Introduction to ethics

COs Statements

CO 1 Students will be able to understand the professional ethics and frameworks

CO 2 Students will be able to explore the professional responsibilities and the impact of their decisions on the projects and societies

CO 3 Students will be able to investigate uncertanities in the design and access the risk and safety requirements

CO 4 Student will be able to justify the role of academic and research Integrity in sustainable development

CO 5 Students will be able to mitigate civil engineering failures

 Before we Start…. Let me Tell
you a Story
 A college freshman, attending a recent football game, tried to explain
to a senior citizen sitting next to him why it was impossible for the
older generation to understand his generation
 “You grew up in a different world, an almost ancient one" The student
said,…the young people of today have grown up with TV, cell phones,
space travel and spaceships visiting Mars. We have nuclear energy,
electric and hydrogen cars, computers with light-speed processing,
towers, highways, railways...and”, pausing to take another drink of
soda
 The senior citizen took advantage of the break in the student's
explanation and said, "You're right, son. We didn't have those things
when we were young, so we invented them, designed them, tested
them, produce/constructed them
 Now, the Question is……

What are you going to do

for the next generation?

 How /Why did you Selected
Engineering as your Major?
1. Because of the engineering classes at my high school
2. I did well in math or science
3. My mother told me “be an engineer or die”
4. My father and brother are engineers
5. I have always been questioning how things work
6. I like to fix things
7. I heard that the salaries are higher that for other majors
8. Gives me social respect, it sounds well to be an engineer

5
 Guess what?
 Most engineers discover engineering in Colleges and
Universities

 Family and friends have a lot of influence on our decisions

 At the end, however, it is your decision!

 What is Engineering?
 Engineering is the profession in which knowledge of the mathematical
and natural sciences, gained by study, experience, and practice, is
applied with judgment to develop ways to use, economically, the
materials and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind.
 In the WordWeb dictionary, engineering is “The discipline dealing
with the art or science of applying scientific knowledge to practical
problems” or
 Engineering is the practice and method of applying scientific and
empirical knowledge to the service of humanity
 Engineering is….
 A Profession
 Design
 Development
 Test
 Production
 Engineering is also
 Team Work
 Communication
 Ethics
Your life is Affected by the Work of Engineers

 Examples:
 The alarm clock wakes you. Not only is the
alarm run by electricity, which must be
produced somehow, somewhere, but someone,
somewhere designed the alarm mechanism
 You take a shower. The faucets are valves
which were designed by engineer. The water
comes through piping from a central water
supply. The entire water distribution system
was conceived and designed by engineers
 Civil Engineering
 Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline
that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance
of the physical and naturally built environment, including
works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, buildings, and
water distribution networks,…etc.
 Civil engineering is the oldest engineering discipline after
military engineering, and it was defined to distinguish non-
military engineering from military engineering
 Why to Become a Civil Engineer?
 For money?
 For comfort?
 For satisfaction
 To achieve “something” in life
 Pre-requisite?
 Strong common sense
 Positive attitude
 Vision
 Honesty and dedication
 Ethics
 Management skills and teamwork
 Courage to face challenges.
 Good health: Physical capabilities
 Extraordinary Brilliant: NOT necessary…!
Civil Engineering Department (Vision and Mission)
 Vision

To attain eminence in Civil Engineering by delivering insights on the cutting edge and innovative technologies necessary for
higher education and to meet the global standards & challenges in academia, research and industry through latest tools and
technologies.

 Mission

The Mission of the Department of Civil Engineering, Chandigarh University is to:

 M1: Maintaining high standards in teaching and learning by providing world class infrastructure, innovating pedagogy,
instilling in students the ability for upgrading the program curriculum in line with international standards.

 M2: Providing a flexible curriculum that allows the students to study the courses of their choice that will make them
industry ready and offering programs in accordance with national policies to inculcate ethical and social values in them.

 M3: To provide a fair and transparent evaluation system that will positively improve the competency of the students.

