Ethics and Religious Studies Basics: Ethical Frameworks and Religious Traditions
FoundationThis lesson introduces the three major ethical frameworks — consequentialism with its utilitarian aim of the greatest happiness for the greatest number, deontology with its concern for motive and duty, and virtue ethics with its focus on character — and surveys the core teachings of the religious traditions common in Hong Kong.
- Ethics organises everyday moral intuitions into systematic tools; every judgement needs reasons.
- Consequentialism judges by outcomes; utilitarianism seeks the greatest happiness of the greatest number.
- Deontology values the act and its motive, stressing duties such as honesty and promise-keeping.
文體小知識：人文議題說明文——介紹後果論、義務論、德性倫理三大倫理框架，並概述本港常見宗教傳統的核心教導，培養尊重多元的學習態度。
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1Ethics is the study of how we ought to act. In daily life we constantly make choices, large and small: should I lend my homework to a classmate to copy? What should I do with a wallet I find? Ethics organises these intuitions into systematic tools of thought, helping us explain why something is right or wrong rather than merely voicing a feeling.
2The first framework is consequentialism, which judges an act by its outcomes. Its best-known form is utilitarianism, which seeks the greatest happiness for the greatest number: an act is right if it brings the whole community more pleasure and less pain. This style of reasoning is common in public policy, for example when deciding how to allocate resources so that the most people benefit.
3The second framework is deontology, which holds that rightness depends on the act itself and the motive behind it, not on results. It stresses moral duties and obligations — honesty, promise-keeping, fairness. Even if a lie would bring an immediate benefit, deontology asks: does lying itself violate a moral duty? Is the motive a proper respect for duty?
4The third framework is virtue ethics, which shifts the focus from what one does to what sort of person one becomes. It values the cultivation of character: virtues such as honesty, courage, benevolence and temperance grow only through long practice. Facing a choice, a virtuous person asks what an upright person would do here, until good character becomes second nature.
5Hong Kong is a plural society whose familiar religious traditions include Buddhism, Daoism, Protestant Christianity, Catholicism and Islam. Their core teachings are introduced step by step below. Remember the ground rule of this subject: state each tradition's teachings accurately, without comparing or judging them, and respect the diversity of views within each faith.
1Summary 重點摘要
This lesson introduces the three major ethical frameworks — consequentialism with its utilitarian aim of the greatest happiness for the greatest number, deontology with its concern for motive and duty, and virtue ethics with its focus on character — and surveys the core teachings of the religious traditions common in Hong Kong.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
The study of standards of right and wrong and of how humans ought to live.
An ethical framework that judges actions by their outcomes.
A consequentialist doctrine seeking the greatest happiness of the greatest number.
The utilitarian standard that acts should maximise overall happiness.
An ethical framework judging rightness by the act, motive and duty involved.
An ethical framework focused on character and the cultivation of virtues.
A commendable trait of character, such as honesty or benevolence, worth cultivating.
Buddhist teaching that actions bring corresponding results; good deeds bear good fruit.
Islam's five core practices: declaration, prayer, fasting, almsgiving and pilgrimage.
The condition of many faiths coexisting with mutual respect.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: Ethics and moral judgementEthical thinking begins with everyday moral judgements. Whenever we say an act should or should not be done, we are already assuming some standard; the work of ethics is to make that standard explicit and to give reasons for it. A moral claim differs from a personal preference: preferences may vary from person to person, but a moral claim must offer reasons that everyone can examine. For example, in a class debate on whether to lend homework for copying, saying only 'I just feel it is wrong' is not yet ethical thinking; pointing out that copying undermines fair assessment is what opens an ethical discussion.
- Step 2: Consequentialism and utilitarianismConsequentialism ties the rightness of an act to its results: good outcomes make the act right. Utilitarianism is its best-known form, urging us to seek the greatest happiness of the greatest number by weighing total pleasure against total pain. The approach is influential in public policy, yet we should note that it can neglect the rights of minorities. For example, if the class fund covers only one event, a utilitarian would propose the option that the most classmates can join and enjoy — a sports day for everyone — rather than an activity serving only a small group.
