Baliwag Polytechnic College

Dalubhasaan Kong Mahal

2nd Semester
A.Y. 2020 – 2021

STUDY GUIDES
Your success to finish this module lies in your hand. This module is prepared for you to
learn new concepts and invaluable skills diligently, intelligently, and independently. As a future
young professional, doing these will greatly help and prepare you to become a responsible
student. Set your goals and invest for your future. This is your first step towards your priceless
investment for a brighter tomorrow. Do not waste your time, effort and energy. Always stay
motivated and inspired to make your dreams come true. The following guides and house rules
will help you further to be on track and to stay at the end of the module.

1. Schedule and manage your time wisely for you to accomplish the given tasks
in this module.
2. If there are things that you do not understand, go over and focus on the lesson.
If this will not work, seek the help of your family members or leave me a
message so I can give assistance.
3. Before you start doing anything else, read and understand the learning tasks
carefully. Always aim for the best and do not settle with low grades.
4. Think before you write. In answering all the assessment activities, write
legibly and follow the instructions as needed.
5. Do not hesitate to keep an open communication with me through any available
platforms. I am more than willing to help you to accomplish your goals.
6. Once you are done in the module, you can proceed doing other tasks in the
succeeding units that are scheduled for the finals.
7. You are expected to answer all the printed-based activities, assignments and
reflection guides for you to pass in this course.
8. Remember you are the student hence you are expected to accomplish and
study the module on your own. You can seek help and support from your
family members and friends but the actual activities must be done by you.

GRADING SYSTEM
Midterm Grade
 Self-paced activities, Quizzes -60%
Examination -40%

Tentative Final Grade

Self-paced activities, Quizzes, Portfolio -60%
Examination -40%

Final Grade Midterm 50% + TFG 50%

STUDY SCHEDULE

Dates Module /Topics

Module 1 The Scope and Meaning of Ethics
Week 1 Future Growth
Lesson 1 A Deeper Understanding of Ethics
January 4-8, 2021 Lesson 2 Morality and Other Phases of
Human
Life
Lesson 3 Morality and Human Acts

Weeks 2 Module 2 Moral Standards and Human

January 11-15, 2021
Week 3
January 18-22, 2021
Week 4
January 25-29, 2021
Week 5
February 1-5, 2021
Freedom
Lesson 1 Moral Standards
Module 3 Morality
Lesson 1 The Norms of Morality
Lesson 2 Defective Norms of Morality
Module 4 Dilemma
Lesson 1 What is Dilemma?
Module 5 Culture in Moral Behavior
Lesson 1 Culture in Moral Behavior
Explained

Week 6 Module 6 Filipino Culture and Morality

February 8-12, 2021 Lesson 1 Culture Relativism
Lesson 2 Filipino Psyche and Morality

Week 7 Module 7 Morality and Conscience

February 15-19, Lesson 1 Morality
 2021 Lesson 2 Kinds of Values
Week 8 Module 8 Feelings and Moral Decisions
February 22-26, Lesson 1 The Ethics of Love
2021
Week 9 Module 9 Human Reasoning
March 1-5, 2021 Lesson 1 Types of Human Reasoning
Week 10 Module 10 Courage and Moral Courage
March 8-12, 2021 Lesson 1 Virtue and Types of courage
Week 11 Module 11 Aristotle on Virtue
March 15-19, 2021 Lesson 1 Virtue According to Aristotle and
his
Definition of Happiness
Week 12 Module 12 The Philosophy of St. Thomas
March 22-26, 2021 Aquinas
Lesson 1 St. Thomas Aquinas on the Natural
Law
Week 13 Module 13 The Philosophy of Immanuel Kant
April 5-9, 2021 Lesson 1 Man and Duty
Lesson 2 Kant’s Philosophy of Good Will
Lesson 3 Kant’s Categorical Imperative
Lesson 4 The Kingdom of Ends
Week 14 Module 14 Rights
April 12-16, 2021 Lesson 1 Types of Human Rights

Week 15 Module 15 The Philosophy of Utilitarianism

April 19-23, 2021 Lesson 1 Utilitarianism
Lesson 2 Positive and Negative Utilitarianism
Lesson 3 Business Utilitarianism
Week 16 Module 16 Justice and Fairness
April 26-30, 2021 Lesson 1 State and Law
Lesson 2 Government and Justice
Week 17 Module 17 Pluralism versus Fundamentalism
May 3-7, 2021 Lesson 1 What is Social Justice
Lesson 2 Globalization and Pluralism
Lesson 3 The Filipino Millennials aka
Filinnials
Lesson 4 The Role of Religion in Ethics
Course Description:
Ethics is the study of how we ought to live. Since the ancient Greeks,
philosophers have held ethics as one of the most important fields in philosophy
because of its intimate ties with everyday life. During the first part of this course, we
will consider and critique different principles and theories which purport to explain
what makes an action right or wrong, and what sort of character traits we ought to
develop. In the second part of the course, we will investigate the status of ethical
theories and claims. We will attempt to discover whether there are objective truths
about how we ought to live, or if ethics is ultimately a matter of subjective opinions
and desires. In the final part of the course, we will consider some practical ethical
issues such as global poverty and animal welfare.

