An etymological analysis of the word “ethics” suggests that the term “ethics” comes from the ancient Greek word “ethos”, which meant “custom”, “temperament”, “character”. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) from the term “ethos” formed the adjective “ethicos” - ethical. He identified two types of virtues: ethical and intellectual. Aristotle included such positive qualities of human character as courage, moderation, generosity, etc. as ethical virtues. He called ethics the science that studies these virtues. Later, ethics was assigned to designate the content of the science of morality. Thus, the term "ethics" originated in the 4th century BC.
The term “morality” originated in the conditions of Ancient Rome, where in the Latin language there was a word similar to the ancient Greek “ethos” and this word is “mos”, meaning “character”, “custom”, that is, almost the same as the ancient Greek word “ethos” " Roman philosophers and among them Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) formed the adjective “moralis” from the term “mos”, and from it then the term “moralitas” - morality. By etymological origin, the ancient Greek term “ethics” and the Latin “morality” are the same.
The term "morality" comes from the ancient Slavic language, where it comes from the term "mores", denoting customs established among the people. In Russia, the word “morality” in terms of its use in print is defined in the “Dictionary of the Russian Academy”, published in 1793, 2 p. 43.
Thus, etymologically, the terms “ethics”, “morality” and “morality” arose in different languages and at different times, but mean a single concept - “character”, “custom”. In the course of the use of these terms, the word “ethics” began to denote the science of morality and morality, and the words “morality” and “morality” began to denote the subject of the study of ethics as a science. In ordinary usage, these three words can be used as identical. For example, they talk about the ethics of a teacher, meaning his morality, that is, his fulfillment of certain moral requirements and norms. Instead of the expression " moral standards“The expression “ethical standards” is usually used.
Let's consider the relationship between ethics and morality. It is well known that the words “ethics” and “morality” are close in meaning, interchangeable, and the lack of a clear distinction between them does not lead to any significant misunderstandings in ordinary communication. But in a specialized philosophical and scientific context, the need for a clear distinction between ethics and morality is due to the general orientation of theoretical consciousness to give key terms the most precise and individual meaning possible.
“Ethics” from the moment of its appearance (Aristotle’s “Ethics”) was understood as a special specialized, rational-reflective, mental activity within the existing “ethos”, and the activity is not just cognitive (i.e., describing and explaining real morals), but also critically instructive, or value-oriented, to use later terminology; in this case, evaluative dichotomies such as “good - bad”, “virtuous - vicious”, “fair - unfair”, etc. were used. Actually, “morality” was initially associated with norms, assessments, principles, maxims expressed in these concepts; however, if for “morality” these specific norms, ideals, etc., formed in the structure of ethos and regulating to a certain extent human behavior, constituted its very body, then “ethics” developed precisely as a special philosophical discipline, as a practical philosophy, it operated with norms and ideals, built from them systems or codes based on a few common principles or sources, and proclaimed these systems as different, competing with each other life programs 2 p.164.
The rational meaning of the above statement consists, in my opinion, in stating the fact that the historical paths of ethics and morality have diverged over time: “ethics” still means practical philosophy, life teaching, i.e. preaching and defending certain positive values, denoted by the words “good”, “evil”, “good”, “justice”, “duty”, “conscience”, “honor”, “dignity”; the concept of morality has been narrowed and specified, so that not everything “good” and “ought” has the status of morally good and proper.
The traditional task of ethics - to be a “practical philosophy” - is realized by normative ethics, which “helps” morality in developing the most general concepts(categories), in the justification and assessment of moral values, in establishing their subordination.
A category is the basic concept used by a particular science when studying its subject. Ethical categories are the basic concepts of the scientific apparatus of ethics, reflecting the most essential aspects and elements of morality. The long history of the development of ethics, the variety of phenomena that it studies, as well as the depth theoretical developments- all this contributed to the emergence and development of a rich categorical apparatus. A feature of the categories of ethics is that many of them are words of everyday language, for example, “good”, “happiness”, “freedom”, etc. This happens because the subject of ethics is directly related to the life of people, with the meanings and guidelines that they are guided by everyday life. Let's look at some of the main categories of ethics.
An important and, in fact, basic concept of ethics is the category of “Good”. With its help, a positive moral characteristic of a particular phenomenon is expressed. Its opposite, expressing a negative moral assessment, is the concept of “Evil”. Naturally, positive or negative characteristics are given based on certain moral ideas. In modern ethics, good and evil are moral assessments of a particular phenomenon. They depend on a person’s social practice. However, previously, good and evil were perceived by people as real entities, taking the form of either a substance or a person (eg God, devil).
