SUMMARY
CMM1501: ETHICS & LIFE
Contents
ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................................................................................. 2
DEFINITIONS ................................................................................................................................................................... 3
SU1 - Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... 7
SU2 – What is Theoretical Ethics? .................................................................................................................................. 8
SU3 – The scope of Ethics ............................................................................................................................................. 11
SU4 – Theological Ethics in the Family, Personal, Religious and Philosophical contexts ............................................. 13
SU5 – Theological Ethics in a Social context ................................................................................................................. 16
SU6 – Perceptions of the Bible and Ethics .................................................................................................................... 18
SU7 – Using the Bible in Theological Ethics .................................................................................................................. 19
SU8 – Classical Ethical Theories .................................................................................................................................... 20
SU9 – Modern Ethical Theories .................................................................................................................................... 26
SU10 – Criteria for Ethical Decision Making ................................................................................................................. 31
SU11 – Ethical Decision Making & Dilemmas ............................................................................................................... 35
SU12 – Moral Formation .............................................................................................................................................. 37
SU13 - Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................... 39
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,ABBREVIATIONS
c ‘circa’ (about: a certain time period)
BCE Before the Common Era
BC Before Christ
Approx. Approximately
ito In Terms Of
JC Jesus Christ
GHP Greatest Happiness Principle
HS Holy Spirit
AIC African Initiated Church
CE Christian Ethics
DE Deontological Ethics
ED Ethical Dilemma
EDM Ethical Decision Making
Eg For example
EP Ethical Problem
HC Healthcare
MF Moral Formation
NB Important
NT New Testament
OT New Testament
PHC Primary Healthcare
SF Spiritual Formation
TC Ten Commandments
TE Theological Ethics
TEE Teleological Ethics
THE Theological Ethics
VE Virtue Ethics
vs Versus
ZCC Zionist Christian Church
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,DEFINITIONS
Agape Love A Greco-Christian term referring to love, "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for man and of man for
God"
Agnostic Derived from ‘a gnosis’ meaning no knowledge. Agnostics are those who say that we can have no knowledge as to
whether there is a God or not
Altruistic Hedonism Seeking the highest good of others = the creation of pleasure for all people is the best way to measure if an action is
ethical
Anarchy Literally means ‘no rule’ – A situation in which there is no law and order
Antagonism An active hostility or opposition, as between unfriendly or conflicting groups: the antagonism between the liberal and
the conservative parties. an opposing force, principle, or tendency: Her plan to become an actress met with
the antagonism of her family
Antinomianism Any view which rejects laws or legalism and argues against moral, religious or social norms, or is at least considered to
do so. The term has both religious and secular meanings.
Apathetic Showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern
Apocalyptic A form of writing which was common during the period between the OT & NT. It uses a great many symbols and
obscures /hides the writer’s meaning. Such writings were common during the times of persecution when believers had
to hide their teaching from their enemies
Apocryphal Books In general use, the word ’apocrypha’ came to mean "false, spurious, bad, or heretical." Biblical apocrypha are a set of
texts included in the Septuagint and Latin Vulgate but not in the Hebrew Bible. Other non-canonical apocryphal texts are
generally called pseudepigrapha, a term that means "false attribution”
Atheism Derived from ‘a theos’ meaning no God. Disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods
Atheist A person who does not believe in God
Bible Standard 66 books (39OT + 27NT) regarded by all Christians as authoritative; not including the Apocrypha. The sacred
scriptures of Christians comprising the Old Testament and the New Testament
Black Economic An integration programme launched by the South African government to reconcile South Africans and redress the
Empowerment inequalities of Apartheid by attempting to compensate for land that was disposed from Africans and encourages
businesses to integrate black people in the workspace
Bourgeoisie A polysemous French term that can mean: a sociologically defined social class, especially in contemporary times,
referring to people with a certain cultural and financial capital belonging
c Derived from ‘circa’ meaning about. Thus, c 1380 provides an approximate date when something has happened in
history
Canon The total of all 66 Biblical Books (This includes 39 OT & 27 NT Books, but excludes the Apocryphal Books (Catholic
Christians include the latter)
Caritas The Christian love of charity
Celibacy The state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both, usually for religious reasons. It is often in
association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In a wider sense, it is commonly understood to only mean
abstinence from sexual activity
Character The mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual which is formed by the exercising of moral virtues, such as
kindness & fairness
Conduct The manner in which a person behaves, especially in a particular place or situation.