 M4: Building up key association with driving national and worldwide corporate giants and renowned institutes for
scholastic and in addition inquire about joint research collaborations.

 M5: To impart hands on experience to aspiring undergraduates through interdisciplinary projects and for creating a
collaborative environment open to free exchange of ideas where research, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship can
flourish.

 M6: Provide atmosphere to create civil engineers for the upliftment of the society through ISR activities.
Civil Engineering Department (Program Education objectives (PEOs)

 The PEOs are broad statements that describe the career and professional
accomplishments that the program is preparing its graduates to achieve in few years
(for example three years) subsequent to receiving the degree. The PEOs of the B.E.
program in Civil Engineering are as follows:
 PEO-1: To make graduates of the Civil Engineering program capable of
contributing towards Nation's development by providing sustainable solutions to a
wide range of diverse and complicated Civil Engineering problems in different
application sectors including physical infrastructure.
 PEO-2: To transform graduates of the Civil Engineering program into successful
professionals in designing and executing national standard products and services in
the field of Civil Engineering, becoming entrepreneurs, and pursuing further
education and research.
 PEO-3: To enable graduates of the Civil Engineering Program for adapting to
dynamic changes in the technological scenarios and handle broader social
challenges with a rational and flexible decision-making style.
Civil Engineering Department (Program Outcomes )
 1. Engineering Knowledge: Apply the knowledge of mathematics, science, engineering fundamentals, and an engineering specialization to the
solution of complex engineering problems.

 2. Problem Analysis: Identify, formulate, review research literature, and analyze complex engineering problems reaching substantiated
conclusions using first principles of mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering sciences.

 3. Design/Development of Solutions: Design solutions for complex engineering problems and design system components or processes that meet
the specified needs with appropriate consideration for the public health and safety, and the cultural, societal, and environmental considerations.

 4. Conduct Investigations of Complex Problems: Use research-based knowledge and research methods including design of experiments,
analysis and interpretation of data, and synthesis of the information to provide valid conclusions.

 5. Modern Tool Usage: Create, select, and apply appropriate techniques, resources, and modern engineering and IT tools including prediction and
modeling to complex engineering activities with an understanding of the limitations.

 6. The Engineer and Society: Apply reasoning informed by the contextual knowledge to assess societal, health, safety, legal and cultural issues
and the consequent responsibilities relevant to the professional engineering practice.
 7. Environment and Sustainability: Understand the impact of the professional engineering solutions in societal and environmental contexts,
and demonstrate the knowledge of, and need for sustainable development.

 8. Ethics: Apply ethical principles and commit to professional ethics and responsibilities and norms of the engineering practice.

 9. Individual and Team Work: Function effectively as an individual, and as a member or leader in diverse teams, and in multidisciplinary
settings.

 10. Communication: Communicate effectively on complex engineering activities with the engineering community and with society at large,
such as, being able to comprehend and write effective reports and design documentation, make effective presentations, and give and receive
clear instructions.

 11. Project Management and Finance: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the engineering and management principles and apply
these to one’s own work, as a member and leader in a team, to manage projects and in multidisciplinary environments.

 12. Life-long Learning: Recognize the need for, and have the preparation and ability to engage in independent and lifelong learning in the
broadest context of technological change.
 Civil Engineering Department (Program Outcomes (POs)

 1. Engineering Knowledge: Apply the knowledge of mathematics, science, engineering fundamentals, and an engineering
specialization to the solution of complex engineering problems.

 2. Problem Analysis: Identify, formulate, review research literature, and analyze complex engineering problems reaching
substantiated conclusions using first principles of mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering sciences.

 3. Design/Development of Solutions: Design solutions for complex engineering problems and design system components or
processes that meet the specified needs with appropriate consideration for the public health and safety, and the cultural, societal, and
environmental considerations.

 4. Conduct Investigations of Complex Problems: Use research-based knowledge and research methods including design of
experiments, analysis and interpretation of data, and synthesis of the information to provide valid conclusions.