Along with the concept of good, the term Good is used in ethics. In everyday life, good is everything that contributes to human life, serves to satisfy the material and spiritual needs of people, and is a means to achieve certain goals. These are both natural and spiritual benefits (knowledge, education, cultural goods). Utility does not always coincide with good. For example, art has no utilitarian utility; The development of industry and material production is bringing humanity to the brink of environmental disaster. Good is a type of spiritual good. In an ethical sense, the concept of good is often used as a synonym for good, since good is a type of spiritual good.
Justice in society is understood in various aspects. This is a moral, political and legal category. In ethics, justice is a category that means a state of affairs that is considered as due, consistent with ideas about the essence of man, his inalienable rights, based on the recognition of equality between all people and the need for correspondence between an act and retribution for good and evil, the practical role different people and their social status, rights and responsibilities, merits and their recognition.
Duty is a moral form of awareness of the need for action. A person does the right thing voluntarily, out of respect for the ideal, the moral law and for himself. An important characteristic of duty is its connection with the volitional characteristics of a person, since in order to fulfill his duty, he often has to overcome numerous difficulties (both external and internal). Awareness of duty plays an important role in personal and social life.
A person’s ability to understand, critically evaluate and experience the inconsistency of his behavior as it should be is characterized by the concept of Conscience. Conscience is a kind of moral and psychological mechanism of self-control. Responsibility for one's actions is the main characteristic of a person.
The categories of Honor and Dignity reflect the moral value of the individual and represent social and individual assessment moral qualities and actions of a person. Close in meaning, they, however, have important semantic differences. Honor as a moral phenomenon is external social recognition of a person’s actions and his merits, manifested in veneration, authority, and glory. Therefore, the sense of honor inherent in a person is associated with the desire to achieve high appreciation from others, praise, and fame.
Dignity is, firstly, internal confidence in one’s own worth, a sense of self-respect, manifested in resistance to any attempts to encroach on one’s individuality and independence. And secondly, human dignity must receive public recognition.
The concept of dignity is more universal; it emphasizes the importance of the individual as a representative of the human race. A sense of honor causes a desire to rise in the social group from which you seek honors. Self-esteem is based on the recognition of fundamental moral equality with other people.
It should be noted that each category of ethics reflects a certain aspect of morality, and in general the categorical apparatus is the real moral existence of a person, its complexity, hierarchy. Therefore, each category does not exist on its own, but is in interaction with others.
So, the essence of any phenomenon is designated by certain categories. But a special place among ethical categories is occupied by such moral phenomena as Goodness, Freedom, Justice, Honor, Dignity, Conscience, The Meaning of Life, Happiness, Love. Their role in the moral system is so great that they can rightfully be classified as the highest moral values, since our morality largely depends on their correct understanding: our views, assessments, actions, 4 pp. 112-121.
Let's also consider the principles of ethics in this work. The principles of ethics in business relations can be represented as a set of moral requirements developed in the moral consciousness of society and defining the rules of human behavior in the system of business relations.
There are universal and professional ethics. Professional ethics regulates norms and standards specific to certain types of activities. This is a kind of code of conduct assigned to the type of relationship in a particular field of activity. Business ethics is professional ethics regulating the system of relations in business. It is based on principles and norms that will be discussed below.
We can talk about different principles of ethics in business relations, for example, pragmatism, expediency, and utilitarianism. But still, the following should be highlighted as basic principles.
These principles are present to varying degrees and recognized as valid in various business cultures.
So, in conclusion of the chapter, we note that ethics as a science examines what in life and in the world has value for a person, for ethical behavior consists in the implementation of ethical values. Ethics promotes the awakening of an evaluative consciousness. Ethical values, the meaning of which is revealed through education and ethical feeling, form a system, the basis of which is formed by unconsciously realized life values (the will to live, the need for food, sexual need, etc.), and at the top are the highest values.
In modern conditions new trend in the approval of collective forms of organization and stimulation of labor. On the one hand, scientific and technological progress and economic management methods create the necessary working conditions and incentives, and on the other hand, in production there are many factors that slow down the process of collectivization of labor and destabilize work collectives. These are also objective difficulties associated with different qualification levels of personnel, lack of training economic labor with the increasing attractiveness of the leisure sphere in the lives of people and their informal associations.
We must not lose sight of the fact that young people who do not yet have the proper qualifications are constantly entering production. social experience communication, who need to seriously refine their knowledge and work skills to the level of requirements modern technology and self-supporting mechanism. Quite often, a kind of “scissors” arises between what young workers can do and what the production team requires of them, and not only in technical and economic terms, but also in moral and professional terms.
Now the deadlines have been sharply reduced professional adaptation workers. Previously, it was possible to “get into” the rhythm of work for months, taking advantage of reduced labor standards, allowing products to be defective, and violating labor discipline. Of course, all this, as a rule, did not go unnoticed, but for the most part the team was lenient towards such miscalculations. Now, with self-financing, with a collective guarantee of labor and social discipline, the professional and especially moral requirements of the collective for young workers have increased significantly.
