Definition of Ethics

Ethics came from the Greek word {Ethos} which means: (custom, habit,
conduct, character). Ethics is a complement to Aesthetics in the
philosophy field of Axiology.

Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that

involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right
and wrong conduct.

In philosophy, ethics studies the moral behavior in humans, and how one
should act.

And also ethics defined as "the science that approaches human actions in
forms of Right or wrong" and these actions are {Voluntary actions}.

Biomedical ethics (bioethics): is the study of medical morality, the moral

and social implications of health care and science in human life (Mappes
& Zembaty, 1991).

Definition of Nursing Ethics

• Tober (1965) defined ethics as “ a system of moral principles

governing the conduct of a nurse, his/her relationship with the patient,
family and society.”

• Cape B. (1974) defined ethics as “ a code of moral principles

governing the nurse’s behavior with his/her patient, friends and
colleagues”.

• Nursing ethics is a branch of applied ethics that concerns itself with

activities in the field of nursing. Nursing ethics shares many principles
with medical ethics, such as beneficence, non-maleficence and respect
for autonomy. It can be distinguished by its emphasis on relationships,
human dignity and collaborative care.

What makes an action {behavior} moral or not depending on?

1- The act itself-what it is.
2- The motive why.
3- The circumstance. All events surrounding the action e.g.: "When,
where, how, to whom, how often . . . etc."
Why Does Nursing Need Ethics?

• Understanding
• Explanation
• Forecasting
• Guidance
• Rationalization
• Providing a board for basic assumption
• Providing professional identity
• Maintaining coherence of purpose
• Enhancing professional communication
• Formulating legislation and regulation
• Developing curricula
• Providing quality indicators
• Enhancing management activities

Types of Ethics

Ethics may be divided into four major areas of study:

 Meta-ethics

- About the theoretical meaning and reference of moral propositions and

how their truth values (if any) may be determined.
- Meta-ethics is concerned with theoretical issues of meaning and
justification. It is the portion of ethics that centers on
the extent to which judgments are reasonable or otherwise justifiable.

 Normative ethics

- About the practical means of determining a moral course of action.

- Normative ethics raises questions about what is right or what to be
done in a situation that calls for an ethical decision.
- It is the study of human activities in a broad sense in an attempt to
identify human actions that are right or wrong and good and bad
qualities.
- In nursing normative ethics addresses: scope of practice of different
categories of nurses and, level of competence expected.

 Applied ethics

- About how moral outcomes can be achieved in specific situations.

 Descriptive ethics

- Also known as comparative ethics, is the study of people's beliefs

about morality.
- Descriptive ethics presents a factual narration of moral behaviors.
- It is the description of the values and beliefs of various cultural,
religious or social groups about health and illness.