 5. Modern Tool Usage: Create, select, and apply appropriate techniques, resources, and modern engineering and IT tools including
prediction and modeling to complex engineering activities with an understanding of the limitations.

 6. The Engineer and Society: Apply reasoning informed by the contextual knowledge to assess societal, health, safety, legal and
cultural issues and the consequent responsibilities relevant to the

 professional engineering practice.

 7. Environment and Sustainability: Understand the impact of the professional engineering solutions in societal and environmental
contexts, and demonstrate the knowledge of, and need for sustainable development.
 Civil Engineering Department (Program Outcomes (POs)

 8. Ethics: Apply ethical principles and commit to professional ethics and responsibilities and norms of the engineering practice.

 9. Individual and Team Work: Function effectively as an individual, and as a member or leader in diverse teams, and in multidisciplinary
settings.

 10. Communication: Communicate effectively on complex engineering activities with the engineering community and with society at large, such
as, being able to comprehend and write effective reports and design documentation, make effective presentations, and give and receive clear
instructions.

 11. Project Management and Finance: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the engineering and management principles and apply
these to one’s own work, as a member and leader in a team, to manage projects and in multidisciplinary environments.

 12. Life-long Learning: Recognize the need for, and have the preparation and ability to engage in independent and lifelong learning in the
broadest context of technological change.
 Engineering Education
 The general purpose of Engineering Education is:
 To provide you with the technical tool
 To encourage the use of your own creativity to solve a given
problem by making a new design or improving an existing
system

 Engineers need to keep up with the advances of science and

technology:
 New tools, measurement techniques, manufacturing
methods
 New materials, products
 Engineering Education
 Ability, Motivation and Attitude
 Ability is what you are capable of doing
 Motivation determines what you will do
 Attitude determines how well you do it
 Lou Holtz (famous football coach)
 Engineering Education
 Words of Wisdom
 An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than
the brain cell it occupied. (Arnold H Glasow)
 It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems
longer. (Albert Einstein)
 Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the
mind to think. (Albert Einstein)
 Engineering Education
 When, What and How to Study?
 When You feel fresh and energetic (morning): Start with
theory and new topics
 When you are tired (evening): Problems and revision
 Have a look on course outline at the beginning of
semester
 Class Notes:
 Make a habit to take notes in class.
 Keep your notes and books with you…forever.
 Remember…!
 No. of hours of self study ≥ twice the class hours.
 Don’t have a mentality that firstly I will complete
theory and then problems. Both should be done
simultaneously.
 Engineering Education
 How to get top with minimum study ?
 Stair method:
 Always set a small goal
 Get it done
 This will give you lot of confidence.
 Then set next higher goal
 Never jump directly

 Remember: Low Aim Is Crime

 Reference Books
Engineering Education
 Selection of books should be done with proper care, since
your success heavily depends on it.
 Market/library is flooded with books. So follow only those
books in which you are comfortable in understanding the
fundamentals
 Try to use your own books. Never take your book without
pen/pencil in other hand.
 Write what you understand/not understand on that book. It
will help you in next revision.
 Don’t write on Library books. Instead, first make a copy.
 It is better to solve/read a book twice rather than two
books once.
 Clarify your doubts from your teachers/friends. Help
others.
 Remember, having no concept is better than mis-concept.
 Revision
Engineering Education
 Close your eyes and try to recollect whatever you had studied.
 Do this very systematically, step-by-step and gradually.
 When you stuck, open your notes and look.
 NEVER try to remember a particular numerical problem.
 How many revisions?
 First revision: Immediately after the class (5 min)
 Second revision: Just before start of the class (5 min)
 Third revision: After a week
 Last revision: Before exam
 During Exam
Engineering Education
 Before going to exam, don’t talk with negative minded
persons.
 You must be mentally strong. Be confident. You must
concentrate on your task regardless of what is going
around.
 Start with easy question, that will give you confidence.
 It is a good practice to write summary at the end of each
question.
 Don’t loose your confidence even if you have NOT
performed well in one exam.
 If possible, use two coloured pen- Blue and Black. But don’t
waste your time. Make balance between speed and
accuracy.
 Between two exams, don’t discuss exam paper of previous
exam.
 Becoming a Professional

