Foundations of Moral Philosophy and Ethical Systems

The Evolution and Fundamentals of Ethics

All individuals act according to values, purposes, and interests. There are patterns of behavior that shape the character of each person; therefore, one must be careful with their actions. If one becomes accustomed to doing something, it becomes part of their ethics. For example, getting used to lying now and then leads to lying again without objection, which eventually leads to lying systematically.

Besides being habits, norms have a social dimension. Morality is a set of guidelines that dictate to individuals what they should and should not do, as if it were a habit. Morality does not choose what to do, but whether to assume it or not depends on the ethical individual.

Ethics appears when the individual leaves the group and finds their own way of doing things—their own way of interpreting the morality in which they live. Ethics makes the difference between doing something because they are convinced and simply doing it. The social dimension of morality is not chosen, but when one reflects on individual performance, they do so consciously from their ethics.

Ethics is, therefore, a branch of philosophy that reflects on morality, ordering what to do and asking why things should be done. There are two primary ways morality is experienced:

• Moral Implicit: This is where we all live. It involves doing something because we are commanded or by inertia.
• Moral Explicit: This is the questioning of the implicit moral order to live the life one chooses. It is a practice with a theoretical dimension that can educate individuals; this is ethics.

Kant and the Distinction of Ethical Frameworks

Immanuel Kant posed questions to include all philosophical inquiries and drew a distinction between formal ethics and material ethics.

Material ethics is based on interest, which is the subject of the action. It involves taking action to achieve something. If one wants to be happy, they are practicing material ethics. This framework does not focus on what was done to reach the end, as the end is all that matters. Material ethics bases the morality of the action on the goal pursued. The challenge is to find a way more consistent with our desires than the inheritance received. We must raise a critical view of received inheritance to find a way to live a life that is good for each individual.

Formal ethics is a kind of rational thinking which seeks to justify the action in the intention itself, not an end. It justifies the action itself. For Kant, moral action is not to be self-interested. The objective here is to do something because one believes it is right, without using others as means but as ends. This involves acting selflessly, doing things with a rational explanation and a deep conviction that one should do it.