‬‭of‬‭renowned‬‭philosophers,‬‭such‬‭as‬ ‭Simone‬‭de‬‭Beauvoir‬‭and‬‭Pythagoras,‬‭tremendous‬‭progress‬‭has‬‭been‬‭made‬‭in‬‭the‬‭fields‬‭of‬‭feminism‬‭and‬ ‭mathematics,‬‭respectively.‬‭These‬‭individuals‬‭have‬‭helped‬‭pave‬‭the‬‭way‬‭for‬‭future‬‭generations,‬‭and‬‭their‬ ‭impact continues to be felt today.‬ ‭Philosophical‬‭inquiry‬‭can‬‭be‬‭a‬‭useful‬‭tool‬‭in‬‭making‬‭decisions,‬‭as‬‭well‬‭as‬‭in‬‭understanding‬‭and‬‭navigating‬ ‭personal relationships and daily life.‬ ‭B. The Origins of Morality‬ ‭Some‬ ‭individuals‬ ‭believe‬ ‭that‬‭morality‬‭is‬ ‭universal‬ ‭,‬‭meaning‬‭that‬‭principles‬‭of‬‭right‬‭and‬‭wrong‬‭are‬‭not‬ ‭specific‬‭to‬‭any‬‭one‬‭time‬‭period‬‭or‬‭culture‬‭but‬‭rather‬‭apply‬‭to‬‭all‬‭people.‬‭Those‬‭who‬‭believe‬‭in‬‭a‬‭universal‬ ‭morality‬‭believe‬‭its‬‭origins‬‭came‬‭from‬‭two‬‭sources,‬‭either‬‭from‬‭a‬‭divine‬‭or‬‭supernatural‬‭power,‬‭or‬‭from‬‭a‬ ‭religious‬‭system.‬‭Christianity‬‭is‬‭just‬‭one‬‭example‬‭in‬‭which‬‭a‬‭moral‬‭framework‬‭for‬‭humans‬‭was‬‭created‬‭by‬ ‭But where does philosophy fit in?‬

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