GE 8 – ETHICS

MODULE NUMBER 1

MODULE TITLE SCHOLASTIC ETHICS: WHY SHOULD I BE MORAL?

AUTHOR ALVIN A. SARIO, Ph.D.

OPENING PRAYER A STUDENT’S PRAYER BY ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Come, Holy Spirit, Divine Creator, true source of light and fountain of wisdom! Pour
forth your brilliance upon my dense intellect, dissipate the darkness which covers me,
that of sin and of ignorance. Grant me a penetrating mind to understand, a retentive
memory, method and ease in learning, the lucidity to comprehend, and abundant
grace in expressing myself. Guide the beginning of my work, direct its progress, and
bring it to successful completion. This I ask through Jesus Christ, true God and true
man, living and reigning with You and the Father, forever and ever. Amen.

MODULE INTRODUCTION AND FOCUS QUESTION/S

Why should I be moral? The question is tough and complex. One possible way to answer the question is to pose
another question, what is the aim of human life? I always think that the main reason why we exist is for us to find
meaning in our being. What is this meaning in our being is vague and relative and general, and the procedure to
do it is subject to many interpretations and even forms of skepticism. But our finding mission of the self is a
process, a series of becoming of being, I would say. I appeal to the notion of self-actualization ethics. We are in a
process to construct ourselves in such a way that we long and we intend to actualize ourselves towards our
fullness. Whatever that means, again, is subject to different hermeneutics of self, but as men try to go about it
and attain it, men are able to approximate and construct such notion of perfection and excellence. This can be
seen for instance in the notion of the care of the soul. To borrow the language of Foucault, it is epimeleia
heautou (care of the self), or that of the ancient Greeks as enkrateia (self-mastery), or that of Kong Zi as the
doctrine of 'jen.' The reason for the need to be moral is related to the notion of perfection and excellence in the
context of human flourishing and happiness. Every person is called to be perfect because his nature demands
completion of the reason for his existence. But this task is not self-directing or self-centering. To care for the self
is to take care for others. To feel one's humanity is to feel others' humanity. In this sense, all men drive
themselves to their fulfillment with the rest of humanity. Marcel and Buber may draw us to their notion of I -Thou
relationship, and even in Levinas in his 'face-to-face' encounter. The notion of oneself applies to all. It has a
universal form. There is a need to arrive to an objective set of reasons that would affirm personal moral
principles. It even calls for objective notions of good and bad. Since one cannot but to exist with others and that
these others are also looking for objective set of reasons to affirm their identity as human persons, men are to
find ways to a reconstruction of morals and ethics. Any notion of perfection of himself is also projected to the rest
of humanity. How to go about this is difficult to ascertain. One way could be in a form of dialectics. One has to
continuously converse with others and project his sentiments and ideas until the best idea comes out, or one has
to continuously project his 'totality' to the 'other' until a certain level of consensus is reached. It is through
dialectics or dialogue that things are clarified, common grounds are established, differences are recognized and
resolved, and a certain level of meeting of minds or fusion of horizons, to borrow the language of Gadamer, is
possible. One way could also be by following the maxims expressed in the categorical imperative of Kant. The
main point actually is that the need to be moral concerns not only the 'I' but also the 'Other;' in Filipino
Philosophy, the analytic of 'loob' and 'labas' relation. Regardless of the so many ways we put them, ethics posits
metaphysics and epistemology of our existence. It looks for an objective life of truth and meaning. I am pushed to
think that politics is one better form of ethics because the public life is not and supposedly should not be alien to
ethics. The value of justice, which is one of the objects of excellence and perfection, is greatly seen and
discussed and deliberated in the arena of politics. The main thesis of this whole discourse to be moral is to
consider this human world of ours to live a happy and meaning-full life, and that self-actualization a public matter,
 GE 8 – ETHICS

and therefore morality concerns the 'participation' of all human beings. Why should I be moral? The question is
tough and complex.