Conscience Inner moral knowledge that enables one to say “I know what I did was wrong.” Thus, a cognitive process that elicits
emotion and rational associations based on an individual's moral philosophy or value system
Conscious Being aware of what is happening around you.
Consequence Something produced by a cause or necessarily following from a set of conditions / actions / behaviours
Consequentialism A class of normative, teleological ethical theories that holds that the consequences of one's conduct are the ultimate
basis for any judgment about the rightness or wrongness of that conduct
Consumerism The theory that states people consuming goods and services in large quantities will be better off. Some economists
believe that consumer spending leads to an increase in production and economic growth
Context: Interpretation The contexts of Biblical interpretations of theologians and the influence of the times and circumstances in which they
lived
Context: Textual The textual context of a particular verse, the Biblical book or chapter in which the verse / section appears
Context: Type The cultural, political, economic & personal contexts reflected in the Bible
Contextual Theology A theology that emphasises the seriousness of the context in which people live = theology which has responded to the
dynamics of a particular context
Covenant An agreement which brings about a relationship of commitment between God and his people. The Jewish faith is based
on the biblical covenants made with Abraham, Moses, and David
Creed A set of doctrines / beliefs held by a particular group. Eg. The Anglican 39 Articles; The Westminster Confession of the
Presbyterians
Cultural Conflict A dislike, hostility, or struggle between communities who have different philosophies and ways of living, resulting in
contradictory aspirations and behaviours. The notion originates from sociological conflict theories and anthropological
concepts of intercultural relations
Cultural Imperialism The exercise of domination in cultural relationships in which the values, practices, and meanings of a powerful
foreign culture are imposed upon one or more native cultures
Culture Customs, rituals, art, music, language and cultural organisations of a particular society
Cupiditas The love of self, things and the world replaces the love of God as the primary priority in one’s life = Creature before
Creator
Deontological In moral philosophy, deontological ethics or deontology is the normative ethical theory that the morality of an action
should be based on whether that action itself is right or wrong under a series of rules, rather than based on the
consequences of the action
Deontological: Argument An argument based on moral norms and values (moral principles)
Dilemma Something that affects a person or group directly, to which they need to respond by making a decision and actually
doing something (practically applying the decision made)
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, Disposition A person's inherent qualities of mind and character
Domestic Violence Violent or abusive behaviour directed by one family or household member against another
Dominican A member of a mendicant order of friars founded by St. Dominic in 1215 and dedicated especially to preaching
Ecclesiastical Derived from the Greek word ‘ecclesia’ meaning the church
Ecclesiastical Traditions Various Christian traditions, Eg. Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, which can be sub-divided into other traditions, Eg.
Protestant = Baptist, Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, Charismatic, etc.
Ecumenical Representing a number of different Christian Churches. All Christians without reference to their particular tradition /
denomination. A stress on church unity and cooperation – literally, the whole inhabited world
Escapism Mental diversion from unpleasant or boring aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or
entertainment. Escapism may be used to occupy one's self away from persistent feelings of depression or general
sadness.
Eternal Forms (Plato) The immutable essence that can only be “participated in” by material, or sensible, things. Plato held that eternal forms,
though they were not tangible, were of a higher reality than material objects = the physical world is not as real or true as
timeless, absolute, unchangeable ideas
Ethical Dilemma A situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two courses of action, either of which entails
transgressing a moral principle = Ethical Paradox
Ethicist One whose judgment on ethics and ethical codes has come to be trusted by a specific community, and is expressed in
some way that makes it possible for others to mimic or approximate that judgment. Following the advice of ethicists is
one means of acquiring knowledge
Ethics A reflection on, or defense of, certain types of conduct
Ethics: Descriptive Describing ethical views / behaviour of different people without considering whether their views are right / wrong
Ethics: Meta Study of ethical language and meaning. Critical questions preceding & following ethical discussions
Ethics: Normative Believe that only certain moral beliefs / patterns of behaviour is right / wrong
Ethics: Theological [TE] Reflecting on what is right and good, making ethical decisions and becoming a good person (Christian Ethics)
Ethics: Theoretical Or ethical theory—The systematic effort to understand moral concepts and justify moral principles and theories.
