Ailene F.

Quinto

BSMA-lll

Activity 3

ETHICS

Answer the following requirements:

Be ready for class discussion/ graded recitation.

1. The following are all good and desirable, but which, do you think, is to be priced most

and of greatest value? Arrange them in the descending order of value, beginning with the

greatest. Explain each item according to your priority.

1. Wealth
2. Power
3. Wisdom
4. Health
5. Physical beauty
6. Bodily strength
7. Moral character

Answer:

1. Moral Character- This was at the top of my priority because when we have good moral
character, people know that our behavior is reliable, our heart is in the right place, and our word
is good as gold. Moral character is the foundation of personal acceptance and growth, healthy
relationships and prosperity. Without it, it is difficult for us to achieve true tranquility of heart,
make moral decisions, establish strong relationships or really succeed in our work or careers.
Moral character makes us a competent, ethical and contributing members of the society. When
we demonstrate moral character, we inadvertently teach important life lessons to others and
inspire them to re-evaluate and re-direct their own moral compass.
2. Health- This was my second priority because our lives are built on the foundation of our health.
It may be tough to do everything we want and live life to the fullest if we don't have good
health. Taking care of ourselves on the inside and out is an essential part of having a happy and
fulfilled life. Our quality of life is what genuinely matters in terms of happiness, and we'll suffer if
we can't move, go out of the house, or experience what life has to offer. Good health also allows
us to work and spend time with our friends and family. Therefore, maintaining a good health is
essential if we want to make the most of the time we have.
3. Wisdom- I chose this as my third priority because the Bible emphasizes that wisdom was one of
the greatest qualities we can possess. Wisdom combines and direct all of our knowledge, facts,
and information into a proper and correct path, reducing the likelihood of failure. Wisdom
teaches a person to apply his knowledge and think before he acts. However, knowledge is not
something we are born with. In this materialistic environment, one learns to be wise. Being wise
 is a long-term process that can take a lifetime to achieve. A wise person develops the  attributes
of love for what is good, humility, compassion, empathy, and justice. Wisdom brings order to
our life, creates our priorities, and helps us to form healthy connections with ourselves and
with others. It establishes a line of distinction between what is good and what is bad.
4. Bodily Strength- Being physically fit and strong means having more stamina, mobility, and
balance. As we gain strength, more physical work will be required to exhaust us, allowing us to
endure more and become a stronger person both physically and emotionally. Our ability to live
and enjoy life to the fullest is harmed when the body's health and strength are compromised.
Having good body strength allows us to participate in whatever activity we like and to
experience the joys of life.
5. Physical Beauty- This was my fifth priority because I think physical beauty aren’t always essential
in living a good life. I know for a fact that physical beauty might be a plus point for us to
showcase our charm.  But the problem is that  today's society is so preoccupied with physical
beauty. Every one of us enjoys being praised as it instills good and positive feelings in all of us,
and I don't really mind if we try our hardest to have a decent physical appearance in order to
boost our self-confidence; but, instead of changing every aspect of our looks, why don't we all
begin to know and love ourselves.  What counts more than our physical beauty is our ability to
demonstrate that we are genuinely attractive and lovely at heart. It may take time and work to
convince people that we are nice people, but it is all worthwhile. If we actually have a golden
heart, people will stay. We must always keep in mind that beauty can only draw the eyes;
personality, on the other hand, can captivate the hearts. People change, things change around
us, our appearances will alter, our skin ages and wrinkles appear, but a good heart never dies.
6. Power- This was my sixth priority because I honestly believe that power or authority was not
really essential in having a happy life. Having both power and authority doesn’t guarantee us a
fulfilling life. Yes, I understand that power and authority are vital ways to influence others, but I
believe that there are far more ways to influence others without having so much power,
therefore instead of focusing on power, authority, and status, I believe we should focus more on
being content in our lives. Make the decision to be ourselves and to appreciate the simple
pleasures in life that bring us serenity and joy. We may not crave anything more than what we
need when we are content. The abundance of what we have in the present is enough to lead a
happy and healthy life.
7. Wealth- This was my last priority because I believe that wealth and a lot of money are not
required to live a happy life. There are many things that money cannot buy. These are
things that can have a beneficial impact on our lives and make it more enjoyable. Things like
self-confidence, our brain and intelligence, social skills, positive attitude, and, of course,
happiness. These things are not available for purchase in a shop. We won't be able to order
them online and have them delivered to us. Yet, they're all necessary components of living a
fulfilling life. Being wealthy will not change us into the type of person who possesses these
qualities. For instance, we would still be the same person even if we won a million pesos
tomorrow, so instead of focusing on the urge to be wealthy, we should concentrate on who we
are as individuals. Strive to become the person we want to be, and we'll be on our way to living
the life we want.
2. Cite examples and explain the intimate relation between

