PART I- THE MORAL AGENT

A. CULTURE IN MORAL BEHAVIOR

Definition of Terms
 Moral Agent - A moral agent is a person who has the ability to
discern right from wrong and to be held accountable for his/her own
actions

 Culture - The word "culture" derives from a French term, which in

turn derives from the Latin word “Colere” which means “to build
on, to cultivate, to foster”.
 Culture is the sum total of the learned behavior of a group of
people that are generally considered to be the tradition of that
people and are transmitted from generation to generation.

 Enculturation- the process by which infants and children socially

learn the culture of those around them.

 Acculturation - the process of learning another culture

 Characteristics of Culture
 Learned
 Shared
 Transmitted
 Changing

 Two basic types of Culture: Material and Non-material

 Moral behavior - Moral behaviors are action or actions that

produce good outcomes for the individuals as members of a
community, or society. It can be applied to the whole global society.
 Role of Culture in Human behavior
 Culture is a ‘way of life’ of a group of people.
 Culture is learned as children grow up in a society and
discover how their parents and others around them interpret
the world.
 People learn moral and aspects of right or wrong from
transmitters of culture.
 Culture shapes our moral behavior
 It influences our perception of what is right and wrong
 It gives unity to the people in society

 Cultural Relativism is the most famous/ dominant form of moral

relativism. It lies on the idea that a person’s beliefs, values and
practices should be understood based on that person’s own culture,
and not be judged against the criteria of another

 Moral Relativism fundamentally believes that no act is good or bad

objectively. It also submits that different moral principles apply to
different persons or group of individuals.

 Absolute Cultural Relativism - Everything that happens within a

culture must and should not be questioned by outsiders.

 Critical Cultural Relativism - This creates questions about cultural

practices in terms of who is accepting them and why.

Cultural relativists claim the following:

1. Different societies have different moral codes.
2. The moral code of a society determine what is right or
wrong within that society.
3. There are no moral truths that hold for all people at all
times.
 4. The moral code of our own society has no special status; it
is but one among many.
5. It is arrogant for us to judge other cultures. We should
always be tolerant of them.

 Ethnocentrism is judging another culture solely by the values and

standards of one's own culture.

The Difference Between Western and Eastern Ethics

Western Ethics Eastern Ethics
Focus Finding the Truth Protocol and Respect
Basis Rational Thought Religious Teachings
Emphasis Logic, Cause and Respect towards
Effect family
Roots in Athens, Rome and Hinduism, Buddhism,
Judeo Christianity Confucianism and
Taoism
Approach Rational Holistic and Cultural
Conflict and Harmony Good must triumph Good and Bad, Light
over evil and Dark all exist in
equilibrium

 Pakikisama - having and maintaining ‘good public relations’.

 Hiya is described as a feeling of lowliness, shame or

embarrassment, and inhibition or shyness which is experienced as
somewhat distressing.

 Amor Propio has been characterized as the high degree of

sensitivity that makes a person intolerant to criticism and causes him
to have an easily wounded pride.
 Utang na Loob (Debt of Gratitude) is a fundamental aspect of
upholding group harmony and relationships that demands balancing
of obligations and debts.

 Filipino Hospitality refers to the innate ability and trait of Filipinos

to be courteous and entertaining to their guests.

 Respect to Elders. Filipinos are not only respectful to elders, but

we have unique ways of expressing this respect.

 Pakikipagkapwa-tao – basic sense of justice and fairness; concern

and regards for others; ability to empathize with others.

 Pakikiramay - generosity in times of need

 Bayanihan - mutual assistance

 Strong Family Ties – genuine and deep love for the family

 Joy and Humor – Filipinos have fun-loving and cheerful approach

to life even during ups and downs.

 Flexibility, Adaptability and Creativity - Filipinos have a great

capacity to adjust, and to adapt to circumstances and to the
surrounding environment, both physical and social.