Many facts indicate that the involvement of young people in work is not a painless process. One of these facts is, for example, that some production teams working on a collective basis refuse to accept or are reluctant to accept novice workers into their ranks. They argue this by saying that young people who come out of school do not have a proper sense of moral responsibility for their actions, are undisciplined, show indifference to “uninteresting” types of work, are careless with raw materials, equipment, electricity, etc.
Making moral demands on employees is natural. New forms of production organization need to create a healthy moral and psychological climate. In such work collectives, production relations objectify in the human mind the need for collectivist actions.
Speaking about the pattern of increasing moral requirements for employees of the organization and stimulating work, let us draw attention to the fact that there is not only an increase in the moral claims of the collective towards the individual, but also an intensification of the entire moral life of the collective. How can this be explained? Costs for the capital-labor ratio of jobs are rising, vocational training workers, social, cultural and educational support, etc. All this dictates the need to reduce the period of economic return of the work collective, and therefore create a healthy moral and psychological environment in it that does not allow moral relaxation, focusing on strengthening everyone’s contribution to strengthening collectivist foundations in production activities.
Of course, not all members of the workforce meet such moral and psychological requirements. Some have insufficiently developed moral will, while others have not yet developed an appropriate system of moral habits. It happens that the team itself is morally heterogeneous, and therefore there are individuals or even groups in it that in crisis situations (for example, in case of difficulties associated with material and technical supplies, undeveloped technology) can create unhealthy moods, “opposition” to self-government bodies .
The implementation of the main moral principle - community for the benefit of all people - is most widely established in work collectives. At present, objective conditions are developing in these social units of society that contribute to the active use of socialist morality as a revolutionary creative force, giving this most important social function high efficiency.
Favorable objective conditions alone for the moral activity of work collectives are not enough to successfully overcome emerging objective and subjective difficulties. Improving the economy and increasing the spiritual wealth of people will not by themselves resolve moral problems. It seems that this will be achieved through overcoming a number of complex contradictions, for example, between the objective need of a socialist society to strengthen the role of the moral factor and its underestimation by individual members of society. The most difficult work lies ahead for the moral development of people, their skillful inclusion in the active creative and transformative activities of society. An important place in this process is given to the family, where the foundation of personality perception is laid. The role of the workforce is no less responsible. However, not every work collective can perform such a function, but only one that meets certain moral criteria, in which there are constructive conditions (they were discussed above) for the favorable course of this process.
Despite the fact that the moral sphere of a collective affects all aspects of its life, it can be distinguished as a special spiritual formation of the collective. This is done for the duration of the substantive knowledge of this area, which will help to identify a number of specific conditions and factors that determine the direction of the flow of moral processes in the team, influencing the characteristics of its various states.
adminThe social system of the 21st century presupposes the presence of a set of certain legal and moral laws that create an unbreakable hierarchical system of moral and state standards. Caring parents from childhood explain to their child the difference between good and bad deeds, instilling in their offspring the concepts of “Good” and “Evil.” It is not surprising that in the life of every person, murder or gluttony is associated with negative phenomena, while nobility and mercy belong to the category of positive personal qualities. Some moral principles are already present at the subconscious level, other postulates are acquired over time, forming the image of an individual. However, few people think about the importance of instilling such values in themselves, neglecting their significance. It is impossible to coexist harmoniously with the outside world, guided solely by biological instincts - this is a “dangerous” path, invariably leading to the destruction of personal appearance.
Maximum happiness.
This facet of human morality was examined and proven by the utilitarians John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham, who studied ethics at the US State Institute. This statement is based on the following formulation: an individual’s behavior should lead to an improvement in the lives of those around him. In other words, if you adhere to social standards, then a favorable environment for the coexistence of each individual is created in society.
Justice.
A similar principle was proposed by the American scientist John Rawls, who argued for the need for equalization social laws with internal moral factors. A person occupying the bottom rung in a hierarchical structure should have equal spiritual rights with a person at the top of the ladder - this is the fundamental aspect of the statement of the US philosopher.
It is important to think about your own personal qualities to engage in self-improvement in advance. If you neglect such a phenomenon, then over time it will develop into betrayal. A variety of changes that cannot be avoided will form an immoral image that is rejected by others. The main thing is to take a responsible approach to identifying life principles and determining the vector of your worldview, objectively assessing your behavioral characteristics.