Applied ethics deals with controversial moral problems, such as questions about the morality of abortion, premarital sex,
capital punishment, euthanasia, and animal rights
Eudaemonism The approach of Greek philosophers named after the Greek word ‘eudaimonia’ meaning happiness. They wanted to
know what type of life would result in happiness = A system of ethics which measures happiness in relation to morality
Evangelical Of or according to the teaching of the gospel or the Christian religion
Evangelical: Conservative Often conservative in both theology and politics
Evangelical: Radical Stress not only the salvation of the individual, but also the social content and implications pf the Gospel
Evangelical: Theology A theology which emphasises the message of the Gospel understood in terms of the good news concerning salvation in
Christ
Exegesis An explanation or critical interpretation of a text
Exegetical An exegesis is a critical look at a text. Exegesis comes from the Greek word for interpret and it's often used in connection
with the Bible. Often times, religious rules are based on an exegesis of a text
Fatalism The passive acceptance of anything and everything that happens to one; the view that human beings are powerless to
alter their own destiny
Fecundity The ability of reproduction = how much an action / deed will lead to more pleasure
Free Market Capitalisation The value of the company is calculated by excluding shares held by the promoters, insiders and government
Fundamentalism A form of a religion, especially Islam or Protestant Christianity, that upholds belief in the strict, literal interpretation of
scripture
Fundamentalist Someone who stresses the fundamental truths of the fails an insists on the inerrancy / infallibility of the Bible
Gender Another word for the ‘sexes’ or the genders male & female
Gender Studies Investigation of the importance and influence of our genders in terms of our self-perception, our interpersonal relations
and our social relations
Government-controlled The government plans and regulates all the economic activities centrally at a state level in a socialist economy,
socialism
Greatest Happiness (Also Utility Principle) Right and wrong are to be judged by the degree to which the action judged achieves the greatest
Principle happiness of the greatest number
Habituation Regular practicing of specific habits / actions over an extended period of time and thus getting accustomed to these
habits / actions = a form of non-associative learning in which an innate (non-reinforced) response to a stimulus
decreases after repeated or prolonged presentations of that stimulus. For example, organisms may habituate to
repeated sudden loud noises when they learn these have no consequences
Hedonism The pursuit of own pleasure = the belief that pleasure, or the absence of pain, is the most important principle in
determining the morality of a potential course of action
Hermeneutics The exegetical approach to an interpretation of the Bible or other literary texts. A study of the presuppositions that
influence interpretation and exegesis of the Bible
Hindu A follower of Hinduism
Hinduism A major religious and cultural tradition of South Asia, which developed from Vedic religion
Ideology A world-view to which a person / group is committed. Ideologies reflect our basic socio-cultural, political or economic
interests and they legitimate / justify our attitudes and actions (Eg – nationalism, capitalism, racism, socialism)
Idolatry Extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something (idols) or someone other than the Creator God
Interests A focus on personal desired (safety / social advancement) or social concerns (survival of our group / promotion of our
group’s access to power)
Intuition A form of immediate, inner knowledge
Intuitionism A view that some moral judgements are instinctively / intuitively known to be true
Knowledge Gaining information and understanding about Gog, people and things
Land Re-distribution Measures, such as the division of large properties into smaller ones, that are taken to bring about a more equitable
apportionment of agricultural land, including mining and industrial
Laws of Nature A regularly occurring or apparently inevitable phenomenon observable in human society.
The Law of Attraction and Vibration: Like attracts like, people attract energy like the energy they project
The Law of Polarity
The Law of Rhythm
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