What is ethics?Definition, Scope and Method

of Ethics

The definitions of ethics The word ethics comes from the Greek ethos which

means customs or habits. Ethics is also often called moral philosophy. The word moral is from the Latin mores which also means

customs or habits. Thus, ethics means the science of customs or habits of

society.

The definitions of ethics While morals or morality refers to customs, ethics extend to

mean habitual conduct or character. Morality deals with our reasoning and ethics with our doing. Ethics can also mean ‘the science of rightness and

wrongness of character and conduct.’

The definitions of ethics Ethics is also the ‘science of the highest good.’ It is the

science of morality. It is the science of the supreme ideal of human life. Ethics is the study of what is right or good in human

conduct or character.

The nature of Ethics It is a normative science. Normative sciences seek to

determine norms, ideals or standards, in this case, of human conduct and character.

It is not a natural or positive science but a regulative science.

It is not a practical science nor does it teach us how to live a moral life, rather, it merely ascertains the moral ideal.

The nature of Ethics Ethics is not an art. Art consists in the acquisition of a skill

but morality consists in an attitude of the will when there is no overt action.

Ethics is a science because it aims at systematic explanation of rightness and wrongness.

The Method of Ethics The physical and biological method, in which morality is

traced to the conduct of savages and ultimately to the conduct of animals which seek pleasure and avoid pain.

The historical or genetic method, in which ethics is thought to evolve from the crude customs of primitive people.

The psychological method, in which morality is deemed to be a phenomenon of human consciousness.

The metaphysical method, in which morality is deemed to be a revelation of the divine and is linked with spirituality and religion.

The Method of EthicsThe true method of ethics is both empirical and transcendental. It is both scientific and metaphysical.

Ethics accurately observes the moral phenomena, classifies them according to their similarities and differences and explains them.

Just as other sciences systematize judgments of common sense relating to facts, so ethics systematizes judgments of common sense relating to moral value, though supplemented by the metaphysical method.

The end of ethics The objective of ethics is to define the nature of the highest

good of humans or society. It is the basis of moral reasoning and the root of all moral

distinctions. Ethics attacks the basis of popular morality, purges it of

errors and inconsistencies, and places on a secure footing all that is valid and essential in morality.

Doing ethics: a craft and a skill Doing ethics in journalism must be both learned and

developed. Doing ethics in journalism is reasoned, principled and

consistently thinking about how journalists can maximize their truth telling obligations while minimizing harm to vulnerable sources and audience.

Doing ethics: a craft and a skill Doing ethics in journalism is about individual responsibility. Doing ethics in journalism is about accountability and

excellence in journalism

References

Sinha, J. (2009). A Manual of Ethics. Kolkata: New Central Book Agency (P) Ltd.

Black, J., Steele, B., and Barney, R. (1999). Doing Ethics in Journalism: A hand book with case studies. Third edition. Mass.: Allyn & Bacon.

Jimi Kayodejimikayode@gmail.comhttp://facebook.com/jimi.kayodeAdebola Adegunwa School of Communication,Lagos State University, Lagos, Nigeria