The idea of goodness can be justified by the concept of justice. Aquinas defines justice as giving one his due.
‘Justice is a habit whereby a man renders to each one his due by a constant and perpetual will.’ That due should
be defined and qualified with the idea of law. For Thomas, “law as an ordinance of reason, is promulgated for the
common good, as exercised by one in charge of society.” To make it objective, such law must conform to the
eternal law, which has correspondence with natural law, which is moral law, which is the basis of human positive
law. Human positive law must be in adherence to the eternal law. What is just then must be conditioned and
agreed to by law (of God and of men). In that sense, what is just is what is lawful and what is lawful is what is
just. There is harmony and order with the two concepts. God, perceived as authority, delegates to humanity what
is just, reflected through laws. It suggests that we need to give one what he deserves. In general sense we really
need to give to person what is due to him because that is due to him. But critically when can we say that what is
due to him is really and actually due to him and therefore must be duly rendered to him? There has to be a
certain set of criteria to identify, classify, and enumerate what is due to a person. As a general rule, we can really
say that giving one what is due to him is just. But the problem is the content of the concept due. Can we have a
list of what are dues to the person and when can these be given and the reasons for giving these dues to
substantiate such definition? Thomas qualified the definition by introducing the idea of law. Based on such idea,
what is actually due to a person is relative to the common good of society. The idea of the common good is
justified because it is an ordinance of reason. It has undergone the process of rationality. And to say that it is
objective is to appeal to the one who is in charge of society. The one who is in charge is taken here singly and
collectively. Hence, the notions of norm, tradition, and practices are a little help here. Since these norms or
tradition have endured the test of time and are based on certain rationality, then such law gains legitimacy. Of
course, for Thomas, the one who is in charge is God who is the Supreme Authority. The authority of men must
conform to such ultimate authority. Hence, what is due to man is based on the sets of law: from eternal law to
human positive laws, there must be coherence. The nature of due then is found in the Supreme Law Himself,
which is God. But what if there is a significant conflict between human positive laws and divine laws? What if
what is perceived to be due to a person is contradictory either to positive laws and/or divine laws? The question
that needs to be answered then is, must it be the rational men, as rational, who are supposed to define, identify,
and classify what is due to them and aligning these dues to sets of law rendered by society as just? Would this
lead men to incorporate their personal values to the values in the social realm? And would this not mean
contradicting their cherished spiritual values? How can we use justice to justify the necessity to be good?

Class Mode General Instructions

Online Class Please enroll in classroom.google.com (GE8)
Perform the designated activity
Use the learning materials uploaded in performing the activity
Submit the output as directed
The entire module is self-paced
Off-Site Class The learning material/s will be sent to your home thru a courier
Follow the instructions as provided in the material
Take note of the schedule and place of submission as provided
The entire module is self-paced

MODULE LESSONS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING COVERAGE

LESSON SUBTOPIC LEARNING OUTCOME TIME ALLOTTED

“I should be able to…”
1.1 The Ethical Question State the ethical question 3.0 Hours
1.2 Human Act: Determine the nature of human action 4.0 Hours
Its Nature and Modifiers Explain the principles on modifiers
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1.3 Norms of Morality Discuss the principles on norms of 3.0 Hours

morality
1.4 Determinants of Morality Elucidate principles on determinants 4.0 Hours
1.5 Special Questions or Apply moral principles in various human 4.0 Hours
Moral Praxis situations

STUDY

Hook

Activity 1:
Access the materials found below. Please choose one category (videos, articles, or creative work) for your
Process Questions.

(Videos)
1. 6 Hardest ‘Would You Rather’ Dilemmas Ever (Bright Side),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzmNoFnxu68
2. The Lifeboat Case (Just_V3-Justice_Version_3),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeZEvSMMRo0&list=PLH37By4v_fxl-VGRzq7R6yC4-uSihxAHK
3. A Moral Dilemma, What Would You Do, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8hcK2fwZq4
4. The Morality Dilemma (Freethinkers Colloquy), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LsiVOfZ-OY
5. Life Changing Road (PerfectShotPictures), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX1G6z-P454
6. “What are the World’s Biggest Problems?” You may also download (and save) this video (3:34 minutes)
from youtube.com with the link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY9nxG2ZQ7w
7. “The Crisis Going On Right Now, That You are Not Being Told about” You may also download (and
save) this video (3:34 minutes) from youtube.com with the link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Mr04Go9a5j4
8. I Believe In You (Michael Buble), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94MHIeeGwys
9. Choice (Jollibee Studios),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=KGH4TBl7v&list=PLLJfPsD7JozutKZEjFFmK1_vBHvW3bRsL&index=11
10. Giving (Wall Street Journal), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVrQqWIs6ZE
11. Best Advertisement Ever (VinAy KrishNan), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9vFWA1rnWc

(Articles)
1. Why Should I Be Free?: A Reflective Essay on Human Freedom (Alvin Sario)
2. What Does It Mean To Be Human?: On Human Dignity (Alvin Sario)
3. What Does It Take To Live A Human Life?: On The Meaning of Human Survivability (Alvin Sario)
4. What Do We Really Want?: On Human Success (Alvin Sario)

Process Questions:

1. What are your impressions of these videos/films/books and/or articles?

2. What is the main point of the videos/films/books and/or articles?
3. What personal principles you have that can be related to the main points of these videos/films/books
and/or articles?

You are not expected to share your thoughts yet. Just ponder on the message of these materials.
 GE 8 – ETHICS

Activity 2:
Pre-Test

You will be presented 10 True or False statements. Write T if the statement is True and F if the statement is
False in the space provided for. Answer each with your own understanding of the statement. This is simply to
gauge your level of understanding of the concepts presented. Answer honestly. This is not a graded activity.

