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PRINT Module For Ethics
PRINT Module For Ethics
DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN
EXISTENCE • In August 2007, newspapers reported
what seemed to be yet another sad
Ethics is envisioned by every individual as vital
incident of fraternity violence. Cris
part of their daily activities. In line with its ethical
Anthony Mendez, a 20-year-old student
frameworks, frequently, a person is influenced and
governed by their behavior; according to their of the University of the Philippines (UP),
beliefs, values, principles and standards as to was rushed to the hospital in the early
which it is considered as right or wrong. morning hours, unconscious, with large
bruises on his chest, back, and legs. He
Learning Outcomes:
passed away that morning, and the
1. Identified the ethical aspects of subsequent autopsy report strongly
human life and the scope of ethical suggested that his physical injuries
thinking and philosophy
were most probably the result of
2. Created a philosophy of life relevant
to ethical values “hazing”.
1. Rules protect social beings by regulating “Morals” may be used to refer to specific
behavior. beliefs or attitudes that people have or to
describe acts that people perform. We also
2. Rules help to guarantee each person
have terms such as “moral judgment” or “moral
certain rights and freedom.
reasoning,” which suggest a more rational
3. Rules produce a sense of justice among aspect.
social beings.
“Ethics” can be spoken of as the discipline of
4. Rules are essential for a healthy studying and understanding ideal human
economic system behavior and ideal ways of thinking. Thus,
ethics is acknowledged as an intellectual
discipline belonging to philosophy.
Kinds of Valuation
Ethics – is the branch of philosophy that
• Aesthetics – from the Greek word
studies morality or the rightness or wrongness
“aisthesis” which means “sense” or
of human conduct. Morality, speaks of code or
“feeling” and refers to the judgments of
system of behavior in regards to standard of
personal approval or disapproval that
right and wrong behavior.
we make about what we see, hear,
smell, or taste Descriptive and Normative
wrong actions, but those which might be how people, particularly groups, make
considered not quite grave enough to their moral valuations without making
A situation that calls for moral valuation • It refers to a situation in which a tough
can be called a moral issue. choice has to be made between two or
When one is placed in a situation and more options, especially more or less
confronted by the choice of what act to equally undesirable ones.
perform, s/he is called to make a moral
• What is common to,oral dilemmas is
decision
conflict. In each ethical dilemma, an
When a person is an observer making agent regards himself as having moral
an assessment on the actions or reasons to do each of two actions, bur
behavior of someone, s/he is making a doing both seems to be ethically not
moral judgment. possible.
When one is torn between choosing one
3 levels of Moral Dilemma
of two goods or choosing between the
lesser of two evils, this is referred to as A. Personal Dilemma
a moral dilemma.
B. Organizational Dilemma
Characteristics of Moral Standards
C. Structural Dilemma
A. Moral standards involved serious
wrongs or significant benefits.
Only Human beings can be Ethical
B. Moral standards ought to be preferred to
other values. A. Only human beings are rational,
autonomous, and self – conscious.
C. Moral standards are not established by
authority figures. B. Only human beings can act morally or
immorally.
D. Moral standards have the trait of
universality. C. Only human beings are part of the moral
community.
E. Moral standards are based on impartial
considerations.
o Duty
o Agency Summary
o Ethics
o Basic Assumption
o Deontology is derived from the word
deon meaning duty. It is a duty
based ethics which focuses on acts
and not in consequences. It is self-determination, self-rule, being your
expressed in 2 ways: Negative and own person, and self-governing
Positive o Autonomy refers to a general capacity of
o Basic assumptions are as follows: an individual
o No matter how morally good o Respecting autonomy means you have
their consequences, some to be accurate with the information,
choices are morally forbidden; communicate the same properly, and if
o What makes choices right is necessary persuade them with a firm
in conformity with a moral conviction
norm; and o Competence refers to a specific ability,
o The Right is said to have such as those involved in a performance
priority over the Good of a specific task
o Deontological Theories are the o Factors that affect competence are: a)
following: physical; and b) psychological. In moral
o Divine Command Theory problems the question of competence of
o Golden Rule the subject is always crucial
o Natural Law and Right Theory o Principle for Respect of Autonomy and
o Agency focused on the duty of the Competence are crucial in moral
moral agent (The person acting) decision making in ethics, and require a
rather than the right of the person great deal of thought
being acted upon (patient-centered
theories). It hay 2 types : a) Agent- Summary
Relative Theory; and b) Agent-
Neutral Duties
II. Autonomy
o Autonomy is a general capacity of an
individual
Words to Remember o Competence is a specific ability that
involve a performance of a specific task
o Both Principles of Autonomy and
Competence are essential in making a
proper moral choice
o (1) term or equivalent to a period of six
(6) years
o Autonomy
o Competence
o Morality
o Happiness
o Integrity
o Wisdom
o Respect
Topics
I. Introduction:
This chapter contains the essence of humanity that Culture and Ethics
appears to be the never-ending search for what it Saying: “when in Rome, do as the Romans
means to be fully human in the face of moral do” by St. Ambrose
choices. It clarifies several notions as such; the - implies that one’s culture is inescapable,
questions of what the right thing to do is and why that is, one has to look into the standards
are questions that all human beings – regardless of of her society to resolve all her ethical
race, age, socio-economic class, gender, culture, questions with finality.
educational attainment, religious, affiliation, or - James Rachels (1941-2003) – American
political association- will have to ask at one point or philosopher
another in their lives or neither the rules nor laws - provided a clear argument against the
of one’s immediate community or of wider culture validity of cultural
or of religious affiliation; and finally, reasoning - relativism in the realm of ethics.
which allows human to make the best decisions - Defines cultural relativism as the position
possible in a given situation of moral choice. that claims that there is no such thing as
objective truth in the realm of morality.
