BUSINESS ETHIC AND VALUE : EVOLUTION OF MORAL AND ETHICAL THOUGHTS

EVOLUTION OF MORAL AND ETHICAL THOUGHTS
-ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
-RELIGIONS AND CUSTOMS
-RATIONALIST PHILOSOPHY
-CONTEMPORARY THOUGHTS

ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
-The Beginning of Ethical Thoughts
-Virtue Ethics
-Cultivating Virtues and Education

The Beginning of Ethical Thoughts
-The ethical thoughts Socrates and Plato are believed to mold the early principles of ethics
-Socrates' ethical thoughts are important in bringing out the correct insights and conscience in men.
-According to Socrates, the decision-making process goes through four levels to ensure an ethical decision is made:
--reasoning and deliberation
--reflect
--choice
--aware of responsibility
-Socrates added that a good person is a rational individual.
-In order to be a rational individual, a person's personality and character is important.
-Knowledge plays an important role in shaping and developing a person's personality.
-According to Socrates, ethical thoughts begin when we are guided by conscience.
-According to Plato, the foundation of being ethical is the understanding of what a good life is and what is right.
-He believes that evil is due to lack of knowledge. This means that if a person is aware of good actions and understands what a good life is, then he is moving towards being an ethical person. If he lacks knowledge, he will not be able to distinguish the right from the wrong, which could cause him to do wrong.

The ethical thoughts of Plato:
-knowledge
-nature of good life
-developing virtuous habits and mental powers
-guidance
-goodness

Plato also pointed out that men do not have a simple essence or form. They are made up of several elements with their own natural capacity and function. According to Plato, men have three main elements. They are:
-the power to use language and to reason (highest level)
-the spirited element or the emotional drives (intermediate level)
-bodily appetites, desires, and needs (bottom level)
----Tripartite Theory----

Virtue Ethics
-In the simplest terms, virtue is something good while vice is not
-According to Aristotle, the foundation of morality and/or virtues is the development of good character traits. This entails that a good person has virtues and lacks vices.
-So, virtue here refers to good traits or characteristics such as courage, fairness, and honesty while vice refers to bad character traits like unfairness, cowardice and vanity.
-Ethics of virtues based on Aristotelian approach stresses the importance of judgement, virtues, and the character of an individual
-In Aristotelian ethics, the meaning of virtue is excellence in life and the development of a person towards becoming a morally good person.
-Virtue is divided into two categories as such:
--intellectual - philosophical wisdom, understanding and reasoning, and
--moral - self control of bodily desires and temptations by reason or intellect.
-According to Aristotle, humans are looked at as rational social beings that communicate and are always in touch with the society. The character of a person is the combination of his or her virtues and vices. This is because the virtues and vices will influence how we react to situations and problems and how we make decisions.

Cultivating Virtues and Education
-"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
-Virtue cultivation and education is necessary to ensure that ethical decisions are made and ethical principles followed
-Moral virtues are portrayed through habits and behavior. So, to instill moral virtues, one has to learn the virtues and practice them
-Intellectual virtues consist of philosophical knowledge, wisdom and understanding. These virtues are instilled through education.

RELIGIONS AND CUSTOMS
-Islamic ethics
-Christian ethics
-Confucian ethics
-Hindu ethics
-Buddhist ethics
-Similar values in religions

Islamic Ethics
-Islam is a religion that was brought to the people of the world through Allah's messengers and Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) is known to be the Final Messenger
-It believes in the oneness, uniqueness, incomparability and mercifulness of the one god, Allah
-The Qur'an and Hadiths serve as guides to Muslim ethical codes
-The foremost requirements of being Muslims are belief in the five pillars of Islam and the six pillars of faith
Ethical values in Islam:
--accountability for own actions,
--helping the poor,
--equality regardless of race, gender and economic or social status,
--sincerity and honesty, and
--respect of others.

Christian Ethics
-Jesus first brought the religion to the people of the world through his teachings in the Bible
-Sources of Christian ethics; Pastoral ethics and Church ethics
-In terms of application, Christian ethics covers areas like family, marriage, economy, and politics, which aims at individual and social well being.

A few examples of good deed according to Christian ethics are:
--feeding the hungry,
--clothing the poor, and
--basically helping out other Christians.

Some of those negatively granted are:
--stealing,
--adultery,
--lying, and
--killing.

Confucian Ethics
-Confucius was born in Shantung, China in 551 B.C
-Confucius believed that spiritual satisfaction comes from harmony in nature
-According to Confucius, customs will never end and that a nation can be correctly guided only by customs, not by knowledge
-Confucius did not differentiate customs, morality and justice because he saw the three as having a clear common root
-Everything that is natural has its own place, role and importance and nothing can deny it
-Human relations are based on values like love, respect, loyalty, sacrifice, and trust

Hindu Ethics
-Four Sanskrit Vedas are believed to initiate Hinduism. The word Hindu is of ancient Persian origin
-Three main ethical concepts:

Dharma
duty to perform an action, carry out responsibilities without thinking about personal rewards. Work taken as sacred

Unpanishad
means to sacrifice for the organization/others

Karma
action will incur reaction
do good~ get rewards
do bad~ get punishment

Buddhist Ethics
Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha, which means the Enlightened
Ethics principles:
The Four Noble Truths:
concerns sufferings and the cessation of desire

The Noble Eightfold Path
concerns morality, meditation and wisdom

The Precept
refraining five things: causing injury; sexual immorality; falsehood; alcohol indulgence; stealing

The Four Noble Truths:
life is a suffering,
suffering is due to attachment
attachment can be overcome
there is a path for overcoming the attachment,

The Noble Eightfold Path:
Right View
Right Aspiration
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration.

Similar Values in Religions
-Support Good Ethics
-Be Responsible
-Uphold Justice
-Sustaining Human Relationships

RATIONALIST PHILOSOPHY
=Human thinking and reasoning are the bases for arriving at truth and in the same breath, right and wrong actions
=Rational theories:
Ethical Egoism - advocates individualistic decision-making
Utilitarian Principle - considers right and wrong actions based on the net benefits that the action brings to the society after taking into account the evaluation of all parties affected by the decision in terms of benefits and costs
Kantian Theory - we should carry out moral actions because it is our duty to do so and not because we want or are inclined to, or because the benefits outweigh the costs

CONTEMPORARY THOUGHTS
John Rawls - considered rights and obligations in his consequentialist theory of justice
Nozick - believed in the theory of entitlement, which partially says that everyone has the privilege to what they have acquired legally and justly
Ross - righteousness as important in fulfilling moral obligations or duties that are more urgent than others
Alisdair McIntyre - virtue or character is an acquired human quality that enables individuals to achieve happiness