 Hard work and Industry - The desire to raise ones’ standard of

living and to possess the essentials of a decent life for ones’ family,
combined with the right opportunities and incentives, stimulate the
Filipino to work very hard.
 Faith and Religiosity - Filipinos have a deep faith in God. The
results of the Filipinos faith are courage, daring, optimism, inner
peace, as well as the capacity to genuinely accept tragedy and death.

 Ability to Survive - Filipinos make do what is available in the

environment.

 Extreme Personalism. Filipinos view the world in terms of

personal relationships and the extent to which one is able personally
to relate to things and people determines our recognition of their
existence and the value.

 Extreme Family Centeredness - Excessive concern for family

manifests itself in the use of one’s office and power as a means of
promoting the interest of the family, factionalism, patronage and
political dynasties and in the protection of erring family members.

 Lack of Discipline casual and relaxed attitude towards time and

space which manifests itself in lack of precision and
compulsiveness.

 Ningas Cogon - starting out projects with full vigor and interest
which abruptly die down, leaving things unfinished.

 Passivity and Lack of Initiative – strong reliance on others

 Colonial Mentality - It corresponds with the belief that the cultural

values of the colonizer are inherently superior to one's own.

 Kanya-kanya syndrome - personal ambition and drive for power

and status that is completely insensitive to the common good.
 Lack of Self-Analysis and Self-Reflection - Joking about the most
serious matters prevents us from looking deeply into the problem.

 Crab mentality - members of a group will attempt to “pull down”

any member who achieves success beyond the others, out of envy,
conspiracy or competitive feelings.

B. THE MORAL AGENT: DEVELOPING VIRTUE AS A

HABIT

 Character - The term “character” is derived from the Greek word

‘charakter’, which was initially used as mark impressed upon a coin.
In other word “engraved mark”.
- Character - means a distinct mark by which one thing was
distinguished from others, and then chiefly to mean the
assemblage of qualities that distinguish one person from
another.

 Personality - can be defined as a combination of mental behaviour

and traits or qualities like thinking pattern, feeling and acting.

 Moral character – It refers to the existence or lack of virtues such

as integrity, courage, honesty and loyalty.
- Moral characters are dispositions of both the heart and
mind to do virtuous acts.

 Virtue - Virtue came from the Latin word ‘virtus’ means “moral
excellence”.
 - A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally
good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and
good moral being.

 VICES - a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered

immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, or degrading,
deviant or perverted in the associated society.
- Opposite of virtue

 Two Distinct Human Excellences:

1. Excellence of Thought
2. Excellence of Character

 Excellence of thought - comes into being and develops chiefly

through teaching, which is why it requires experience and time.

 Excellence of character results from habit.

 DISPOSITIONS - are particular kinds of properties or

characteristics that objects can possess.

 Moral character traits - are those dispositions of character for

which it is suitable to hold agents morally responsible.

 A good moral character is practically a disposition to do virtuous

acts. Oppositely, a bad moral character is, in effect, a disposition
to do vicious deeds.

 Circular relations of Acts and Character:

1. Acts that build character
2. Acts that emanates from character
 MORAL DEVELOPMENT
 Lawrence Kohlberg - Lawrence Kohlberg was an American
psychologist best known for his theory of Stages of Moral
Development.
- He agreed with the Swiss clinical psychologist Jean
Piaget’s theory of moral development but wanted to
develop his ideas further.

Kohlberg Six Stages of Moral Development

Level Age Range Stage
Level 1: Pre- Pre-school children, Stage 1: Obedience and
Conventional Morality Elementary, Some HS Punishment Orientation
students
Stage 2: Individualism
and Exchange
Level 2: Conventional Seen in a few older Stage 3: Good
Morality Elementary and many Interpersonal
high school students Relationships

Stage 4: Maintaining
Social Order
Level 3: Rarely seen before Stage 5:
Post-Conventional college (Stage 6 is Social Contracts and
Morality extremely rare even in Individuals rights
adults)
Stage 6:
Universal Principles
 GETTING TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL, CONSCIENCE-BASED
MORAL DECISIONS

Stage 1- Respect for power and Punishment

Age: 1-5
Motto: “Might makes right”
 In this level, young child chooses what to do what is right –
according to what she/he wants to do and can do without getting into
trouble.

