PROFESSIONAL CONUCT

AND ETHICAL STANDARD

CRIM 4
OUTLINE

⮚ Introduction to Ethics and Values

⮚ Introduction to Human Relation
⮚ Ethics in the Government Service
CHAPTER 1

Introduction to
Ethics and Values
UNDERSTANDING ETHICS

The word ethics is coined from the Greek word “ethicos”, or that which
pertains to ”ethos”, the English translation of which is “custom” or “character”.

Ethics is the branch of philosophy that theoretically, logically and rationally

determines right from wrong, good from bad, moral from immoral and just from
unjust actions, conducts and behavior. Overall, ethics establishes the rules and
standards that govern the moral behavior of individuals and groups. It also
distinguishes between right and wrong conducts. It involves honest
consideration to underlying motive, to possible potential harm and to
congruency with established values and rules.
MORALITY OF HUMAN ACTS

What do we mean by “morality of human acts?”

Morality of human acts refers to the goodness of the

badness, the rightness of the wrongness of human acts.
FOUR DISCIPLINES/ DIVISIONS IN
PHILOSOPHY:
1. Descriptive or Speculative – a discipline in philosophy that deals with the fundamental
question: What is the nature of reality? (Metaphysics)

2. Normative – a discipline in philosophy which is concerned with human values and how
individuals should act. It also posits the question: What is good and what is bad? Or
what is right action and wrong action? (Moral philosophy)

3. Practical philosophy – which studies the rules of valid reasoning and argumentation.
(Logic)

4. Critical philosophy – a discipline in philosophy which deals with our concept of

knowledge, how we learn and what we can know and posits with the question: What is
truth? (Epistemology)
PERSONALITY AND
CHARACTER
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PERSONALITY
AND CHARACTER
Personality is the characteristic patterns of thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique. It is
believed that personality arises from within the
individual and remains fairly consistent throughout life.

Character deals with how people think and behave

related to issues such as right and wrong, justice and
equity, and other areas of human conduct.
While personality shows what you are outside or what you are to
the world, character reveals what you are inside. As these are
directly related to a person’s attitude and behavior, most people
get confused between these two easily.
COMPARISON CHART

PERSONALITY CHARACTER
Meaning Personality refers to the A character refers to a set
range of distinctive of morals and beliefs that
personal qualities and traits defines how we treat or
of an individual. behave with others and
ourselves.

Represents Who we seem to be? Who we actually are?

Traits Personal and physical Mental and moral

What is it? It is the identity It is a learned behavior

Nature Subjective Objective

Expression Outer appearance and Traits of a person that

behavior of a person. are abstract.

Change May change over time. Remains same.

UNDERSTANDING MORALITY

Moral integrity is the only true measure of what man

ought to be. The most successful professional, is
nothing unless he too is morally upright. Thus, the
philosophers speak Ethics as the “only necessary
knowledge”.
 Morals are the prevailing standards of behavior that enable
people to live cooperatively in groups. Moral refers to what
societies sanction as right and acceptable. Most people tend to act
morally and follow societal guidelines.

Morality often requires that people sacrifice their own short-

term interests for the benefit of society. People or entities that are
indifferent to right and wrong are considered amoral, while those
who do evil acts are considered immoral.
ETHICS VS. MORALITY
Ethics and morals relate to “right” and “wrong”
conduct. While they are sometimes used
interchangeably, they are different. Ethics refer to
rules provided by an external source.

Morals refer to an individual’s own principles

regarding right and wrong.
Morals are the principles that guide individual
conduct within society. And, while morals may
change over time, they remain the standards of
behavior that we use to judge right and wrong.
COMPARISON CHART
  ETHICS MORALS
What are they? The rules of conduct Principles or habits with
recognized in respect respect to right or wrong
to a particular class of conduct. Morals also
human actions or a prescribe dos and don'ts.
particular group or Morality is ultimately a
culture. personal compass of right
and wrong.

Where do they Social system - Individual - Internal

come from? External
Why we do it? Because society says it Because we believe in
is the right thing to do. something being right or
wrong.
Flexibility Ethics depends on Usually consistent, although
others for definition. can change if an individual’s
beliefs change.
The "Gray" A person strictly A Moral Person although
following Ethical perhaps bound by a higher
Principles may not covenant, may choose to
have any Morals at all. follow a code of ethics as it
would apply to a system.
"Make it fit"
Origin Greek word "ethos" Latin word "mos"
meaning "character" meaning "custom"

Acceptability Ethics are governed by Morality transcends

professional and legal cultural norms
guidelines within a
particular time and
place
MORALITY AND HUMAN EXISTENCE
There is morality because there is man.

