ETHICS 

and CULTURE

Compiled by: Dr. Ocon
 Objectives
At the end of the class the learners will be able to:

- define culture and indicate its characteristics and elements;

- distinguish between surface and deep culture;
- gain an understanding and appreciation the differences of
culture;
 ETHICS

The disciplined study of the rational

justification of moral principle and moral
behavior
 Components of Ethics

Morality Criteria of judging right and wrong,

good and evil

Moral Human behavior towards any

Behavior situation and it’s moral judgment

Rational Justification of a matter from

Justification different point of view in a
deliberate way
 Root Level of Ethics

Etiquette
Social and Official Life                                                     Public Behavior

Different Perspectives
Theory  Ideology

Ethical Dilemma
Confusion  Debate
 Culture: The set of society and custom
Culture is the Centre of a society and
without culture no society can even
exist. It is the main difference between
human beings and animals. It is a
heritage transmitted from one
generation to another. It includes all the
ways and behaviors is social life. Man is
born in the environment of culture, in
which he seeks his way of behaving and
Retrieved from 
https://plus.google.com/115827794899104321802/posts/4kAbg2cyXr7

acting in a given society.

“Culture is everything which is socially shared and learned by
the members of a society.” Horton and Hunt
 “It is that complex whole including beliefs, art, region,
values, norms, ideas, law, taught, knowledge, custom and
other capabilities acquired y a man as a member of a
society.” - Tylor

Characteristics of Culture
• Culture is learned • Culture is integrated
• Culture is social • Culture is changing
• Culture is shared • Culture varies from society
• Culture is transmitted to society
• Culture is continuous • Culture is responsive
• Culture is accumulative • Culture is gratifying
• Culture is learned • Linked with society
 Elements of Culture

Value • Criteria for judging right and wrong

Norm • Rule of guideline that says how to Norm

behave in a particular situation
Symbol • Gesture and different sign that express a
particular meaning

Language • Verbal and written symbols that can be used

for communication with
Knowledge • Body facts and practical skills that Knowledge
people accumulate over time
 Iceberg Model of Culture
Ways of life, dress, laws,
customs, behaviour, rituals,
Surface Culture Visible festivals, language, literature,
(What can be easily seen) arts

Beliefs, philosophy, ideologies,

Unseen
norms, family roles, biases

Deep Culture
(Difficult to see) Values, ethics, tastes,
Deep attitudes, desires,
assumptions, expectations,
Retrieved from  myths
https://www.google.com.ph/search?rlz=1C1OPRB_enPH800PH800&biw=1366&bih=613&tbm=isch&
sa=1&ei=pjaSW9WrM4zS8QWBhoXoAQ&q=iceberg&oq=iceberg&gs_l=img.3..0j0i67k1l2j0j0i67k1j0j0
i67k1l2j0l2.9479.10113.0.11017.2.2.0.0.0.0.110.187.1j1.2.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.2.186....0.f6XfqjhbNw
Q#imgrc=js3WGPBuWXjwwM:
 The Three Layers of Culture of Dennis O'Neil