a. Ethics and law - Ethics is concerned with morality, and morality entails a law of conduct that
distinguishes right from wrong. When we talk about morality, we're referring to the moral law. Law can
be defined as "crystallized ethics." The content of all people's morality is also reflected in a system of
laws that regulates and governs the conduct of individuals, groups, tribes, and nations. The nature of
law has a significant impact on important concerns of duty and moral obligation. No one can have a
clear understanding of the moral obligation to follow the law if he doesn't understand the many forms
of laws. Thus, it is necessary in Ethics to know the philosophy of law. The laws of the state, for example,
is based on and derives its binding force from the natural moral law. This is obvious since, before there
was any state to enact laws, there was already a man with all of the natural and inherent rights. Our
constitution, like nearly all laws in the world, recognizes, protects, and conserves these rights, but they
do not actually create these rights which are universally regarded as basic, fundamental, natural,
inherent, and inalienable. Legislators do not actually make laws; rather, they re-state, interpret,
determine, or describe in a general way what is included in the natural moral law. There is, however, a
significant distinction between what is moral or ethical and what is lawful. The legal merely rules man's
external actions, but the moral rules man's internal actions, such as volitional and purposeful activities
of the will and mind. For example, a husband may consider committing adultery and thus be morally
guilty, but legally he is not criminally accountable or guilty because it was all in his head.

b. Ethics and art- Art represents for beauty, whereas ethics stands for moral righteousness. The
beautiful and the good, however, are one as transcendentals. Evil always suggests ugliness or flaws, but
the good is always beautiful since it is the very object of desire and hence, like beauty, pleases when
viewed. Pure art and true morals cannot be incompatible because they both serve the same purpose: to
stimulate and inspire man's noble feelings. As a result, a work of art that arouses man's evil instincts
violates the whole purpose of art. For example, a painting by John William Waterhouse entitled “Hylas
and the Nymphs” was pulled down from an exhibit in the Manchester Gallery, as a part of a
performance art work, because it reinforced “harmful stories” about women and girls, depicting them
either as decorative items or femme fatales, thus, the meaning of this artwork is considered morally
wrong.

c. Ethics and politics- Both of them studies human behavior and legislate laws for it. Politics establishes
laws and  regulations to organize individuals and groups in order to achieve mass improvements. Ethics,
on the other hand, creates regulations with the goal of achieving the ultimate benefit for the individual.
It can be claimed that political laws, should be designed in such a way that they support the
achievement of the ultimate good.  Ethics is not a division of politics, and politics is not a branch of
ethics, but the two are interconnected. Politics should be guided by ethical standards, as politics without
ethics is a disaster. In other words, if politics is devoid of ethical values, it will undoubtedly raise many
concerns. As a result, politics and ethics are an inseparable part of one another. However, politics, seem
to be a filthy game nowadays. Thus, ethics has taken a back seat. Violence and anarchy have emerged in
the evolving political landscape of many countries. And because of these scenarios, politics had
become murkier and murkier, and most ordinary people in many countries view their politicians with
skepticism. In fact, for example, many politicians have already been punished by law because of their
immoral acts such as graft and corruption, bribery, fraud etc. The reason for these immoral acts is the
widespread vilification of politics, which is unquestionably devoid of ethics. To put it another way, the
only way to revitalize our political system is to revive and reconnect it with ethical values.
d. Ethics and economics- - Man is also an economic being because he needs to earn a living to support
himself. Economics and ethics are two sides of the same coin and has the same human nature. Wages,
labor, production, and wealth distribution are all issues covered in economics. But what will decide the
relationship between employer and employee? This, as well as all other business relationships, must be
founded on the moral values of justice and generosity. For example, business leaders who are morally
inclined to do the right thing should raise wages to a level where their employees’ income cover the cost
of living, allowing them to survive their everyday life. In order for peace and happiness to flourish in a
community, man's activities must be guided by invariable moral ideals. Because economics is simply one
facet of human activity, it would be incorrect to regard man solely as an economic being, and to place
morality second to economics.

3. Show the parallelism between two definitions:

a. “Education is life” – John Dewey - This philosophy highlights the importance of education in one's life
and the fact that the two are inextricably linked. I believe he was expressing the idea that education
should serve us throughout our lives, helping us to realize our full potential through self-realization.
Learning is a lifelong process in which we all seek meaning by reflecting on our experiences in order to
make sense of and better understand the world in which we live. It is through education that we can
transform the face of the world.

b. “Ethics is life”- Ethics can be defined as the principles that guide our behavior in order to make the
best decisions that benefit everyone. Ethics is what motivates us to speak the truth, follow through on
our promises, and help those in need. On a daily basis, we are guided by an ethical framework that helps
us make decisions that have positive consequences and steers us away from unjust outcomes. Through
our decisions, ethics guides us to make the world a better place. And that is why ethics is life.

The parallelism between the two is that education is illicit if it is not accompanied by ethics; they
argue ethics is life, the same way education is intertwined with life. Learning is good, but learning that is
based on ethics is even better, because ethics is a way of life. Education is life since it is utilized to lessen
the majority of life's obstacles. Education also provides knowledge that opens doors to a lot of options
for bettering one's career. Consequently , we can even claim that ethics is life, because ethics is the
science and art of human living, the science and art that gives life its direction, objective, worth, and
purpose. Life is both co-extensive and co-intensive with ethics and education.