- Step 3: Deontology, motive and dutyDeontology holds that rightness lies in the act itself and its motive, not in the outcome. It stresses duties such as honesty, promise-keeping and fairness, and holds that some lines must not be crossed even when crossing them would pay. In judging an act, we ask whether the motive shows proper respect for duty. For example, when a student picks up a classmate's pocket money, unseen and unrecorded, deontology still says that returning it honestly is his duty and keeping it is wrong in itself, regardless of whether anyone finds out.
- Step 4: Virtue ethics and characterVirtue ethics puts the spotlight on the agent's character: what matters is not only whether a single act is right, but what sort of person one is becoming. Virtues such as honesty, benevolence, courage and temperance grow into habits through repeated practice, and facing each situation also takes practical wisdom about degree and timing. For example, a student who cheats in every test and is never caught still damages himself on this view: each act of cheating hardens dishonesty into his character, and that loss far outweighs one set of marks.
- Step 5: The three frameworks comparedThe three frameworks pose three different questions. Consequentialism asks what consequences the act will bring; deontology asks whether it accords with duty and obligation; virtue ethics asks what kind of person it makes you. Used together on one event, the questions correct one another and guard against the blind spots of any single angle. For example, on whether to slip answers to a close friend during a test, utilitarianism weighs the effect on overall fairness, deontology notes that aiding a breach breaks the duty of honesty, and virtue ethics asks what the habit does to your own character.
- Step 6: Religious traditions in Hong Kong (part one)Hong Kong is a society of many faiths, and this subject studies their core teachings at the level of general knowledge. Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama, teaches karmic cause and effect and urges compassion for all beings, refraining from evil and doing good. Daoism, a religion rooted in China, centres on the Dao, advocating following nature and quiet non-interference, and values nurturing life. For example, the plaques and scriptures encouraging good deeds seen in local temples and monasteries reflect these emphases on compassion and harmony with nature — knowledge at the level of general culture.
- Step 7: More traditions and the principle of respectProtestant Christianity and Catholicism share faith in God and in Jesus Christ: Protestants take the Bible as the basis of faith and life and stress justification by faith, while Catholics value the sacraments and the Church's teaching office, alongside a social teaching of care for the vulnerable. Islam believes in one God, takes the Quran as scripture, practises the five acts of declaration, prayer, fasting, almsgiving and pilgrimage, and values charity. State teachings accurately without judging between faiths. For example, writing that Catholicism values the sacraments is a statement of teaching; claiming it is superior to other religions crosses the line of neutrality.
5Worked example Example
Worked example: your classmate has not done his homework and begs to copy yours. Using the three frameworks — consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics — state the questions each would raise about this situation.
- Consequentialist angle: ask what lending the homework would bring — he may pass the present check, but he loses the practice, his learning suffers in the long run, and fair assessment is undermined.
- Deontological angle: ask whether lending homework to be copied accords with duty — helping another break the rules of honesty and fairness is itself a breach of obligation, whatever the outcome.
- Virtue-ethical angle: ask what doing this makes you — tolerating cheating habituates you to blur right and wrong, while sincerely urging your friend to finish the work befits both friendship and integrity.
- Combine: the three frameworks need not compete — present each angle in turn, then say which framework best fits the situation, and the argument gains structure.
- Answer: The three frameworks raise three kinds of question: consequentialism weighs the effects on learning and fairness; deontology asks whether the act violates honesty; virtue ethics asks what it does to character. In answering, you need not force the three into one conclusion — framing the questions accurately and giving reasons is already a complete ethical analysis.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1What does each of the three ethical frameworks focus on when judging?
Q2What is the core claim of utilitarianism?
Q3Which five religious traditions are common in Hong Kong?
Q4What are the Five Pillars of practice in Islam?
Q5What attitude should we take when studying religious content?
8Recap Recap
- Ethics organises everyday moral intuitions into systematic tools; every judgement needs reasons.
- Consequentialism judges by outcomes; utilitarianism seeks the greatest happiness of the greatest number.
- Deontology values the act and its motive, stressing duties such as honesty and promise-keeping.
- Virtue ethics cultivates character, asking what an upright person would do.
- State religious teachings as general knowledge, without judging or ranking faiths, and respect pluralism.