**1. Introduction**

The origins of Greek philosophy mark the end of the mythological imaginary and the triumph of the *logos*, which devotes all scientific efforts to understanding the reality from a rational point of view. Its etymological origin, from the Greek *ethos* (character or way of doing or acquiring things) [1], reminds us that ethics is not a convenience issue but a matter of good practices in all spheres of life; a reasonable discrimination between *good* and *evil* and the responsibility behind this; therefore, freedom plays a fundamental role in ethics.

Let us recall that Sartre states that humans have the freedom to act in the different orders of human behaviour [2] and that Hume maintains a moral theory based not only on reason but also on sentiment and benevolence, the foundation of the human righteous disposition. Hence, moral attitudes make it possible to build a just society [3]. In addition, ethics studies what is related to human dignity, embodied in human rights and reciprocal duties, from whose adequate protection derives peaceful coexistence [4].

To be ethical means to act with common sense in favour of collective construction, a condition that occurs in contact with agents of socialisation such as the family and educational spaces. However, as explained in *Thus Spoke Zarathustra*, Nietzsche's superman does not accept supra terrestrial teachings but dictates his own will; that is, he decides his own moral code. Therefore, from his experiences, the human being questioned the norms, values, and principles—which constitute the transition to ethics: the ethics of a free man has nothing to do with punishments or rewards dictated by any authority, human, or divine [5].

The study associating ethics and education dates back several centuries. For Aristotle, phronesis was the wisdom based on the deliberative, social, and emotional skills we acquire when learning [6]. Therefore, the teaching-learning process of indisputable validity, becomes fundamental for its development. Higher education institutions, whose purpose lies in forming upright citizens with specific skills of their professional profile, must rethink the importance of ethics in its philosophical dimension and its implications in the academic sphere. In this sense, we must ask ourselves, what are the educational actions for developing ethics in higher education?

This research aimed to identify the academic actions that would allow the development of ethics in higher education, starting from a philosophical reflection on it and analysing its links with education. Our working hypothesis proposed that ethics should be considered transversal to the university's academic actions, making teacher training and updating indispensable due to the centrality of their role and the institution's actions when facing the difficulties of their implementation in practice.

For identifying these actions, the problem was addressed through an analytical review of documentary sources from a qualitative approach1 , descriptive-inductive in scope, with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design. The information was in books, journals, scientific publications, digital databases, and reports for 12 years (2010–2022). A total of 80 texts were reviewed, of which 34 were taken as references.