1. Ethics is morality. _F___

2. The idea of the good is relative. __T__
3. Religious views are our best source of moral norms. __F__
4. The idea of the good is universal. __F__
5. We are divided by our moral views. __T__
6. What is good for someone may be bad for some. __T__
7. We decide on the morality of our actions depending on the circumstances or situations. __T__
8. The purpose or reason of the act justifies the nature of our actions. __T__
9. What is good, as objective, is absolute. __F__
10. What is bad is evil. __T__

Please keep your answers. We will go back to this activity towards the end of the module. We shall proceed to
the content part of the module. You will be given responsibility to watch the video, read the text, and study the
PowerPoint Presentation on your own.

Essential Questions

1. What is ethics?
a. Ethics comes from the Greek word ethos, meaning character. Ethics pertains to the individual
character of a person or persons. In philosophy, it is concerned with human conduct, more
specifically the behavior of individuals in society. Ethics examines the rational justification of
our moral judgments; it studies what is morally right or wrong, just or unjust. Ethics is the
science that relies on human reason to discover standards of conduct or morality that apply to
all human beings.
2. What makes an act good or bad?
a. It seems to be an empirical fact that whatever human beings consider to be good involves
happiness and pleasure in some way, and whatever they consider to be bad involves
unhappiness, discomfort or pain. One element involved in the achievement of happiness is the
necessity of taking the long-range rather than the short-range view. People may undergo some
pain or unhappiness in order to attain some pleasure or happiness in the long run. For
example, we will put up with the pain of having our teeth drilled in order to keep our teeth and
gums healthy so that we may enjoy eating and the general good health that results from having
teeth that are well maintained. Similarly, people may do very difficult and even painful work for
two days in order to earn money that will bring them pleasure and happiness for a week or two.
Furthermore, the term good should be defined in the context of human experience and human
relationships rather than in an abstract sense only. For example, knowledge and power in
themselves are not good unless a human being derives some satisfaction from them or unless
they contribute in some way to moral and meaningful human relationships. They are otherwise
nonmoral.
3. Is it really possible for humanity to articulate universal/absolute/standard principles of/for morality?
a. No because, we have different beliefs depending on the situation. According to Moral
relativism, the view that moral judgments are true or false only relative to some particular
 GE 8 – ETHICS

standpoint and that no standpoint is uniquely privileged over all others.  It has often been
associated with other claims about morality: notably, the thesis that different cultures often
exhibit radically different moral values; the denial that there are universal moral values shared
by every human society; and the insistence that we should refrain from passing moral
judgments on beliefs and practices characteristic of cultures other than our own.
4. What makes a human act a moral act?
a. Human acts are neutral in themselves but they acquire morality when we speak of their
objective, circumstance, and intention. For example, an

Map of Conceptual Change

IDEA OF GOOD

WHAT IS GOOD
IS RELATIVE AND WHAT IS GOOD IS
CULTURAL OBJECTIVE AND
UNIVERSAL
THERE IS NO
MORAL STANDARD THERE IS A MORAL
ON THE IDEA OF STANDARD FOR
GOOD ALL TIMES IN ALL
CLIMES
WE ARE NOT
ACCOUNTABLE TO BEGETS
ALL OUR HUMAN ACCOUNTABILITY
RESEARCH ACTIONS OF HUMAN ACTION

Activity 3:
In classroom.google.com,

1. Access the following videos:

a. Thomas Aquinas on happiness (Timothy Jacobs), https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JMV6Z3v8fSE
b. Natural Law Theory (CrashCourse), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_UfYY7aWKo
c. Human Action (The Thomistic Institute), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0DCNxtvWNw
d. The Law in General (The Thomistic Institute), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYc-7lxDrNU
e. Three Aspects of Moral Act (Mike Brummond), https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=fmCmQXWY-Qk

2. Access Portable Display Format of the following primary texts (These copyrighted materials can be
downloaded by virtue of the ‘Doctrine of Fair Use’):
a. Ethics (Paul Glenn)
b. The Ethics of Thomas Aquinas (Eschmann and Synan),
http://93.174.95.29/main/61B5964BE6C25929AB5A049F88FFCD30
 GE 8 – ETHICS

c. Ethics: A Very Short Introduction (Simon Blackburn),

http://93.174.95.29/main/212C0C4510DBF22E873D1663860D07AA
d. The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics,
http://93.174.95.29/main/A27ADC98E326BB8AD032069FA5758E92

3. Access a PowerPoint Presentation (ppt_002) titled, “Scholastic Ethics” with the corresponding audio-
recording for the discussion of the concepts and principles found in the presentation.

You are required to access all these learning materials. You are expected to watch all the videos, read the
articles, and study the flow of the PowerPoint.

