MODULE 1

UNDERSTANDING MORALITY AND MORAL STANDARDS

LESSON 5
FREEDOM AS FOUNDATION FOR MORAL ACTS

As a class, sing Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”.

My Way
[Verse 1]
And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full
And more, much more than this
I did it my way

[Verse 2]
Regrets, I’ve had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way

[Verse 3]
Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all, and I stood tall
 And did it my way

[Verse 4]
I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried
I’ve had my fill, my share of losing
And now, s tears subside
I find it all so amusing
To think I did all that
And may I say, not in a shy way
Oh, no, oh, no, not me
I did it my way

[Verse 5]
For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows
I did it my way.

[Outro]
Yes, it was my way
Note: (A possible alternative: Born This Way by Lady Gaga)

1. What’s your favorite line from the song, My way/ Born This Way? Why is it your favorite?
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2. Does the song suggest choice or freedom? Why?
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3. If a beast like a dog could sing the same song, could the dog be honestly singing what the song
expresses?
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1. Bernard Haring says “Morality is the persons.” What does this mean?
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2. “Ought implies can” is an ethical formula ascribed to Immanuel Kant. What does this mean?
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3. Does Kant’s statement, “ought implies I can” make you understand why morality or ethics cannot
apply to the lower forms of animals? Why morality or ethics cannot apply to the lower forms of
animals?
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4. “Two roads diverged in the woods; I took the one less traveled and that made all the difference.” –
Robert Frost
Does the quote imply choice and ethics or morality? How?
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Explain why only human beings, not the brutes, can be ethical.
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What choice have you made in life recently? Are you happy with that choice? Are you grateful you
Have the capacity to choose freely?
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