Foundations of Ethics and Sociology

Understanding Ethics

Ethics derives from the Latin mos, moris, and the Greek Ethos, meaning custom. The Greeks believed that habitual action is what makes us who we are.

Ethics as a Science

• Theories
• Codes of conduct

Objectives of Ethics

• Individual happiness
• Welfare-basis:
  • Ideology, religion, common good
  • Moral Values: ideal patterns of behavior such as goodness, justice, love, gratitude, peace, equality, and freedom.

Five Core Ethical Rules

The five fundamental rules of ethics are:

• Do good and avoid evil.
• Treat others as you want them to treat you.
• Aid others and accept their help when you need it.
• Earn your living from your work.
• Live and let live.

Reason and Social Interaction

Rules of Civility

Rules of civility:

• Facilitate the treatment of persons.
• Contribute to a self-image.
• Have been used by the upper class as a sign of distinction.
• Can encourage hypocrisy.
• Can avoid conflicts.

Factors Influencing Personal Education

• Language: Impeccable conversational style, culture, prejudice.
• Appearance: Body, dress.
• Influences/Social Circles: Media, gifts and favors.

Introduction to Sociology

Defining Sociology

Sociology is the scientific study of society.

Methods in Sociology

• Empirical: Uses the scientific method.
• Theoretical: Collects existing knowledge about social facts.
• Critical/Positivist: Associated with figures like Auguste Comte. Argues that social facts must be investigated scientifically, without metaphysical explanations.

Key figures include Auguste Comte and possibly others like E.B. Tylor (though primarily anthropology) or early sociologists.

Major Sociological Approaches

Functionalist Approach

This approach, associated with thinkers like Talcott Parsons, suggests that people are different according to their cultures and is very close to anthropology and cultural relativism.

Functionalist Concepts

• Function: An observable consequence of individual conduct which affects the maintenance of the system.
• Social cohesion and consensus are key.
• Types of functions: Cultural, Organizational, Economic.
• Classes of functions: Manifest, Latent, Diffusion.

Structuralist Approach

This approach posits that society consists of structures that are maintained across cultures, though structures may be less complex in some societies than in others. It often coincides with Marxist perspectives.

Structuralist Concepts

• Superstructure: Determines ideology, culture, and politics.
• Infrastructure
• Social class
• Class consciousness: For Marx, it was very important that people understood their social class.
• Social mobility: Ascending, Descending.

The Role of Feelings

Hume's Perspective on Feelings and Ethics

According to David Hume, feelings are the nature of human beings and are therefore primary. This leads to an emotional morality, where ethics is based on the education of feelings.

Hume stated, "Reason discovers the good and virtue, but not the cause."

Friendliness is considered a core value.