ANALYSIS

Activity 4.1:
You shall go to your respective groups. There should only be three members in every group. You shall think of
various contexts (i.e. human situations, conditions, events, phenomena) happening in the international, national,
and regional settings. To facilitate your discussion, you will use the PESTLE Approach (Political-Economic-
Social-Technological-Legal-Educational Approach). The group output is a list of contexts.

Contexts Issues Ethical Issues Moral Dilemma

Political  Killing of  Violation of right  Duterte was
Jennifer laude to life. somehow
 Lack of mass  Loss of life and granted a big
testing and putting others at offer by the
concrete risk for
US gov. a
strategy against contracting the
COVID-19. virus and large amount
possible death. of money or
support that
will benefit
millions of
Filipino in
exchange
Pemberton
gets release,
vs. Duterte
keeps the
criminal and
justice will be
serve, but the
US wont
support us

Economic  High unemployment  Loss of right to work  Disregarding the

rate and reduced job and afford life quarantine and
positions. necessities. allowing Business
to operate in the
midst of pandemic
 GE 8 – ETHICS

will trigger the

spread of the virus
but people will get
to keep their job
and continue to
provide for their
family vs. Keeping
the population
under quarantined
and limiting
business industry
will result in a very
high
unemployment
rate on the other
hand it will keep
the people safe
and will decrease
the chance of
spreading the
virus

Social  Continuous racial  Violation of human  Tolerate racial

injustice. rights injustices to
maintain ethnic
superiority
resulting more
social
opportunities for
the privilege vs.
Justify equality for
the freedom of
every individual
regardless of their
race.

Technological  Hacking other  Trespassing  A hacker has the

people’s peoples privacy option to steal
personal data. and loss of money from the
security governments bank
account to give it
to the poverty in
exchange the
hacker will go to
prison for a life
 GE 8 – ETHICS

time, but will help

millions of people
suffering from the
poverty including
his family. vs. He
will not go to
prison and he will
be with hes family
but in exchange
he sees people
suffering everyday
because of
poverty, hunger,
and diseases that
causes them to
die

Legal  Chinas forced  Transgression of  Chinese

concentration human rights on Government
camps and forced freedom from slavery Continuous to
labor on Uighur and maltreatment. expand detention
muslims.
camps in an effort
to suppress the
Uighur Muslim
minority to
maintain power
and superiority...
vs. Chinese
Government
justifies the
freedom of human
rights that allow all
people to live with
dignity, freedom,
equality, justice,
and peace... as a
result different
culture can freely
express
themselves and
spread.

Educational  No academic  Violation of right  Academic freeze

freeze amidst to live without allows the
the pandemic. uncertainties population mostly
 GE 8 – ETHICS

students to
collaborate in
helping our
frontliners,
assisting our local
governments, and
in helping the
country recover
from an economic
distress or
recession. in
contrary, School
system will stop
and this may
impact future
economy vs.
Allowing Deped
and private
institution to
operate face to
face will increase
the infection rate.
Online classes will
only benefit those
who are privileged
in exchange, the
economy will be
stabilize.

How are we affected by these various contexts? Given these contexts as human realities, what can we say about
human culture? What are the implications of these contexts and cultures relative to human action? What are the
problems encountered given these contexts, cultures, and human actions? What are the issues coming from
these contexts, cultures, and actions? Are there ethical issues arising from all these?

Evaluation
Group Output Grade Group Presentation Grade
Complete 94 Very Substantive 94
Almost Complete 88 Substantive 91
Incomplete 81 Less Substantive 85
Non-Completion 70 Least Substantive 82
Absent 65 Not Substantive 70
Absent 65

Activity 4.2:
Process Questions
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The following questions are asked to prompt (or lead) you to your understanding of the learning materials. In
three to five sentences for each question at least, convey your idea on the concept at hand. You will submit your
responses at classroom.google.com. Please use Arial Narrow 12 A4 single space.

4.1 Philosophy, Ethics, and the Ethical Question

1. What is the ethical question?
a. Ethical questions involve or imply the words ‘ought’ or ‘should’. They involve consideration of
conflicting moral choices and dilemmas, with several alternative solutions, none of which is
without some challenging or problematic aspect. How to make a decision that will be just or fair
to everyone concerned?

2. What is the implication (i.e. impact) of the ethical question?

a. One of the impacts of ethical question is the it studies the problem carefully by asking detailed
question related to its consequences. Since we have a lot of answers to a certaisn problem
depending on the beliefs and perspective of a person. Ethical questions involve or imply the
words 'ought' or 'should'. They involve consideration of conflicting moral choices and
dilemmas, with several alternative solutions, none of which is without some challenging or
problematic aspect.

Thesis 1. Man by nature is good.

Thesis 2. Man becomes bad because of his bad act.
Thesis 3. Every human act is a voluntary act.