Stage 2- Looking out for #1

Age: 5-10
Motto: “What’s in it for me”
 In this stage, children are disposed to be egoistic or self-serving.
They lack respect for others’ rights but may give to others on the
assumption that they get as much or even more in return.

Stage 3- Being a “Good boy” or “Nice girl”

Age: 8-16
Motto: “I want to be nice”
 In this stage, people have shifted form pleasing themselves to
pleasing important others, usually parents, teachers or friends.

Stage 4- Law and Order thinking

Age: 16 years old and older
Motto: “I’ll do my duty”
 In this stage, the majority of people have internalized society’s rules
about how to behave.

Stage 5: Justice through Democracy

Motto: “I’ll live by the rules or try to change them”
 In this stage, people understand the underlying moral purposes that
are supposed to be served by laws and social customs.
Stage 6: Deciding on basic moral principles by which you will live
your life and relate to everyone fairly
Motto: “Human life has supreme inherent value; I couldn’t live with
myself if I let her die”
 In this stage, rare people have evaluated many values and have
rationally chosen a philosophy of life that truly guides their life.

Resources:
 Rachels, James. “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism” Chapter 2 in The
Elements of Moral Philosophy. 16-31. 4th Edition. New York: McGrew-Hill
College, 2004.
 Agapay, R. B. (1995,2008) Ethics and the Filipino: A Manual on Morals for
Students and Educators. 2nd ed. Manila: National Bookstore Inc.
 Panizo, A.. O.P. (1964) Ethics or Moral Philosophy. Manila: UST Textbook
Series
 (1995) Introduction to Philosophy Through the Philosophy of Man. 2nd ed.
Manila: National Bookstore Inc.
 https://www.slideshare.net/ColMukteshwarPrasad/piagets-theory-of-moral-
development
 https://www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html
 https://www.google.com/search?q=golden+rule&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEw
jI94aph5zvAhVNXpQKHU2GBQgQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=golden+rule&gs_lcp
 https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk01DFCE5Z1JvReeyHn6Dqci
ZOAVxEA%3A1615051572808&ei=NLtDYP3tMIjnwQOHvqeIAw&q=cul
tural+relativism+and+ethnocentrism+&oq=cultural+relativism+and+ethnoce
ntrism
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DagQE1F4piw&t=365s
 https://www.slideshare.net/venxaiimada/lec-7-filipinovalues
 https://www.google.com/search?q=ethnocentrism+vs+cultural+relativism&t
bm=isch&ved
 https://www.scribd.com/presentation/427382596/CULTURAL-AND-
MORAL-BEHAVIOR-pptx
  https://www.google.com/search?bih=600&biw=1366&hl=en&sxsrf=ALeKk
03qzl9fE0WJsvkSohKyqb9eeq8LiA%3A1615051906797&ei=grxDYPeZM
Jf7-
Qaf2KiIAg&q=why+is+cultural+relativism+not+tenable+in+ethics&oq=wh
y+does+cultural+relativism+no&gs_lcp
 https://www.google.com/search?bih=600&biw=1366&hl=en&sxsrf=ALeKk
01RB81BERiAGGuRvlMKbw5Id0Av7Q%3A1615052099166&ei=Q71DY
P7ZCZWlmAX6vRI&q=scribd+stages+of+moral+development+slideshare
&oq=scribd+stages+of+moral+development+slideshare&gs_lcp

Prepared by:

Group 1
ANGUSTIA, Noelle Monique E. BSM 1
BASE, Carmela R. BSM 1
DE VERA, Jessa Mae P. BSM 1
LLEVA, Annabel A. BSM 1
PLETA, Jane C. BSM 1
BELMONTE, Jester John P. BS RT 1
GARCIA, Mark Andrew R. BS RT 1
OLI, Emman Stephen O. BS RT 1