1. Man is the only Moral Being by virtue of the following

reasons.
a. Man is a being of action.
b. Man has intellect.
c. Man has will.
2. Man as an Animal.
3. Man as a Rational Animal.
4. Intellect compare with will.
5. Concrete Basis of Morality.
 UNDERSTANDING VALUES
Human values are most important in life. It is
important that people are and should be ready to
sacrifice almost anything to live with their values.
Honesty, integrity, love, and happiness are some of the
end values or destination values that human beings seek
to attain, practise and live with. 
 On the other hand, values such as health, money, fame,
status, intelligence, and so on are the means values or path
values which help achieve the end values. The end values and
the means values are also known as terminal values and
instrumental values respectively.

While the end values are constant, and guide us to achieve

the higher order goals, means values are temporary in nature and
help us achieve comparatively lower-order goals.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW
ABOUT VALUES?

Knowing our values helps us achieve clarity

regarding why we do what we do, and
accordingly stay on track and live a consistent
life. All our actions and decisions are affected by
our values. 
 Those who know their values and live by them become the
leaders of our society. Knowing our values helps us design our
life goals since we know what is most important for us today and
on an ongoing basis. Values are as important as competencies to
achieve our goals. Knowing others’ values is equally important to
understand their behaviour and the causes behind it. We can also
understand their decision making by understanding their values. 
 GENERAL DEFINITION OF VALUES
⮚ Values are the object of human desire and striving; they are also the
subjective assessment of a particular object insofar as it is good.

⮚ Values are our beliefs, those beliefs which we hold to be true. Thus values
inspire us to struggle towards our proximate and ultimate ends.

⮚ Values refer to things, person, ideas or goods which are important to life;
they enable us to direct, understand, and evaluate our lives. Thus, they
refer to our ideals and our principles by which we live. Further, values are
those which we approve, esteem, enjoy and prize.
PROPERTIES OF VALUES
1. Subjective – means that the existence and the validity of
values are dependent upon on the feelings or attitudes of
the subject.

2. Objective –means that the existence and the nature or

values are independent of a subject.

3. Relative – means that the values have intrinsic limitation

and imperfection.
4. Bipolar –means that values do not exist alone. They
always exist with their counter values. Thus, values are
either positive or negative.

5. Hierarchical –means do not classify values but

rather we rank them. When we rank values, we establish
order of importance among them. The closest meaning
of ranking values or prioritizing values.
UNDERSTANDING HUMAN ACTS
• Human acts are actions done intentionally, free, and deliberate
of a person. These are actions that a man properly master for he
does them with full knowledge and his own will.

• Acts which proceed from a deliberate freewill.

• A man is fully responsible with the consequences of his acts.

• Involves man’s responsibility and accountability of the results

of his/her actions.
A human act is also referred to as the human
activity of man as man by which he attains an
end he wants to obtain.
THREE-FOLD ELEMENTS OF HUMAN
ACTS

1. Knowledge – An act is done knowingly, when the doer is

conscious and aware of the reason and the consequences of
his actions. Knowledge is supplied by the intellect and it
directs the will to want the object it proposes.
2. Freedom – An act is done when the doer acts by his own
initiative and choice without being forced to do so by another
person or situation. It makes the doer the father of his acts and
thus, the doer is responsible for those acts.

3. Voluntariness – An act is done wilfully when the doer consents

to the acts, accepting it as his own, and assumes accountability for
its consequences. It is naturally inclined to the good, but man may
sometime deliberately choose evil.
 ACTS OF MAN
• Acts of man are instinctive, such as physiological in nature.
• These are actions done under the circumstances of ignorance,
passion, fear, violence, and habits.
• Acts that are performed by men without being master of them
through his intellect and will, therefore acts of man are
involuntary actions.
ACTIONS ARE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES
OF:

1. Ignorance
2. Passion
3. Fear
4. Violence
5. Habits
COMPARISON CHART
  Human Acts Acts of Man
FREEDOM An act is done when the doer An act is done willfully when
acts by his own initiative and the doer consents to the acts,
choice without being forced to accepting it as his own, and
do so by another person or assumes accountability for its
situation. consequences.

It makes the doer the father of Instinctive, such as

his acts and thus, the doer is physiological in nature.
responsible for those acts. 

Voluntary actions Involuntary actions

KNOWLEDGE An act is done knowingly, Without the proper use of
when the doer is conscious reason.
and aware of the reason
and the consequences on
his actions.

  Actions done intentionally, The loss of direct

free, and deliberate of a responsibility is voluntary,
person. hence, the power of will
might still be present.

  Actions that a man Force exerted on a person by

properly master for he does another in order to compel
them with full knowledge him to perform a certain
and of his own will. action against his will.