4.2 Human Action: Its Nature and Modifiers

1. What makes a human act a human act?
a. A human act is performed from a deliberate freewill, these are actions that a man properly
masters for he does them with full knowledge and of his own will. a man should be fully
responsible with the consequences of his acts. It involves responsibility and accountability of
his/her action. In human action, there must be some knowledge involved, it must be
voluntariness present, and the action must be freely done.
2. How are human actions modified?
a. Modifiers of human actions refers to the things that affect human knowledge, freedom, and
voluntariness in the performance of an act, making them less perfectly. Also called obstacles of
human act that affects or prevents clear knowledge of the object or impair the coming about of
human act in its roots by diminishing or preventing the consent of free will.
b. It involves:
i. Ignorance
1. Lack of Facts or Awareness or the absence of knowledge
ii. Concupiscence
1. when passions spring into actions without any stimulation or influence by the
will
iii. Fear
1. An act done from fear, however great, is simply voluntary, although it is
regularly also conditionally involuntary.
iv. Violence
1. Acts elicited by the will are not subject to violence; external acts caused
violence, to which due resistance is offered, are in no wise imputable to the
agent.
v. Habit
1. Habit serves as a means for doing morally good or evil actions. Sometimes
it causes actions which are neither good nor evil.  It does not destroy
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voluntariness; and acts from habit are always voluntary, atleast in cause, as
long as the habit is allowed to endure.

Thesis 4. Every human act, as a voluntary act, is constituted by knowledge, freedom, and voluntariness.
Thesis 5. Every human act can be somehow modified because of ignorance, concupiscence, fear, coaction, and
habit.
Thesis 6. Invincible ignorance destroys the voluntariness of an act.
Thesis 7. Vincible ignorance does not destroy voluntariness.
Thesis 8. Antecedent concupiscence does not destroy voluntariness but imputability is less.
Thesis 9. Consequent concupiscence does not destroy voluntariness and the imputability is full.
Thesis 10. Fear, however great, is simply voluntary.
Thesis 11. Coaction is not committed provided when due resistance is made.
Thesis 12. Habits, as repetitive acts, do not destroy voluntariness and the responsibility is full.

4.3 Norms of Morality

1. Why is there a need for norms governing moral actions?
a. Human beings need norms to guide and direct their behavior, to provide order and
predictability in social relationships and to make sense and understanding of each other’s
actions. Norms help create social cohesiveness and an understanding of shared expectations
that support and shape identities at both a societal and individual level promote harmonious
living, in which the concerns of others are taken into account, they explicitly govern behaviors
that have positive or negative outcomes for both the self and others.
2. How do norms govern morality?
a. Norms deal with standards of appropriate behavior. There is no value judgment by the
individual as there is with morals. Instead society dictates what is acceptable. Morals involve
value judgments and principles about right and wrong in behavior. They can be decided by
individuals or society. The terms are all similar in a way that they deal with right and wrong in
behavior but, that norms deal with societal standards and morals involve value judgments by
individuals or society. Norms can be considered a subset of social norms in because they
explicitly govern behaviors that have positive or negative outcomes for both the self and
others. 
3. Why law is considered a higher norm than conscience?
a. Law and conscience are not the same thing. Both exist to influence behavior, but complying
with the law is mandatory, while adhering to a conscience is voluntary. Laws define what is
permissible, while conscience speak to what is right, good, and just. The law has systems of
rules which a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the members of its
actions Conscience is not justification for any behavior. Instead, conscience is the application
of lasting truths to choices about human behavior. The moral conscience is the person’s
judgment about a given action’s ordering to man’s ultimate end based on the person’s
knowledge of the action and circumstances. Individual judgments can be influenced, even
clouded, by a number of factors. Such as common sense, basic science, history, law,
experience, and religion.
4. Which prevails if there is a conflict between the ecclesiastical law and the civil law?
a. Ecclesiastical law or also known as cannon law is the law governing the Catholic Church.
canon law is unmistakably theological in all its aspects. It represents the codification of church
theology into canonical or legal language. There is nothing in canon law which protects
criminals, and its provisions can be seen as a valuable complement to those of civil law with
respect to dealing with clerical abusers. Canon law should be used more. Cannon law cannot
interfere with the civil law, unless the Government abuses its power that violates human rights.
Civil law will always be superior because it is the law that governs us to keep a peaceful
civilization.
 GE 8 – ETHICS

Thesis 13. Every human act is governed by two norms of morality: conscience and law.
Thesis 14. Conscience is a subjective norm; it can be compromised.
Thesis 15. Law is an objective norm; it is an ordinance of reason promulgated for the common good.
Thesis 16. The conscience and law must be parallel and consonant with each other.
Thesis 17. In case there is conflict between law and conscience, the objective norm must prevail.

