Ethics lecture notes
Week 1 Lecture 1 Introduction
Ethics / moral philosophy = systematic reflection on morality, critical evaluation, ‘why is
something good or bad?’. As a discipline: theoretical, normative and practical science. Explicit.
Ethos or morality = ethos = custom / habit. The guiding ideals, attitudes and habits that
characterizes a person or community. ‘Something is bad by feeling’ = gut-feelings (based on
culture, upbringing, religion, gender etc) and biases. Immediate, pre-reflective response. Implicit.
Ethics Ethos. Influences each other. Systematic reflection on ethical rules and principles will
ultimately become part of our redefined intuitive sense.
The three main areas of ethics
1. Metaethics = reflection on ethics itself
o How should we think about ethics?
o Foundations, concepts, assumptions, e.g. what defines “good”?
o Is-ought distinction hoort bij meta ethics.
o Taking a step back:
What is the status of morality?
Are moral standards relative or absolute?
Are we egoistic or altruistic by nature? Etc
2. Normative ethics = Reflection on morality & moral behavior
o Seeks to set criteria to separate the morally right from the morally wrong:
what is the right thing to do? How should I live my life?
o Classical theories: Consequentialism, Deontology (Kant), Virtue ethics
o Contemporary theories: pragmatic ethics, ethics care
3. Applied ethics = reflection on morality, within a specific discipline, area, profession
o Concers the practical application of ethics in discipline like medical, psychological, bioethics,
animal, environmental ethics etc.
Moral relativism
Ethical principles, values and facts depend on the time, place and situation (Nothing is right or
wrong in or of itself)
Moral relativism = a certain action being morally right or wrong is relative to the
individual/culture
o Individual relativism (subjectivism) = how we should act depends on our personal
convictions
o Cultural relativism = how we should act depends on our cultural convictions/conventions
o However: is it possible to occupy a neutral position (stand “outside “an ethical question)?
~ Neill, chapter 3
Moral universalism
Moral absolutism = certain actions are intrinsically right or wrong at all times, in all places and in
all situations.
o Appeal to an external ground (e.g. God).
Moral objectivism = from inside: grounded in human rationality.
, o Actions are right or wrong independent of costoms, opinions, sex, race etc., but they are
dependent on situations or context.
o In a certain situation we should all act in a certain way.
Ethical dilemma’s
Ethics: about morals (values, norms, principles) & dilemma: conflicting contradicting morals: no easy
‘solution’, not only one opties, downsides to all options, not the same as a problem. E.g: freedom vs
safety.
Is vs ought distinction
David Hume’s law: we cannot derive an ought from an is. Moving from descriptions (facts) to
prescriptions (values, norms). But a fact alone can never give rise to a normative conclusion about
what needs to be done. Ought term are appropriate, healthy, legitimate (and normal).
Acculturation model
Acculturation = concerns the ability to become connected with the profession of psychology as well
as other professionals: becoming part of the (ethical) culture of psychology, the system of common
beliefs, shared meanings, norms and traditions of the profession.
Cultural maintence (=do we hold on to our personal ethics of origin or not?) + contact and
participation (do we embrace psychological ethics or not?) together determine the acculturation
strategy (= attitudes and behaviors towards personal and professional ethics and the relationship
between the two).
Personal ethics of origin / eigen waarden
Acculturation strategies Laag Hoog
Ethiek van de psychologie
Marginalizatie: Lack of ethical Laag Marginalisatie Separatie
/ psychologencultuur
awareness and appreciation for
ethics and morality in general, great
risk for ethical violations, alienation,
personal convenience Hoog Assimilatie Integratie
Separatie: Compassion can override
professional judgement, failing to
recognize their unique role as
psychologists, not in touch with the shared values of the profession,
acting on principles that violate professional ethics
Assimilatie: Rigid (strenge) conformation to the ethical rules and guidelines, development of a
legalistic stance, false sense of competence
Intergatie: Adopt ethical values of profession while understanding and maintaining their won
value tradition (does not mean no conflicts!)
o People who adopt an integration strategy retain important aspects of their heritage but they
also adopt what their new culture has to offer.
o ‘’Integration may best occurs when instructors and supervisors view ethics not only as a set
of prohibitions but also as a way to actualize students’ visions of what it means to be a
psychologist’’
Week 1 Lecture 1 Introduction
Ethics / moral philosophy = systematic reflection on morality, critical evaluation, ‘why is
something good or bad?’. As a discipline: theoretical, normative and practical science. Explicit.