Professional = (Knowledge + Experience) X

(Ethics * Character * Attitude)
 Becoming a Professional

 Make sure to balance social, academic and

physical activities in your schedule

 Well rounded students are generally more

effective than students with a “one-track” mind

 Remember, everyone will “fail” at some point,

it’s how you respond to a failure that determines
your future success or failure
 How to Overcome Failure
 ”A life spent making mistakes is not only more
honorable but more useful than a life spent in
doing nothing” George Bernard Shaw
 We learn wisdom from failure much more than
from success. We often discover what will do, by
finding out what will not do; and probably he who
never made a mistake never made a discovery.
 Remember: Failure is first step of success.
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 Formula for Success
 Success=(Intelligence)×(Hard work)×(Attitude)×(Smartness)

30
 Line of Sight
 Broad vision
 Be inspired from others
 Interact with others
 Remember: Excellence is a journey; not
destination.
 When you achieve success, you will face
challenge and again you have to achieve
success. 31
 “Creativity” in Engineering
 Creativity is the cornerstone in any
engineering career
 For instance, you will be creative in designing
a new product (building, machine, …)
 You have gained knowledge and mastered
many techniques and thus you can create a
unique design (before you were unable to do
so)
 Creativity:
 Enables the engineer to compete well
 The engineer will achieve a higher income
 The outcome will be distinctive 32
 History of Civil Engineering
 Civil Engineering practices started at early times and
underwent patterns of changes

33
 History of Civil Engineering
 Engineering has been an aspect of life since the beginnings
of human existence. The earliest practice of civil
engineering may have commenced between 4000 and 2000
BC in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (Ancient Iraq) when
humans started to abandon a nomadic existence, creating a
need for the construction of shelter.
 During this time, transportation became increasingly
important leading to the development of the wheel and
sailing.
 Until modern times there was no clear distinction between
civil engineering and architecture, and the term engineer
and architect were mainly geographical variations referring
to the same person, often used interchangeably.
 History of Civil Engineering
 The history of civil engineering and architectural projects
is regional in nature. The development of building design
and construction are different from one place to another.
 A major reason for differences in the development of
construction techniques is the availability of local
materials.
 Although it is possible to import materials from great
distances, the historic reality is that people often used
what was easily available to them when constructing
buildings. This influenced architectural style and the
selection of structural elements.
 Of course climate also has an effect on the design and
construction of buildings.
 History of Civil Engineering
 The construction of Pyramids in Egypt (2700–2500 BC)
might be considered the first instances of large
structure constructions.
 History of Civil Engineering
 The Great Wall of China that was constructed
around 200 BC is considered another
achievement of ancient civil engineering.

37
 History of Civil Engineering
 The Romans developed civil structures throughout
their empire, including especially aqueducts, bridges,
dams, roads and colosseum.