4.4 Determinants of Morality

1. How do we determine the morality of a human act?
a. To know whether an individual human act is morally good, we must consider it with reference
to these three things which, because they determine the moral character of acts, are called
the determinants of morality: To be morally good, a human act must agree with the norm of
morality on all three counts: in its nature, its motive, and its circumstances. Departure from any
of these makes the action morally wrong.
i. First: the object of the act;
ii. Second: The end or purpose
iii. Third: Its circumstances.

2. How do we determine these determinants?

i. ; Object means what the free will chooses to do in thought, word, or deed or chooses
not to do. From this, we get the character of the objective morality.  There are actions
that are objectively in conformity or not in conformity with the created human person,
and thus, actions in conformity with them or against them are objectively good or evil
as such. However, the subjective nature of us as human may reduce the culpability of
our action if we do not know that the object of our action is morally evil.  While this
cannot change the objective nature of the act, one may be more or less morally
responsible for the good or evil of the action based on one’s knowledge of the
objective character of the act.
ii. By end is meant the purpose for which the act is willed, which may be the act itself or
some other purpose for which a person acts in either case, the end is the motive or
the reason why an action is performed. 
iii. By circumstances are meant all the elements that surround a human action and affect
its morality without belonging to its essence. Some circumstances so affect the
morals of an action as to change its species. The circumstances of an action are
individual conditions of specific acts in time and place that are not of themselves part
of the nature of the action.  They do, however, modify the moral quality of the action. 
The who, what, when, and where of actions are bearing on the goodness or otherwise
of specific actions. These circumstances cannot, of course, make an objectively evil
action to be good, but they can increase or decrease both moral culpability and the
degree of goodness or evil in the act.
iv.
3.

Thesis 18. Every human act, as a voluntary act, is a moral act.

Thesis 19. Every human act, as a moral act, can be determined through nature of the act, the intention of the
moral agent, and the circumstances.
Thesis 20. Every human act, as a moral act, is imputable to the moral agent and begets in him habits of action.
Thesis 21. The consequences of human act are virtue and vice,

4.5 Special Questions or Moral Praxis

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1. How can we ascertain the nature of morality of human action?

a. Scholastic philosophers maintain that three requirements must be concurrently
present for any action to be human: (1) There must be some knowledge involved; (2)
There must be voluntariness present; (3) The action must be freely done. If any one
of these elements is not present, the action is not a human action, and therefore it is
not a fitting subject for ethics.
2. How do we apply principles of Scholastic Ethics in varying human situations?
a.

(Thesis 22. The goal of ethics is normativity.)

(Thesis 23. Every moral decision should be based on certain criteriology.)

N.B. Plagiarism is a major offense punishable under the University Rules and of the laws of the land. If your work
is found plagiarized, you will automatically receive a grade of 65 for your output for Module 1.

ACTION
x
Activity 5:
Performance Task

1. You are expected to accomplish the desired output and have it submitted to classroom.google.com on
Saturday at 12MN.
2. Please make sure to submit the output first via the plagscan.com with the link or a code I will provide
before the Saturday comes.

GRASPS CONTENT
G To pass right moral judgments to various contemporary human problems
R Scholastic Ethicist
A All Human Persons
S There are confronting moral dilemmas needing firm ethical decisions this 21st
Century. Everyone has to be guided in providing right reasons.
P Moral Judgments
S Clarity and organization of ideas, purpose/focus, justification of arguments

Narrative Form:

There are confronting moral dilemmas needing firm ethical decisions this 21 st Century. Everyone has to be
guided in providing right reasons. To pass right moral judgments to various contemporary human problems, you
shall act as Scholastic ethicist to all human persons to pass ethical judgments based on the determinants of
morality.

Summative Assessment

Instructions:
Decide whether each issue is good or bad based on Scholastic Ethics. Provide reason (justification) for your
judgment using ethical principles of Scholastic Ethics.

MORAL JUSTIFICATION FOR THE

 GE 8 – ETHICS
Instructions:
Choose only ten (10) moral issues. Decide
whether each issue is good or bad. Provide
reason (justification) for your judgment.
MORAL ISSUES JUDGMENT JUDGMENT GIVEN
(Good or Bad) (Based on Determinants of
Morality)
Death Penalty Good Based on utilitarian view on
capital punishment, death
penalty can help reduce the
crime rate because it acts as
a deterrent to future
criminals. When criminals
receive the death penalty,
this means they cannot
commit further crimes which
benefits the safety of society.
The victim's families would
also gain consolation and the
death penalty enforced on
the murderer would give
them closure. To conclude, a
utilitarian would agree with
capital punishment if this
was the most beneficial way
to make society a happier
place for the majority.

