ETHICS 101

MIDTERM EXAM
Name: NEIL DOMINIC C. MAHUSAY time : 6:00-7:30 PM Days: MW
Course & Year: BSME-2 Edp code: 11351 Professor: Dr. Joselito R. Garciano, PhD

Answer the following questions truthfully & sincerely.

Criteria:
Correctness of the answers -   70 %
Organization of ideas/concepts -   20 %
Grammar usage -   10 %
    Total – 100 %

1. Specify the importance of human values as a student. (10 points)

As a student, it is really essential for us to have the proper human values, since whether a student or not
we are continuously learning, and by learning we must have the discipline to be humble enough to
accept what has been taught to us. Also attitude is a big part for a student, and with proper human
values not we will become a better student but also a better person, a person that is accorded with
respect and a person who respects others.

2. Explain: “Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that
happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is
the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values.” ( - Ayn Rand )  (10
points)

Life is about evaluating what is essential and what is not. For some people money is the most important,
for others it’s family. A kid may say something tangible like ice cream, while an elderly woman may
declare an idea, legacy. Thus, people value most what makes them happy r to be more precise, believe
will make them happy. In our lives, we chase success, we seek comfort, we desire luxury, we dream to
excel but with what ultimate purpose? I believe it is because of our pursuit to happiness.

To achieve happiness is the main focal endpoint of our existence, it is what makes us whole, infinite.
Although some people misuse the statement “I’m happy”. When they have a night out with friends or
when they eat what they craved for, happiness is a final end. It is not something that can be gained nor
lost in a few hours, live pleasurable sensations. It is more like the ultimate value of your life as lived up
to this moment, measuring how well you have lived your potential as a human being. It is easy enough
to see that we desire money, pleasure, and honor only because we believe that these goods are a means
towards obtaining happiness, while happiness is always an end in itself. For this reason, pleasure alone
cannot constitute human happiness because happiness a dedication to self-betterment and self-
actualization. Happiness depends on acquiring a moral character where one displays the virtues of
courage, generosity, justice, friendship, and citizenship on one’s life. Happiness requires intellectual
contemplation, for this is the ultimate realization of our rational capacities. Thus, achieving our
happiness is the ultimate purpose, the focal endpoint of our life.
 3. Cite concrete examples on how ethics functions in our society. (10 points)

Ethics functions as the basis for what is right and to what are wrong, concrete examples of these are our
laws, specifically our ethical laws. These laws provide justice and safety for everyone in the community,
and these laws are based on ethical aspects in order for us not just to be safe but also to make us a
responsible citizen that will only do well for him or herself and to others.

4. In the Philippines, give example/s of laws which are derived from morals. (10 points)

The Anti-Rape Law of 1997 ( RA 8353) which is a law that prohibits a person from sexually harassing
another person, it defines the crime of rape as follows:
Article 266-A. Rape: When And How Committed. – Rape is committed:
1) By a man who shall have carnal knowledge of a woman under any of the following
circumstances:
a) Through force, threat, or intimidation;
b) When the offended party is deprived of reason or otherwise unconscious;
c) By means of fraudulent machination or grave abuse of authority; and
d) When the offended party is under twelve (12) years of age or is demented, even though
none of the circumstances mentioned above be present.
2) By any person who, under any of the circumstances mentioned in paragraph 1 hereof,
shall commit an act of sexual assault by inserting his penis into another person’s mouth or
anal orifice, or any instrument or object, into the genital or anal orifice of another person. [1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_in_the_Philippines

5. Would you regard moral law as a soft law? Defend your answer. (10 points)

No, moral laws are not to be considered as a soft law, not only that most of our Philippine laws based on
moral laws, but also moral laws carry a huge load of ethical responsibilities that the people need to
acquire. And also moral values are laws legally enforced in court which means any violations of such
laws will face serious punishments.

6. Your daughter is suffering from a debilitating disease that has put her in constant pain and
agony. Finally, one day, she decides that she really wants to die. However, her condition is such
that she cannot die on her own. She is begging and pleading with you to help her commit
suicide. This would, of course, be illegal. What would you do? (10 points)

First and foremost, she is my daughter, and I love her and I would never wish for her to die, and as a
moral person I strongly believe that helping my daughter commit suicide may be the biggest crime I will
ever make. So instead of helping her give up on her life, I will first give her hope and convince her to just
keep fighting and live not just for us but also for herself, I will make her understand that taking life
intentionally is never the right thing to do, and there is time for all of us, if it’s not our time then we
must continue to live. Then I will do everything to save her from all the pain and agony that she’s feeling
and do whatever it takes to cure her disease.
 7. List down some examples of cultural relativism which are bad in our society but good in other
society/ country. (10 points)
An example of this is the same sex marriage, this has been strictly prohibited in the Philippines since it is
against the laws of the church which is a big deal since we are a country that has a population that are
mostly Christians that believe in the teachings of the church, but in other countries such as USA, same
sex marriage has been legalized without the consideration of the teachings of the church despite having
a population of Christians as well.

8. Recall some of your defining moments in the formation of your moral character. Did it change
your personality as well as your outlook in life? How? (10 points)

One time when I was in junior high school, there were some street kids when I was walking on my way
to the tricycle terminal, I saw them begging for food from people who pass by, and when I walked near
them a boy came close to me and asked for food for his siblings, so I told them to stay so that I can buy
food for all of them, so I went to 7/11 to buy them hotdogs, biscuits, and water. I came back and I gave
them the food that I bought, seeing them so happy to have something to eat really made me realize that
I am very lucky, I am lucky that I can eat 3 times a day and I am lucky that I have a family that cares for
me. While I keep complaining on the things that I don’t have, there are others that almost have nothing.
That day I didn’t mind that I spent my savings for their food, they thanked me and I saw them happy and
it made me happy. Helping really gives you that wonderful feeling, the feeling that you did something
good and you become inspired to keep doing good things, and for me that changed my whole outlook in
life and it really built my moral character as a person.

9. What do you think will happen to our country if our youth will be lacking the necessary moral
ascendancy? Can we still rely on them as the hope of our motherland? Explain. (10 points)

No, because no matter how intelligent you are or how rich you are, without the necessary moral
ascendancy, you will never evolve as a person. Being successful also comes with proper attitude and
moral characteristic, without it you won’t be able to make a difference and make a better change that
will benefit our motherland.

10. Are civil laws applicable even though they are immoral? Explain concisely.  (10 points)

No, since civil laws are body of rules that define and protect the private rights of citizens which clearly
involves the moral rights of the citizens and disregards all immoral actions that may counteract with it.