Most obviously is the body of cultural

traditions that distinguish your specific
society. When people speak of Italian,
Samoan, or Japanese culture, they are
referring to the shared language, traditions,
and beliefs that set each of these peoples
apart from others. In most cases, those
who share your culture do so because they
acquired it as they were raised by parents
and other family members who have it.
https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=filipino+culture&rlz=1C1OPR
B_enPH800PH800&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjK‐
sPjuajdAhXH2FMKHYtCBmEQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=613#imgrc=
VMtteSJ3Vc5PCM:
The second layer of culture that may be part of
your identity is a subculture. In complex, diverse
societies in which people have come from many
different parts of the world, they often retain
much of their original cultural traditions. As a
result, they are likely to be part of an identifiable
subculture in their new society. The shared
cultural traits of subcultures set them apart from
the rest of their society. Members of each of
these subcultures share a common identity, food
tradition, dialect or language, and other cultural
traits that come from their common ancestral
background and experience. As the cultural
differences between members of a subculture and
the dominant national culture blur and eventually
disappear, the subculture ceases to exist except https://www.google.com.ph/search?rlz=1C1OPRB_enPH800PH80
as a group of people who claim a common 0&biw=1366&bih=613&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=4zOSW47ZBNG0zwKV
kY3ADg&q=subculture&oq=subculture&gs_l=img.3...102194.1049
ancestry. 71.0.105452.10.9.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1c.1.64.img..10.0.0....0.yv66
7FgK6Bg#imgrc=adwmkY9sp4dmpM:
The third layer of culture consists of cultural universals. These
are learned behavior patterns that are shared by all of humanity
collectively. No matter where people live in the world, they
share these universal traits.
• communicating with a verbal language consisting of a limited set of sounds and grammatical rules for 
constructing sentences
• using age and gender to classify people (e.g., teenager, senior citizen, woman, man)
• classifying people based on marriage and descent relationships and having kinship terms to refer to them 
(e.g., wife, mother, uncle, cousin)
• raising children in some sort of family setting
• having a sexual division of labor (e.g., men's work versus women's work)
• having a concept of privacy
• having rules to regulate sexual behavior
• distinguishing between good and bad behavior
• having some sort of body ornamentation
• making jokes and playing games
• having art
• having some sort of leadership roles for the implementation of community decisions
Cultural Diversity: The Combination of Culture
 The Filipino Culture and Values

The complexity of Filipino culture is compounded as this has

been exposed to continuous and various streams of culture
from without.

This influences were not passively

absorbed in to the Filipino culture but
assimilated in a selective way , and this
process of a acculturation varied from
region to region .
Contributory Factors to Filipino Culture

The Filipino culture is a summation of indigenous forces and

foreign influences that had come to bear upon the people in
varying degrees during the last centuries.
These foreign influences that contributed in
the shaping of a Filipino culture are as follows:

The Malays
The basic component of Filipino culture is the
Malay temperament which could best be described
by “niceness and pleasantness” to others rather
than by virtue of law abiding features. In its
fluidness of culture , the Malay family clan or unit is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_Mal
Retrieved from 

the world’s best security system. ays#/media/File:Sri_Lankan_Malay_Father_an

d_Son.jpg
Chinese
Filial piety between parents and children , the
flexibility to go along with other people and the
“ sageliness within and the kingliness without
“ of the Filipino is believed to be due to
Chinese influence.
Retrieved from 
https://img.clipartxtras.com/85a53dd3fdf4f3cbbb4930e84bce23ba_7
311‐asian‐family‐stock‐vector‐illustration‐and‐royalty‐free‐asian‐
family‐clipart_1300‐823.jpeg

The Indian influence

Indian influence is found in the languages ,
mode of dressing , architectural art , folk ,
beliefs , brass , and copperware.

The Hindu influence

It is the most pervasive in the Filipino belief
system . For instance is the prediction of
Filipino newspaper readers for horoscope and
fortunetelling sections.
Retrieved from 
https://vedicambassador.files.wordpre
ss.com/2014/02/parasara_jyotish.png?
w=593&h=593
The Spanish Heritage
It is reflective of more developed societies
at their point of contact , broadened the
outlook of the Filipino . Spain introduced a
community oriented rather than a family-
oriented religion in the form of Christianity
It contributed to an elite class . A social
Retrieved from 
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/Carlos_V_Francisco_First_Mass_in_the_Phili
ppines.png

and political organization, according to western institutions, was

brought into the Philippines.
The Americans
The united states further broadened this
heritage by introducing a democracy that
called for individual liberty and equality
as well as a national political community
to which everybody was supposed to Retrieved from http://www.pepper.ph/wp‐
content/uploads/2015/01/Pepper20_american00_unclesamcoo
participate through national suffrage. k.jpg
The Filipino Cultural Perspectives

The Filipino culture’s existence and development is viewed and

interpreted in many ways. Some of them are:

The Traditional Concept

The traditionalist holds that Filipino culture was developed due to
the conglomeration of the physical, intellectual, moral, and
spiritual aspects. It assumes that underneath the independent and
widely divergent culture as shown in their way of life, there is an
underlying basic root of unity that holds the cultural tree together
and infuses one clear, distinct substance through its veins. This
includes their art of living, philosophy in life, attitudes toward God,
nature and fellowmen.
The Nationalistic View
This concept regards culture as the summation of
the needs of the people, the description of their past
and present condition, an expression of their values,
thoughts and emotions, and the depiction of their
historic struggles to liberate themselves. True
national culture is inextricably linked to the people’s Retrieved from https://encrypted‐
tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSET7sjnj_‐

needs, ideas, emotions, and practices. UGaWwgmqzMGxeAdlgH6FsuD0mVW1UyjkjWKDhy0iWg

Cultural Dualism
This theory maintains that the Philippines is a transitional
society dominated on one side by the traditional culture
and on the other side by the modern culture. The norms
and values of these two forces inevitably oppose each
other leading to conflicts in the life of individual. Because
of the conflict brought by the various foreign influences
into the Philippines, the Filipinos have to engage into a
selective integration and modification of foreign
influences into a distinct Filipino culture. Retrieved from https://encrypted‐
tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRLSxgRuPv7UV3h
jIIXuOn267eEsg9Slbp6PsyBgLVH‐dzRmvtC
Belief System

Filipinos are religious. They believe so much in supernatural

powers and view themselves as only a speck in this wide
universe. This Filipino belief
in the supernatural powers
taught them to trust prayers
rather than hard work in the
realization of their dreams.
Success is considered a
blessing from above, a result
of good luck and faith. It also taught him to value traits like
perseverance, patience, and
endurance.

Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/What‐was‐the‐religion‐of‐Philippines‐before‐the‐Spanish‐arrival
Good is considered relative. What is considered good to one may
not be good to another. Happiness and success differ from one
person to another. Elders, parents, and superiors are respected
and obeyed. Hospitality is one practice Filipinos believe in
because it is their way of implementing threw golden rule: “Do
unto others what you want others do unto you”.

Value System

Cultural values are shared assumption

of what is right, good, or important.
Values actually guide man’s behavior
and action as he relates himself in
most situations in life.
https://image.slidesharecdn.com/filipinovalues‐120628222640‐
phpapp01/95/filipino‐values‐1‐728.jpg?cb=1340922437
The Filipino values can best be seen from the aspects of
personal and social relationships. Personally, the Filipinos value
more their honor and status than anything else. Majority of them
takes care of their honor (karangalan) rather than wealth.

In decision making, the

Filipinos usually consult and
take into consideration the
consensus of the family
members as the feelings of
those who are to be affected. Retrieved from http://clipartstation.com/wp‐content/uploads/2017/11/filipino‐family‐clipart‐
9.jpg
Socially, the Filipinos give more emphasis on social
relationships. This can be seen through the hospitality they give
to their visitors and friends. They love to mingle with people
particularly with friends and relatives. They engage themselves
in mutual cooperation, which is best pictured through the
“bayanihan”.

In terms of emotion, the Filipinos are

friendly. They smile at people, even with
strangers when they are approach. They
are warm and simple. Women in the
Philippines are highly regarded and
respected and can be relied upon when it
comes to family affairs. Retrieved from https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/‐
oVVBTFWotOU/TYCME4jlTBI/AAAAAAAAAJw/NXpcev5
3T8Y/s200/TF+in+green+circle.jpg
Sources:

Ethics and Culture. (2014, May 6). Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/ShahebAnik1/4‐ethics‐and‐culture

Human Culture: What is Culture? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www2.palomar.edu/anthro/culture/culture_1.htm

General Introduction to Culture. (2017, December 5). Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/pradheepxing/general‐introduction‐to‐culture

Retrieved from http://www.open.edu/openlearn/ocw/mod/resource/view.php?id=17691

society and culture_ the filipino values and culture. (2011, August 23). Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/mhaee/society‐and‐culture‐
the‐filipino‐values‐and‐culture

What is Culture, Definition, Features & Characteristics of Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.studylecturenotes.com/social‐
sciences/sociology/112‐what‐is‐culture‐