Ethos or morality = ethos = custom / habit. The guiding ideals, attitudes and habits that
characterizes a person or community. ‘Something is bad by feeling’ = gut-feelings (based on
culture, upbringing, religion, gender etc) and biases. Immediate, pre-reflective response. Implicit.
Ethics Ethos. Influences each other. Systematic reflection on ethical rules and principles will
ultimately become part of our redefined intuitive sense.
The three main areas of ethics
1. Metaethics = reflection on ethics itself
o How should we think about ethics?
o Foundations, concepts, assumptions, e.g. what defines “good”?
o Is-ought distinction hoort bij meta ethics.
o Taking a step back:
What is the status of morality?
Are moral standards relative or absolute?
Are we egoistic or altruistic by nature? Etc
2. Normative ethics = Reflection on morality & moral behavior
o Seeks to set criteria to separate the morally right from the morally wrong:
what is the right thing to do? How should I live my life?
o Classical theories: Consequentialism, Deontology (Kant), Virtue ethics
o Contemporary theories: pragmatic ethics, ethics care
3. Applied ethics = reflection on morality, within a specific discipline, area, profession
o Concers the practical application of ethics in discipline like medical, psychological, bioethics,
animal, environmental ethics etc.
Moral relativism
Ethical principles, values and facts depend on the time, place and situation (Nothing is right or
wrong in or of itself)
Moral relativism = a certain action being morally right or wrong is relative to the
individual/culture
o Individual relativism (subjectivism) = how we should act depends on our personal
convictions
o Cultural relativism = how we should act depends on our cultural convictions/conventions
o However: is it possible to occupy a neutral position (stand “outside “an ethical question)?
~ Neill, chapter 3
Moral universalism
Moral absolutism = certain actions are intrinsically right or wrong at all times, in all places and in
all situations.
o Appeal to an external ground (e.g. God).
Moral objectivism = from inside: grounded in human rationality.
, o Actions are right or wrong independent of costoms, opinions, sex, race etc., but they are
dependent on situations or context.
o In a certain situation we should all act in a certain way.
Ethical dilemma’s
Ethics: about morals (values, norms, principles) & dilemma: conflicting contradicting morals: no easy
‘solution’, not only one opties, downsides to all options, not the same as a problem. E.g: freedom vs
safety.
Is vs ought distinction
David Hume’s law: we cannot derive an ought from an is. Moving from descriptions (facts) to
prescriptions (values, norms). But a fact alone can never give rise to a normative conclusion about
what needs to be done. Ought term are appropriate, healthy, legitimate (and normal).
Acculturation model
Acculturation = concerns the ability to become connected with the profession of psychology as well
as other professionals: becoming part of the (ethical) culture of psychology, the system of common
beliefs, shared meanings, norms and traditions of the profession.
Cultural maintence (=do we hold on to our personal ethics of origin or not?) + contact and
participation (do we embrace psychological ethics or not?) together determine the acculturation
strategy (= attitudes and behaviors towards personal and professional ethics and the relationship
between the two).
Personal ethics of origin / eigen waarden
Acculturation strategies Laag Hoog
Ethiek van de psychologie
Marginalizatie: Lack of ethical Laag Marginalisatie Separatie
/ psychologencultuur
awareness and appreciation for
ethics and morality in general, great
risk for ethical violations, alienation,
personal convenience Hoog Assimilatie Integratie
Separatie: Compassion can override
professional judgement, failing to
recognize their unique role as
psychologists, not in touch with the shared values of the profession,
acting on principles that violate professional ethics
Assimilatie: Rigid (strenge) conformation to the ethical rules and guidelines, development of a
legalistic stance, false sense of competence
Intergatie: Adopt ethical values of profession while understanding and maintaining their won
value tradition (does not mean no conflicts!)
o People who adopt an integration strategy retain important aspects of their heritage but they
also adopt what their new culture has to offer.
o ‘’Integration may best occurs when instructors and supervisors view ethics not only as a set
of prohibitions but also as a way to actualize students’ visions of what it means to be a
psychologist’’
