Nature and Scope of Ethics — Revision Notes

⚡ 30-Second Revision

Reviewed 17 October 2026.

Ethical reasoning joins facts with values and duties.
Legality, custom and ethical justification answer different questions.
Compare genuine options and their effects on affected people.
A reasoned decision needs implementation, records and review.

2-Minute Revision

Test a proposed action in three ways: what duty or right constrains it, what consequences it is likely to produce, and what quality of character or judgement it displays. These lenses can reinforce one another or expose a genuine conflict.

In a hypothetical benefit case, a compassionate motive does not itself authorise changing eligibility. Check whether accessible assistance or an authorised exception can address the need without favouritism.

Distinguish describing what staff normally do from judging what they ought to do. A custom may be common yet indefensible. End an ethics answer with a reasoned action, its limits and a way to review its effects; naming values alone does not resolve the case.

5-Minute Revision

Retrieval exercise

Allocate ten vehicles among twelve hypothetical villages. State one relevant fact, one value and one duty. Compare an urgency rule with a lottery, explaining when each could be defensible. Finish with the information needed to revise the allocation if circumstances change. Check that the chosen principle would apply to an unfamiliar applicant in the same position.

Vyyuha Quick Recall

FVDCR: Facts, Values, Duties, Choice, Review.