38
 History of Civil Engineering
 The first self-proclaimed civil engineer was John
Smeaton who constructed the Eddystone Lighthouse.
 In 1771 Smeaton and some of his colleagues formed
the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers, a group of
leaders of the profession who met informally over
dinner.
 In 1818 the Institution of Civil Engineers was founded
in London, and in 1820 the famous engineer Thomas
Telford became its first president. The institution
received a Royal Charter in 1828, formally
recognizing civil engineering as a profession.
 History of Civil Engineering
 Civil engineering societies were formed in United
States and European countries during the 19th
century, and similar institutions were established in
other countries of the world during the 20th century.
 The American Society of Civil Engineers is the first
national engineering society in the United States. In
was founded in 1852 with members related to the
civil engineering profession located globally.
 The first private college to teach Civil Engineering in
the United States was Norwich University founded in
1819 by Captain Alden Partridge.
 History of Civil Engineering
 The number of universities in the world that
include civil engineering as a discipline have
increased tremendously during the 19th and the
20th centuries, indicating the importance of this
technology.
 The first degree in Civil Engineering in the
United States was awarded by Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute in 1835.
 The first such degree to be awarded to a woman
was granted by Cornell University to Nora
Stanton Blatch in 1905.
 Modern Concepts In Civil
Engineering
 Numerous technologies have assisted in the
advancement of civil engineering in the modern world,
including high-tech machinery, selection of materials,
test equipment, and other sciences.
 However, the most prominent contributor in this field is
considered to be computer-aided design (CAD) and
computer-aided manufacture (CAM).
 Civil engineers use this technology to achieve an
efficient system of construction. Three-dimensional
design software is an essential tool for the civil
engineer that facilitates him in the efficient designing
of bridges, tall buildings, and other huge complicated
structures.
 Modern Concepts In Civil Engineering
 Civil engineers use and develop modern technology to meet
the needs of our changing society.
 Concerns for environmental quality, energy conservation,
infrastructure restoration and public safety now shape the
role of civil engineers.
 The introduction of advanced materials, computer-aided and
communication-based technologies for planning, design and
management is changing the way civil engineers practice.
 In the area of environmental protection, civil engineers
continue their longstanding work on water and waste
treatment and management for growing urban populations
and industries, but today they also focus on areas such as
ecosystem restoration, waste reduction, recycling and air
pollution abatement.
Introduction to Ethics

 Etymologically the term “ethics” correspond to the Greek word “ethos” which
means character, habit, customs, ways of behavior, etc. Ethics is also called
“moral philosophy”. The word “moral” comes from Latin word “mores” which
signifies customs, character, behavior, etc. Thus ethics may be defined as the
systematic study of human actions from the point of view of their rightfulness or
wrongfulness, as means for the attainment of the ultimate happiness.
 It is the reflective study of what is good or bad in that part of human conduct
for which human has some personal responsibility. In simple words ethics
refers to what is good and the way to get it, and what is bad and how to avoid it.
It refers to what ought to be done to achieve what is good and what ought not
to be done to avoid what is evil.
Ethics and Professionalism

 Engineers create products and processes to improve food production, shelter, energy,
communication, transportation, health, and protection against natural calamities—and to
enhance the convenience and beauty of our everyday lives.
 They make possible spectacular human triumphs once only dreamed of in myth and science
fiction. Almost a century and a half ago in From the Earth to the Moon, Jules Verne
imagined American space travelers being launched from Florida, circling the moon, and
returning to splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
 Introduction to Engineering Ethics

 Ethics involves appreciating the vast positive dimensions of engineering that so deeply enrich our
lives. To cite only a few examples, each of us benefits from the top 20 engineering achievements of
the twentieth century, as identified by the National Academy of Engineering:
 Electrification, automobiles, airplanes, water supply and distribution, electronics, radio and
television, agricultural mechanization, computers, telephones, air-conditioning and refrigeration,
highways, spacecrafts, Internet, imaging technologies in medicine and elsewhere, household
appliances, health technologies, petrochemical technologies, laser and fiber optics, nuclear
technologies, and high-performance materials

Ethics and Excellence in Engineering

Moral values are embedded in engineering projects as standards of excellence, not “tacked on” as
external burdens.
Ethics and Excellence in Engineering

In combining myriad design goals and constraints, engineering projects integrate multiple
moral values connected with those goals and constraints—for example, safety, efficiency,
respect for persons, and respect for the environment.

As elsewhere, moral values are myriad, and they can give rise to ethical dilemmas:
situations in which moral reasons come into conflict, or in which the applications of moral
values are problematic, and it is not immediately obvious what should be done. The moral
reasons might be obligations, rights, goods, ideals, or other moral considerations.
Ethics and Excellence in Engineering

 Technical skill and morally good judgment need to go together in solving ethical
dilemmas, and, in general, in making moral choices. So do competence and
conscientiousness, creativity and good character.
 These combinations were identified by the ancient Greeks, whose word arete translates
into English as “excellence” or as “virtue.” In engineering, as in other professions,
excellence and ethics go together—for the most part and in the long run.
Micro and Macro Issues

