An Introductory Ethics Glossary

As in most areas of study, especially about the creature called human, there inevitably develops a special language to express thoughts, ideas, theories, and the history of the development of such an endeavor. The list that follows is merely a useful introduction to an ethical vocabulary.

AUTONOMY - Self-governance: meaning being one's own person, without constraints either by another's action or by psychological or physical limitations. For a libertarian, the promotion of self-governance would allow all citizens to develop his/her potential according to their own convictions, as long as each does not interfere with the like expression of freedom for or by others. For many, autonomy requires being able, in the absence of controlling constraints, to legislate and to adhere to norms of conduct and to be able, voluntarily and conscientiously, to fix a course of action. In short to make choices and accept the consequences.

BELIEF - Conviction of the truth of some statement or reality of a fact especially when well-grounded in experience but not necessarily proven or tested empirically.

BENEFICENCE - A duty to help others further their importance and legitimate interest through actions involving the prevention of harm, the removal of harm, the provision of certain benefits humanely required, and the balancing of benefits and harms.

CODE - A prescribed system of behavioral principles or rules. A professional code includes guidelines for practice and a protocol for procedures and sanctions specifically applicable when such guidelines are not met.

COERCION - The act, process or power to restrain or dominate by overpowering or nullifying individual will.

COMPETENT - "Having requisite ability or qualities", often referring to the ability to choose or to act for oneself with consistency and in harmony with other choices, behaviors and known personal values.

CONFIDENTIALITY - The duty to avoid the unjustified disclosure of, and access to, formal or informal privileged information.

CONSEQUENTIALISM - A theory in ethics that emphasizes the value of the end or goal (telos) to be obtained by a prescribed course of behavior or by a series of choices made.

CONSISTENCY - The agreement or harmony of parts to one another or a whole, as in an argument or rationale.

CONVICTION - A strong persuasion or belief, often religious.

DEONTOLOGY - A theory in ethics which holds that there are certain absolute prohibitions which must be accepted to initiate moral discourse (for instance, truthtelling and/or full disclosure) . The "rightness" or "wrongness" of these is intrinsic and not based on any outcome or interaction. This theory evolves from holding certain ‘duties’ are necessary for a moral community.

DILEMMA (Moral) - A choice involving equally desirable (or equally undesirable) alternatives or conflicting values, each which may be held as more or less justifiable by applying various principles or theories of ethics and weighing the alternatives available.

DUTY - Is an action required by one's beliefs, status, profession, or occupation. [For the deontologist, the word duty carries a meaning more demanding than the prima facie value it represents for the consequentialist. A duty is an unnegotiable obligation unaffected by consequences. Certain minimum standards of behavior and interaction are required if an actor is to participate and include the other in the moral community - accepting the other as a valid, autonomous moral agent. These standards impose specific obligations or constraints that permit the other to be at liberty to act morally, and the deontologist holds that without these "duties", others would be seen as a means rather than as an end. Thus this standards is required to establish a moral community.]

FAIR ALLOCATION - The equitable distribution of goods and resources.(see Micro/Macro allocation below)

FIDELITY - Faithfulness in the discharge of duty or of obligations; allegiance to those to whom one is bound by relationship or honor; strict adherence to truth or fact; reliability; veracity.

GUIDELINE - A set of statements in the form of suggestions intended to help regulate and manage. Often simple restatements of policies, procedures, or rules.

HABIT - A behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure; shows itself in regularity or increased facility: in general, it requires no cognitive evaluation, no judgment or forethought.

INFORMED CONSENT: Consent obtained after disclosure of information regarding effects, outcome, or  harms of treatment particularly in the case of the relationship between a professional & a client (as in a doctor & patient) designed to protect persons from unknown or unwanted risks. Implicit in this principle are requirements that a person be:
     1) Free to choose: free from undue influence or coercion.
     2) Competent (and able) to make a choice.
     3) Fully informed of the costs and benefits, risks and hopes.
     4) Comprehending all information given.

JUSTICE - Giving one's right or due; the fair and equitable application of laws, rules and moral principles. Some would argue this principle also requires equitable balance and distribution of community goods and responsibilities.

JUSTIFICATION - The act or an instance of showing to have had a sufficient and compelling legal or moral reason.

LAW - A rule of conduct or action either specifically prescribed or proscribed and formally recognized as binding. Laws are typically enforced by sanctions and procedures administrated by a controlling authority.

MANDATE - An authoritative command, an order and an authorization to act.

MACROALLOCATION - Decisions made about how much of society's resources should be used for the production and use of various goods; priorities established for resolving conflicting claims for community goods and benefits.

MICROALLOCATION - Decisions made as to which persons or places will receive scarce goods and/or services.

OBLIGATION - Something that one is bound to do: as in a duty.

PATERNALISM - Acting in the best interest of the other while overriding or abridging his or her autonomy in spite of his or her preferences.

PLURALISM - A state or society in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious or social groups maintain autonomous participation in and development of traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization: the affirmation of more than one basic rule or principle.

POLICY - A defined course or method of action selected from alternatives, in light of given conditions, to guide or determine present and future decisions.

PRACTICE - To do professionally or to perform often, customarily, or habitually.

PRIMA FACIE - (Latin) This phrase refers to duties of certain kinds (moral, legal or professional) which are binding unless they are in conflict with equally compelling or stronger duties: in law this means legally sufficient to establish a fact or a case unless disproved; able to be set aside.

PRINCIPLE - A comprehensive, fundamental moral law, doctrine or assumption: a standard of behavior or conduct which may serve as a source of moral or legal justification.

PRIORITY - A preferential rating, especially one that allocates benefits, rights, goods or services, usually in limited supply.(see Allocation)

PROTOCOL - A code of diplomatic, institutional, or military etiquette and procedure.

RATIONALE - An explanation of controlling principles of opinion, belief, practice, or phenomenon.

REGULATIONS - An authoritative rule dealing with the details of procedure; a rule or order having the force of law issued by an executive authority of a government or hierarchical agency.

RULE - An accepted procedure, custom or habit: a prescribed guide of conduct.

RIGHT - A justified claim individuals and groups can make on others or on society. "Moral rights are rights that exist prior to and independently of any social conventions or legal or institutional rules" (Encyclopedia of Bioethics, p. 1507.),  these may be  FOUNDATIONAL PREMESES - e.g. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
TRADITION - The handing down of information, beliefs, ritual, values or customs by word of mouth, in writing or by example from one generation to another.

TRUTH TELLING - The accurate communication of information, which, in professional and personal relationships is of crucial importance for friends, customers, participants, or clients to be able to make rational, reasoned decisions.

UTILITY - Outcome, usefulness: the principle of utility asserts that one ought to produce the greatest possible balance of value over disvalue for all persons affected (or the least possible balance for disvalue if only undesirable results can be realized). The theory that ‘rightness’ judged by good outcomes is often called utilitarianism and was written about extensively by John Stuart Mill.

UTILITARIANISM - Utilitarianism is an ethical theory holding that the proper course of action is the one that maximizes the overall "happiness". It is thus a form of consequentialism, meaning that the moral worth of an action is determined only by its resulting outcome, and that one can only weigh the morality of an action after knowing all its consequences

VALUE - Relative worth, utility or importance: utility that satisfies needs and desires, often individualized.