PRELIMINARIES ON MORALITY

MORALITY = (in a strict sense), refers to that dimension of human existence whereby Man
confronts and/or finds himself and the goals of his existence which he finds himself oriented
towards.

Now, this vision (goal) demands exigency – a demand to take action in accord with the ideal
vision and goal. Moreover, this vision requires a fundamental norm in relation to which his life
and actions are judged to be either right or wrong, good or bad.

Question: Differentiate right and wrong, good and bad.

1. Right and wrong refers specifically to those which are morally binding (i.e., obligatory).
Thus, the right action is that which we ought to do or ought to have done. Wrong action,
on the other hand, are those which we refrain from or ought to have refrained from doing.

2. Good and bad signifies fulfillment, completion, perfection or not. It connotes conformity or
not with a goal.

That is why, some moral theories are considered to be “deontological,” because they put
more stress on the aspect of moral duty or obligation. Other theories are said to be
“teleological,” because they put more emphasis on morality as the attainment of Man’s
end, fulfillment and happiness.

ASSIGNMENT:

1. Research about the definition and the difference between “ethos” and “mores” (on your
notebook).
2. Summarize the main tenets of “deontological” and “teleological” moral theories in a 1-page
short bond paper.

The Concept of Value

What is Value (Pagpapahalaga)?

Value is that which corresponds to some need, desire or yearning of the human subject. Insofar
as a thing responds to a human need, desire or yearning, it is a value.

Moreover, value is sometimes used to refer to the qualities of a thing which makes it actually
desirable by man, or makes it intrinsically desirable because it answers a human need, desires
or yearning.

Values may also be differentiated into various senses or levels, depending on the on the different
senses or levels of human desires, needs and yearning.

(1) Sometimes, value means what the human individual actually desires.
(2) At other times, it refers to what a group desires, and thus prescribes for the individual
members as something to be desired.
(3) When applied to moral value, it means that which is intrinsically desirable, and thus what
should be desirable for all men and all groups.

The ethical or moral dimension of human existence is something which man is initiated into
by the life and tradition of the community. Born and raised within the milieu of a communal
life, the individual human being imbibes the culture of his community in all its aspect –
technical, societal, aesthetic, ethico-religious and the like. As he grow up in the community,
he is trained in the basic skills and eventually prepared for an occupation or profession. He is
taught within the family and thereafter through other groups or associations. From his natural
environment, he assimilates the aesthetic forms, tastes and styles of the community.

We see, therefore, that ethics or morality does not begin as an idea or theory of a moral
philosopher. Ethics or morality is essentially a dimension of man’s existence as a socio-
historical being. At this point, let us simply note that Man is first initiated into moral
experience and life by the community. Moral experience and life are part of the culture handed
down to man by society and history.