Module 6
Filipino Culture and Morality
This module is comprised of two lessons

Lesson 1 Culture Relativism

Lesson 2 Filipino Psyche and Morality

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. To understand the meaning of cultural relativism

2. To prove why cultural differences are not applicable to Ethics
3. To make a comparison between Filipino psyche and Asian thinking

LESSON 1
Cultural Relativism

Culture relativity is a concept that cultural norms and values must be understood based
on the culture he is adhered to. As the saying goes, “different strokes for different folks” which
simply means that if I am to understand a situation the explanation must primary begin with my
own culture. According to William Graham Sumner, in his book entitled “Folkways” written in
1906 culture can only be understood in its own value and content. Example is December 30 to
the Filipinos it is of value for it is Rizal Day but is worthless to the Americans and the Japanese.
On the other hand, February 22 is Washington’s Birthday to the Americans but of no value to
the Filipinos or the Japanese. Same is true every February 6 which is the Foundation of the
Japanese Empire but is just an ordinary day to Filipino and American calendars. The example
reflects the significance or insignificance of these dates reflecting a national holiday to some
and an ordinary day to others. In the first place who is Jose Rizal to the Japanese and Americans
but he is adored in the Philippines.
Conversely George Washington is just a face in a one-dollar bill as far as Filipinos and
Japanese are concerned but a revered persona in America.

Ethics and Cultural Relativism

Before we delve into that let us define ethical relativism, it is the theory that holds that
morality is related to the tenets of his culture. Right or wrong a certain belief that prevailed in a
culture is shared by everyone. In a nutshell, everybody thinks the same way considering that
anyone who belongs to a certain society subscribed to every norm they dictated. This is
universality in a culture for as what everyone believed, culture is shared by everyone and denial
of their practices were a pariah among their ranks. However not everyone shared their beliefs
because blind obedience denies man his fundamental right of his freedom of choice. With his
free will, he can decide what is right or wrong but he is aware of what his culture dictates him
what to obey.
For example, during the Second World War, NAZI Germany believed that the
extermination of Jews is the “final solution” that may be akin to ethnic cleansing. The dictates
of their Fuehrer Adolf Hitler had to be taken into account by every German and is expected that
every German must obey it to the letter. But not all Germans believed in this among them was
German industrialist and war profiteer Oscar Schindler who saved twelve hundred Jews from
the Auschwitz Concentration Camp to work in his metal factory. This proves that ethical
relativism is untrue. To discuss further, although Communist China Party Chairman believed in
the apogee of communism of human development and abhorred western culture his successors
believed otherwise among them were Deng Xiaoping who even went to the US and begin
China’s rise to industrialization –the worst enemy of the communist/socialist ideology.

LESSON 2
Filipino psyche and morality

Being a nation of multi-cultural race, Filipinos are also cosmopolitan that our hospitality
extends to almost every nation in the world. Filipinos are a happy people that are known for
hospitality, subtleness, patient and fun-loving. Despite coming from a third world country,
personal and family honor are given priority if given a choice. They value education highly that
poverty is not an excuse to get a scholastic degree. At an early age Filipinos consider shame as
the worst among the negative trait they avoid they value dignity as an important value in life
that they cannot live in a society that consider them as outcast. Spanish and American colonial
rule that lasted for more than four centuries are the major ingredients in the Filipino psyche.
Comparing Filipinos to other Asian nations they are generally more easy-going than
Asian counterparts. In a study conducted by the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk
Constituency (PERC) the Filipinos are "the easiest people in Asia to get along with." Being a
happy people that is understandable. In the 2006 Happy Planet Index (HPI), the Philippines
ranked 17th out of 178 countries with the progressive United States at 150. This means to show
that materialism is not a primary source of Filipino happiness. In a study conducted by Howard,
he described Filipinos as nice, cheerful and open people, everyone is welcomed even social
misfits being the most nonjudgmental and the least racist country in Asia. Filipino negative
traits in an article written by Alisa Krutovsky mentioned that Filipinos have colonial mentality
and are often tardy during appointments.

References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals
Panopio, Isabel et al; Sociology focus in the Philippines; Ken Inc.; Quezon City
Online Supplementary Reading Materials
Filipino character and Personality;
http://factsanddetails.com/southeastasia/Philippines/sub5_6c/entry-3867.html; June 2015
Ethical Relativism; http://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethicaldecisionmaking/ethical-
relativism/; August 1, 1992 Written by: Christopher S. Espiritu AMACC Caloocan Campus