Rationale for the Course

Ethics is a fundamentally important aspect of personal and social life. Human beings are endowed with the ability to make practical judgements and decisions concerning realities which transcend the natural or factual order of existence. Such decisions are based on various factors such as inclination, education, insight, convention, influence, conviction and argumentation.

While a large segment of ethical reflection and action may be rooted in cultural, religious and legal traditions, the subject itself has been formally and systematically reflected upon in the world of academia ever since the inception of organized education in different parts of the world. The academic field of ethics has traditionally been hosted by the larger discipline of Philosophy, especially in higher educational institutions. However, ethics—especially applied ethics—has gained prominence in various professional fields such as health care, business, law, scientific research and public policy, and the subject may soon develop into an autonomous academic discipline of its own, very much like the social sciences developed autonomy from the larger discipline of Philosophy a few centuries ago in the world of academia.

There are two major aspects of ethics. One is the theoretical aspect of ethics, usually divided into descriptive or positive ethics (the “is” dimension of ethics, or the comparative study of regulative policies and practices historically and currently in place), normative ethics (the “ought” dimension of ethics, or the study of various ethical theories which propose diverse criteria to judge what is good and right) and metaethics (reflection over the nature of primary ethical concepts). The second is the practical aspect of ethics or what is commonly and even technically known as applied ethics. Applied ethics includes a reflection over both descriptive and normative ethics related to various fields of human action—personal, social, professional and institutional.

The contact hours of the course will introduce participants to several ethical theories and practical applications, which will be comparatively presented and evaluated. Further reading material and references will be provided, so that those who wish to pursue a particular school of thought or ethical issue may do so at their own pace, and when required, submit assignments which are part of the course specifications.