Understanding Morality: Key Concepts and Ethical Theories
An emergency involuntary impulse drives us to perform an action. Simple feelings are positive or negative attitudes towards others. Right reason allows us to use our intelligence to anticipate the consequences of our actions. Willpower is how we make decisions and effectively carry them out. Personal practice is the kind of person we are. Temperament is the psychological component of personality. Character is typical of the way we think and act. Self is the image we have of ourselves. Socialization and maturation are the phases of training that help a child become a competent person. A principle is a highly regarded standard or rule of conduct that we usually follow. Act relationships are the relationships we have with other people we know directly. Respect is the consideration we must show towards others. Ethics is a set of moral rules of conduct that guide us; many times, this word is used as a synonym for moral but in a more self-reflective sense. Validity refers to theoretical consistency and practical morality. Moral intuition is a sense loaded with emotional nuances. Moral reasoning is an argument that allows us to evaluate behaviors positively or negatively. Ethical theory is a systematic exposition of the principles and criteria that justify moral behavior. A humanistic perspective is the view that the pattern of moral validity stems from human nature. Moral philosophers are thinkers dealing with substantiating the validity and consistency of morality. Happiness is one of the many satisfactory ways of living to which we aspire. Hedonism is an ethical theory according to which happiness consists in the enjoyment of pleasure and pain avoidance. Utilitarian ethic is a doctrine whose guiding principle is to seek the greatest good for the greatest number of potential individuals who can develop skills through self-realization. Self-realization is the deployment and realization of our potential in its highest degree. A motivational factor prompts us to act in one way or another. Needs are the most basic purpose in life that are a precondition to all others.
Stoic ethical theory dictates that we must act in accordance with reason. Moral obligation is the duty which reason dictates to us and our willingness to assume the duty. Ethics regards the duty of respect for human dignity as the supreme moral criterion for action. The inviolable value of all human beings is respect. We give special consideration to certain realities for the value they embody. Moral habit is acquired through regular performances according to some moral standard. A sense of duty is the feeling of obligation accompanying autonomy. Consciousness is the ability to govern ourselves according to definite moral standards. Heteronomy is the condition for moral standards. Individual ethics addresses the individual’s actions in relation to itself. Social ethics is a broad field of reflection on moral reality. Moral commitment is the support that everyone feels obliged to give. A moral requirement is dependent on the consciousness of the universal ethical person, which is valid for all mankind and which states that any human being has certain inalienable rights by virtue of being a person.
A democratic political regime is one in which power comes from the people. State sovereignty is the supreme political power of the state. Government is the governing body and political power in democracies, according to the division of powers, assumes the executive power. Tolerance is the attitude of acceptance towards those who have different beliefs. The rights of minorities are recognized in a democracy. Human rights are the basic rights that every human being has. Universal suffrage is the right of all citizens to participate by voting. Politics is the executive power that heads the legislative parliament. The judiciary applies the law. Justice is the value that is inspired by the principle of equity.