- Employs a “reduction ad absurdum”
II. Topics: (Acquire)
argument. It is an argument which first
The Moral Agent and Contexts
assumes that the claim in the question is
“Know Thyself” – Epimeleia hē auto
correct, in order to show the absurdity that
Ramon Castillo Reyes – Filipino Philosopher;
will ensue if the claim is accepted as such.
writing essay: “Man and Historical Action”
- Three absurd consequences of accepting
explained that “one is” is a cross-point - one’s
the claim of cultural relativism:
identity, who one is or who I am, is a product of
Cultural relativism was correct, then one
many forces and events that happened outside of
cannot criticize the practices or beliefs of
one’s choosing.
another culture anymore as long as the
- Four cross-points:
culture thinks that what it is doing is
- Physical – events in the past and material
correct.
factors in the present that one did not have
Cultural relativism was correct, then one
a choice in.
cannot even criticize the practices or beliefs
- Interpersonal – many events and factors
of one’s own culture
outside of one’s choosing
Cultural relativism was correct, then one
- Societal – “one who is” is shaped by one’s
cannot even accept that moral progress can
society.
happen.
- Historical – is simply the events that one’s
Ethics – should neither be reduced
people has undergone.
to one’s own cultural standards, nor should
it simplicity dismiss one’s unique cultural Pre-conventional
beliefs and practices. This pre-conventional level, whose reasoning is
Moral development – is a centered on the consequences of one’s actions, is
prerequisite if the individual is to encounter divided into two stages. The first stage of
ethical situations with a clear mind and with reasoning centers around obedience and the
her values properly placed with respect to avoidance of punishment: to a young child’s mind,
each other. an action is “good” if it enables one to escape from
punishment; “bad” if it leads to punishment. The
Religion and Ethics second stage of reasoning and learns to act
“Religious” assume that it is the according to what she thinks will serve her self-
teachings of their own religion that define what is interest; thus what is “good” at this age is what the
truly right or wrong, good or bad. child thinks can bring her pleasure.
Ramon C. Reyes – says concerning an Conventional
individual’s cross-points, one can see that the – This is the age in which older children,
reading or interpretation of a particular passage or adolescents, and young adults learn to conform to
text is the product of the individual’s embodiment the expectations of
and historicity and on the other hand, her society. The morally mature individual, for
existential ideal. Kohlberg, must outgrow both (1) the pre-
One must determine what justifies the claim conventional level, whose pleasure-and-pain logic
of a particular religious teaching when it locks on into self-centered kind of
commands its followers on what they thinking, an egoism, as well as (2) the
“ought to do” (whether in general or in conventional level, which at first glance looks like
specific situations). sensible approach to morality. The second level
Plato “ Euthyphro” – it is the pious loved by might, de facto, be the way that many (if not most)
the gods because it is pious, or is it pious adults think about morality, that it is simply a
because it is loved by the gods?” question of the following the right rules.
identifying the right thing to do. Instead, it is the serve as guideposts, given that they are the
condition of one’s character by which the agent is best attempts to understand morality that
able to manage her emotions or feelings. the history of human thought has to offer.
lifetime.
beings have toward the non-human world, that her choices in the end cannot
only appeared in the twentieth century. simply be a mere product of these
outside forces, but must be made in
a. Kantian deontology focuses on the
the spirit of freedom. Kohlberg
innate dignity of the human being as
teaches that one’s realization of her
possessing reason, it can be argued that
own freedom to determine her own
one cannot possibly universalize maxims
moral principles, free from all
that, in the end, will lead to an
convention, happens in a process of
untenable social existence.
maturity. An essential element in
b. Thomas Aquinas – states that certain
maturity is the realization that one’s
actions should be avoided because they
choices, even in the realm of ethics,
do not produce a harmonious, peaceful
cannot simply be a function of
society.
rational thought but are inevitably
c. Aristotle’s virtue ethics – pick up on the
shaped also by feelings. Thus, there
problem of such short-sightedness and
is the additional of cultivating one’s
ask how this can possibly lead to
feelings as well as one’s reason. The
becoming a better person
moral agent must be mature enough
A Closing that is Really an Opening to be able to cultivate the necessary
steps to ensure a sound, well-
In the end, there is only a
informed previous chapters, the
beginning.
morally mature agent will be able to
III. Summary
appreciate her responsibility toward
Making informed decisions in the
herself, her society, her
realm of morality entails first
environment.
understanding who one is, in order
to account for reasons that one
comes up with as the agent who
must choose in a moral situation.
Reyes explains that one’s self is a
cross-point of many forces and
factors that shape one’s choices but
do not dictate upon them. The
mature moral agent must
understand how her society, history,
culture, and even religion shape who
she is. She must also realize though