When “understanding” the question of the meaning of moral principles and ethics in human life, in the process of research you will definitely turn to the Bible to familiarize yourself with the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament. Cultivating morality in oneself invariably echoes statements from the church book:
the events taking place are marked by fate, suggesting the development of moral and moral principles in a person (everything is the will of God);
do not elevate the people around you by idealizing idols;
do not mention the name of the Lord in everyday situations, complaining about unfavorable circumstances;
respect the relatives who gave you life;
devote six days labor activity, and the seventh day is for spiritual rest;
do not kill living organisms;
do not commit adultery by cheating on your spouse;
You shouldn’t take other people’s things and become a thief;
avoid lies in order to remain honest with yourself and the people around you;
Don't envy strangers about whom you only know public facts.
Some of the above commandments do not correspond social standards XXI century, but most statements remain relevant for many centuries. Today, it is advisable to add the following statements to such axioms, reflecting the features of living in developed megacities:
don’t be lazy and be energetic to keep up with the fast pace of industrial centers;
achieve personal success and improve yourself without stopping at achieved goals;
When creating a family, think in advance about the feasibility of the union in order to avoid divorce;
limit yourself to sexual intercourse, remembering to use protection - eliminate the risk of unwanted pregnancy, which results in abortion.
do not neglect the interests of strangers, going over your head for personal gain.
Any society has its own moral code, and each individual lives according to his own inner convictions. And also, every socially formed person has his own moral principles. Thus, everyone has a formed set of moral and ethical principles that he adheres to in everyday life. This article will discuss what moral principles are. How does it develop in a person’s mind and how is it reflected in everyday life?
To begin with, we should give the concept of what a moral or, as it is also called, moral foundation is.
Moral principles are the moral framework of each person or social group. The formation of such foundations occurs under the influence of any spiritual teachings, religion, upbringing, education or state propaganda and culture.
Moral foundations, as a rule, are subject to change, and this is due to the fact that in the course of life the worldview changes, and sometimes those things that once seemed normal become unacceptable over time, or vice versa.
In addition to moral principles, high moral principles should also be highlighted.
High moral principles are a moral standard of behavior, thinking, and worldview that every person must strive for.
Moral principles play a very important role in the life of any person, since thanks to them, human society continues to exist and develop. They make it possible to remain reasonable and not sink to the level of an animal that is exclusively controlled by instincts. It should be remembered that it does not matter whether a person is surrounded by family, enemies, friends or at work, one must always remain human and not only not violate personal moral principles, but also strive to overcome negative emotions, fear, pain in order to maintain high moral principles.
“Whether you help someone or not, many of you will agree that helping is good. The vast majority of people have an innate sense of morality.
Morality is important as the basis for a positive attitude towards each other. We try to adhere to the rules of behavior that we have established for ourselves, which determine what can be considered decent or indecent.
For example, take a look at these examples of behavior - are they bad, and if so, why?
Clean the toilet with your country's flag.
Having sex with a dead chicken.
Most people understand that this is wrong behavior, but we have a hard time explaining exactly why. Why does our moral compass point in this direction? Is it just a feeling or is there some guiding force inherent in our psychology? Is our moral compass a result of learning or is it innate?
Psychologist Jonathan Haidt, the author of these examples, believes that, to some extent, morality is an innate instinct. He found that people from different cultures have similar ideas about what is good and what is bad. He believes that all human communities rely on the same six moral principles.
Six Morals
1. Concern/harm. Our basic instinct is to care about other people's suffering and not to harm them. This moral tenet underlies altruism and helpful, caring behavior.
2. Freedom / oppression. Our sense of reciprocity rests on this moral principle; it defines our attitude towards justice and individual rights.
3. Freedom / oppression . It is the awareness that we have the right to freedom of choice and the opportunity to live not under the control or domination of another person.
4. Loyalty / betrayal. Patriotism towards family or community.
5. Authority/rebellion. Through this moral principle we show reverence or respect for leaders or traditions. It is based on our hierarchical nature: some members of our community are given greater power or given special status.
6. Purity/holiness. A moral principle based on an instinctive aversion to infection. The infection can be physical or more abstract - moral.
According to Haidt, these moral principles explain our attitude towards the previous two examples. The reason sex with a dead chicken is considered inappropriate is because it offends our sense of purity/sacredness as we experience both physical and moral disgust. Cleaning a toilet with your country's flag is wrong, as it offends your sense of loyalty to your community.
People often mistakenly accuse others of lacking moral principles. However, they may have no less moral principles than those who accuse them, but their attitude is based on different foundations. For example, a person who prefers casual sexual relationships relies on his moral right to have freedom of choice; and the one who considers this wrong is based on the principle of purity/holiness.
Main idea: Many human conflicts arise because people have different understandings of good and evil. For example, your partner believes that he has a moral right to freedom, so he returns home late; and you think that he should show devotion and spend the evening with you.”
Louise Dacon, Psychology. How to understand yourself and other people, M., “Pretext”, 2015, p. 133-135.