Abortion Bad The conceptus is innocent

and cannot defend itself from
being killed. The sanctity or
value of life argument states
that every unborn, innocent
must be regarded as a
human person with all the
rights of a human person
from the moment of
conception onward.
Doctor-Assisted Suicide Good People have the right to die
with dignity rather than waste
away and suffer until there is
little left of their original
character. This argument is
especially forceful in relation
to long-term debilitating and
degenerative diseases, such
as cancer. The idea at the
basis of this argument is that
if nothing is done in the way
of extensive medical
treatment, then patients will
 GE 8 – ETHICS

die without enduring the

indignities of being operated
on, fed intravenously, or
hooked up to machines. The
argument states further that
“dignity” is also achieved
when patients are given
choices concerning the kind
of living and dying, they will
do.
Extrajudicial Executions
Suicide Bad Various religions are
opposed to suicide because
they believe that only God
has the authority to give and
take away life; human beings
are only loaned their lives to
be lived as well, morally and
religiously, as they can.
Teenage Pregnancy
Watching Pornography Good Consenting adults have the
right to view, read, or listen
to anything they wish. There
is no proof that pornography
is degrading or that it will
destroy our moral fabric. It
can involve actual crimes,
but we have strong-enough
laws to stop such crimes if
they are committed. That it is
degrading and exploitative is
a matter of taste and opinion;
to many, it is exciting and
pleasurable.
Contraception Use Good Contraception and sexual
responsibility can eliminate
any problems concerned
with the children that result
from such a union.
Contraception can prevent
pregnancy, and if a child is
born, sexual responsibility
ensures that the couple will
marry or otherwise provide
for its care.
Sex between Teenagers Bad
Sex between Unmarried Man and Woman Good It is my general belief that
premarital sex should be left
entirely up to the individuals
involved. There is no legal or
 GE 8 – ETHICS

overriding moral requirement

Divorce
Having a Baby outside Marriage
Married Men and Women having an Affair
that people be legally
married before they engage
in sexual activity. Premarital
sex is a private, not a public,
matter, and legislation
should not enter into it. The
opportunity provided by
premarital sex to gain sexual
experience and to test
compatibility is one of its
greatest advantages. That
sex gives great pleasure is
also an advantage. Old
moral traditions are no
longer applicable in our
changing society.
Promiscuity is not a
necessary adjunct of
premarital sex, but even if
promiscuity occurs, as long
as the people involved are
freely consenting adults,
what difference does it
make?
Bad It is a violation of traditional
family values and the most
personal and intimate
contract into which two
people can enter. It involves
lying, cheating, and infidelity,
all of which are morally
reprehensible. It is
destructive of the marriage
relationship and traditional
family values and can lead to
separation or divorce and to
the emotional injuring of
innocent children. Even
when both spouses agree to
adultery, it makes a mockery
of marriage. tery, it makes a
mockery of marriage. 5.
There is again the problem
of social diseases, with the
additional problem of
 GE 8 – ETHICS

transmitting such diseases to

one’s spouse.
Polygamy Good The liberal view does not
prescribe a specific type of
marriage; instead, it
encourages alternative
family lifestyles and family
values as ways of adapting
to our changing culture.
Proponents of liberalization
also would remove all laws
forbidding nonmonogamies
marriages on the grounds
that they constitute an
interference with private
sexual and family matters.
Homosexual Relations Good There is no conclusive
evidence suggesting that
homosexuality is unnatural
or immoral. It is the right of
freely consenting adults to
engage in private sexuality in
any way they see fit.
Homosexuals are human
beings, and for this reason
they should not be
discriminated against in any
way by society
Same Sex Marriage Good The main argument
presented by the proponents
of this position is that people
ought to have the freedom to
do what they want to do as
long as they are consenting
adults and are not materially
or directly harming other
members of society by their
actions. Obviously, people
should not be free to rape, to
molest children, or to
perform sadistic acts on
unwilling victims; however,
they ought to be completely
free to have any kind of sex
they wish with other
consenting adults or by
themselves, in or outside of
marriage, as long as they do
not harm others.
Gambling Cussing
Alcoholism
 GE 8 – ETHICS

Smoking Marijuana
Cloning Humans Bad Radical experimentation,
such as cloning or the
creation of life in a
laboratory, should not
proceed until we know with
some certainty what its
effects upon the human
species will be. Limited
experimentation can be done
in these areas; for example,
the creation and cloning of
animal life in order to
increase food production
would be justified and
encouraged. The correction
of genetic defects in
conceptuses or in parents is
also an area worthy of
investigation and
development. Even a limited
creation of human life or
cloning may later be
authorized, but only after its
effects are known and safe
guidelines have been
established.
Medical Research using Stem Cells obtained from Human Embryos Good According to this argument,
nothing and no one should
stand in the way of advances
in scientific knowledge and
the chance to cure diseases
or perfect the human race.
The more we know about
genetics, the more we can
improve the human race and
condition, and the better
things will be. This
betterment should be our
primary goal; we should not
worry about such trivial
matters as the effects of
experimentation upon the
gene pool, or whether our
information and abilities will
result in abortion,
sterilization, the elimination
of defects, or the ability to
create life in the laboratory.
Self-imposed moratoriums
and laws that prevent
 GE 8 – ETHICS