 Micro issues concern the decisions made by individuals and companies in pursuing their projects.
 Macro issues concern more global issues, such as the directions in technological development, the
laws that should or should not be passed, and the collective responsibilities of groups such as
engineering professional societies and consumer groups.
Progression of engineering tasks
( ideal progression, — typical iterations)
 Ethics is a science in as much as it is a set or body of reasoned
truths organized in a logical order and having its specific
material and formal objects. It is the science of what human
ought to be by reason of what one is. It is a rational science in
so far as its principles are deduced by human’s reason from the
objects that concern the free will.
 Besides it has for its ulterior end the art by which human may
live uprightly or comfortably to right reason. It is a
normative/regulative science in as much as it regulates and
directs human’s life and gives the right orientation to one’s
existence.
 Ethics is also theoretical and practical. It is theoretical in as
much as it provides the fundamental principles on the basis of
which moral judgements are arrived at. It is practical in as
much as it is concerned about an end to be gained, and the
means of attaining it
Ethics is sometimes distinguished from morality. In such cases,
ethics is the explicit philosophical reflection on moral beliefs and
practices while morality refers to the first-order beliefs and
practices about good and evil by means of which we guide our
behavior (e.g. music and musicology). However, in most cases
they are referred to as having the same meaning.
Ethics is not merely a set of ‘codes’. Ethics certainly deals with
moral codes yet one cannot identify ethics to moral codes. Ethics
is not primarily to restrict one’s behavior, rather to help one to
find what is good and how to get it. The obligatory character of
ethical norms derives from the very purpose of ethical enquiry,
i.e. to discover the most ultimate principles of explanation or the
most ultimate reasons why one ought to do anything
Scope of Ethics

 Ethics deals with voluntary actions. We can distinguish

between human actions and actions of human: human
actions are those actions that are done by human
consciously, deliberately and in view of an end.
 Actions of human may not be willfully, voluntarily,
consciously and deliberately done but all the same they
are done by human (e.g. sleeping, walking, etc.). It is the
intention which makes the difference between human
action and action of human. In ethics we deal only with
human actions
History of Ethics

Ethics is as old as humanity. The first ethical precepts were certainly

passed down by word of mouth by parents and elders, but as societies
learned to use the written word, they began to set down their ethical
beliefs. These records constitute the first historical evidence of the
origins of ethics.
In as much as it is the study of human behavior, we cannot really trace
the history of ethics. However, as a systematic study of human behavior,
we can point out how ethics evolved as a discipline. It is not that we
have first a straightforward history of moral concepts and then a
separate and secondary history of philosophical comment.
To set out to write the history of moral philosophy involves a careful
selection from the past of what falls under the heading of moral
philosophy as we now conceive it. We have to strike a balance between
the danger of a dead antiquarianism, which enjoys the illusion that we
can approach the past without preconceptions, and the other of
believing that the whole point of the past was that it should culminate
with us. However, we can observe a gradual development in the ethical
thought from the beginning to our day.
 In the Western Philosophy, the history of ethics can be traced
back to the fifth century B.C with the appearance of Socrates.
As a philosopher among the Greeks his mission was to awaken
his fellow humans to the need for rational criticism of their
beliefs and practices. It was the time when the philosophers
began to search for reasons for established modes of
conduct.
 Socrates, in demanding rational grounds for ethical
judgements, brought attention to the problem of tracing the
logical relationship between values and facts and thereby
created ethical philosophy. Plato’s theory of forms could be
seen as the first attempt at defending moral realism and
offering an objective ground for moral truths.
 Some of the modern philosophers who contributed to the great
changes in ethical thinking were Francis Bacon, René
Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz,
Benedict de Spinoza, John Locke, David Hume, Immanuel Kant,
John Stuart Mill and Friedrich Nietzsche.
 Further developments in ethical thinking in the west came
with Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud. Here we are not intending
to give a detailed analysis of their contribution to ethics.
However, the most influential ethical thought during this
period were the Utilitarianism, dominated by British and
French Philosophy (e.g. Locke, Hume, Bentham, Stuart Mill)
and Idealistic ethics in Germany and Italy (e.g. Kant, Hegel,
Nietzsche).
Method of Ethics

 Ethics, as a philosophical discipline makes use of the

methods used in philosophy. Thus in ethics, both the
inductive method and deductive methods are used.
Deduction is a process of gaining knowledge independently
of experience through pure logical reasoning. Deductive
reasoning begins with a universal or general truth and
leads to knowledge of a particular instance of it
Different Approaches to the Study of Ethics

 There are basically four different approaches to the study of

ethics. Tom L Beauchamp, in his book Philosophical Ethics: An
Introduction to Moral Philosophy presents them with the
following diagram :
 The non-normative approaches examine morality without concern for making
judgements as to what is morally right or wrong. They do not take any moral
position regarding moral issues.
 The normative approaches instead make judgements as to what is morally right
or wrong. They take a clear moral position regarding moral issues
 Among the two nonnormative approaches to ethics, descriptive ethics describe
and sometimes try to explain the moral and ethical practices and beliefs of
certain societies and cultures. This is what sociologists, anthropologists, and
historians often do in their study and research. In their descriptions they do
not make judgements about the morality of the practices and beliefs but simply
describe the practices observed in the different groups or cultures.
 Metaethics focuses on the analysis of the meanings of the central terms used in
ethical reasoning and decision-making. It attempts to answer questions of
meaning.
Importance of Studying Ethics

 Today, more than ever, the importance of ethics is felt at every sphere of human
living. The situation in the present world is characterized by an increasing rate in
crime, with no end to such increase in sight. Besides, the power of traditional
religions to inspire moral conduct continues to decline. Terrorism, civil wars,
industrial pollution, planned obsolescence, misleading advertising, deceptive
labelling, crooked insurance adjusting, unfair wages, crime syndicates, illegal
gambling, forced prostitution, high jacking, match-fixing… so many are the
prevailing trends!
 The study of moral philosophy or ethics can deepen our reflection on the ultimate
questions of life. The study of ethics helps a person to look at his own life critically
and to evaluate his actions/choices/decisions
 It assists a person in knowing what he/she really is and what
is best for him/her and what he/she has to do in order to
attain it.
 Second, the study of moral philosophy can help us to think
better about morality. Moral philosophy can help us to clarify
our moral positions when we make judgements. It improves
out perspective, and makes it more reflective and better
thought out. It can also improve our thinking about specific
moral issues.
 Third, the study of moral philosophy can help us to sharpen our
general thinking processes. It trains our mind to think logically
and reasonably and to handle moral issues with greater clarity.
Thus, ethical problems confront everybody. Nobody can really get
through life without ethics, even if one may not be aware of the
ethical principles. Consciously or unconsciously all of us are
every day making moral decisions. Whether we are aware of it or
not, the fact is that we do have ethical attitudes and are taking
moral stances every day of our lives.
Conclusion
 Ethics is the study of human behavior. It studies human
actions and judges them to be right or wrong. As a
philosophical discipline, ethics is the study of the values and
guidelines by which we live. In ethics we deal only with human
actions, those actions done by a human person consciously,
deliberately and in view of an end. In human history, the
origin of ethics and moral consciousness cannot be easily
traced back. It is the result of a long process of rational
development and evolution
 Ethics makes use of the methods of induction and deduction. Among the
different approaches to the study of ethics, the non-normative ethics (descriptive
ethics and metaethics) which examine morality without concern for making
judgements as to what is morally right or wrong and normative ethics (general
normative ethics and applied ethics) which make judgements as to what is morally
right or wrong are the most prominent ones.
 Although ethics can be regarded as a science it is distinguished from the natural
sciences, inasmuch as it has a direct reference to an end that human person
desire to attain. Ethics, however, is often said to be the fruit of all the sciences
since it ultimately perfects human person, by ordering all other sciences and all
things else in respect to an ultimate end that is absolutely free.
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