scientific advancement
cannot be justified.
Buying and Wearing Clothing made of Animal Fur Bad I would favor using parts of
the animals that have been
killed for food, for clothing, or
shoes and accessories,
thereby using natural animal
resources efficiently. I see no
reason for people to kill
animals in order to gain furs,
hides, or feathers unless the
animals already have died or
have been killed for food.
Obviously, I think that killing
animals for food is not
unethical, whereas killing
them merely for hides, furs,
feathers, or body parts is.
That is the distinction I find
so important. Again, I
stipulate that the killing of
any wild animals should be
done as humanely as
possible and regulated by
quota and licensing so as to
avoid the endangerment of
species.
Cloning Animals BAD Animals are thinking and
feeling beings that suffer
pain to the same extent and
degree as do humans;
therefore, it is immoral to
make animals suffer and die
merely so that humans can
make progress in science
and medicine.
Animal rights activists feel
that it is absolutely immoral
to use animals for any
experiments and that if other
means cannot be found, then
scientific progress simply will
not be able to be made.

Rubric for the Justification Column

CRITERIA EXEMPLARY ACCOMPLISHED DEVELOPING BEGINNING SCORE

4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point
Clarity and Ideas are well effectively Communicates Ideas are not
Organization of Ideas developed and communicates ideas communicated
explained ideas but some adequately but effectively and
 GE 8 – ETHICS

portions lack many portions are confusing

clarity lack clarity
Purpose/Focus Focus is Focus is clear Has minor drifts Has major drifts
cohesive throughout in the focus in the focus
(somewhat (lack of focus)
focused)
Justification of Demonstrates Demonstrates Provides some Provides little
Arguments outstanding competent critical evidence of evidence of
critical focus thinking sound critical sound critical
thinking thinking
Total Score

Total Points Transmutation

12 100
11 96
10 92
9 88
8 84
7 79
6 75
5 74
4 72
3 70
2 68
1 66

CLOSURE

Activity 6:
Self-Assessment of your Readiness to do Performance Task

Kindly put a check on your honest response given the learning skill.

LEARNING SKILLS
With Not Sure A Little Bit
Confidence Though Confused
State the ethical question With
Confidence
Determine the nature of human action With
Confidence
Explain the principles on modifiers Not Sure
Though
Discuss the principles on norms of morality With
Confidence
Elucidate principles on determinants Not Sure
Though
Apply moral principles in human situations With
Confidence
 GE 8 – ETHICS

If you have questions, you may consult me thru messenger or via a phone call for further discussion.

Activity 7:
Post-Test

You will be presented again 10 True or False statements. Write T if the statement is True and F if the statement
is False in the space provided for. Answer each with your own understanding of the statement. Again, this is
simply to gauge your level of understanding of the concepts presented after completing Module 1. Answer
honestly. This is not a graded activity. Once done, compare your responses in the Pre-Test.
1. We decide on the morality of our actions depending on the circumstances or situations. _T___
2. What is good, as objective, is absolute. __T__
3. The idea of the good is relative. __F__
4. Ethics is morality. __F__
5. The idea of the good is universal. __F__
6. The purpose or reason of the act justifies the nature of our actions. __T__
7. What is bad is evil. _T__
8. What is good for someone may be bad for some. __T__
9. Religious views are our best source of moral norms. __F__
10. We are divided by our moral views. __T__

Were you able to have all the items correct?

CLOSING PRAYER DOMINICAN BLESSING PRAYER

May God the Father Bless Us.

May God the Son Heal Us.
May God the Holy Spirit Enlighten Us,
And Give Us

Eyes To See With,

Ears To Hear With,
Hands To The Work of God With,
Feet To Walk With,
A Mouth To Preach The Word Of Salvation With,
And The Angel Of Peace To Watch Over Us And Lead Us At Last,

By Our Lord’s Gift, To The Kingdom.

Amen.

References

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Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013.
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Brown, Colin. Christianity & Western Thought, vol. 1. Downers Grove: IVP, 1990.
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Cholbi, M. Suicide. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/suicide/ 13 March 2020.
 GE 8 – ETHICS

Clerigo, J. & Sario. A. Towards a metaethic of supererogation. Dunong XI, 1 (September 2017: 1-28).
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scholastic-philosophy/
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Gallup. Moral issues. https://news.gallup.com/poll/1681/moral-issues.aspx 13 March 2020.
Gannett, L. The human genome project. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/human-genome/ 13.3.2020.
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Ladriere, P. Religion, morality, and politics: the abortion debate https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12339249
13.3.2020.
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Reference:
https://gujarat.pscnotes.com/health/determinants-of-ethics/amp/
https://maritain.nd.edu/jmc/etext/mp02.htm
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