Oli, John Joshua P.

February 09, 2022 (4:00 PM-5:30 PM)

BSED-Science 2A Ethics (GEC08/31472)

Answer the following questions. 5 points each.

1. There are only 10 spaces in the lifeboat, but there are 11 passengers on the sinking ship.
A decision must be made. Who will stay behind?

Utilitarianism as were stated by Britannica (n.d), is moral theory that primary aim is to
promote happiness or pleasure for the benefits of everyone and persons that were
involved. If, there are 11 passengers in a sinking boat and there are only 10 lifeboats, I
will not hesitate to give the lifeboat that supposed to be mine to the person who doesn’t
have it. Why? It is because I believe in the principle of so-called utilitarianism, wherein
as an individual, I can sacrifice myself to be able to save the lives of 10 persons in the
boat, because maybe majority of the passengers of the boat are children and senior
citizens, and if I were going to save myself first, and one of them are going to die due to
the insufficiency of the lifeboats, it such a selfish decision for me to do that, and it would
definitely cannot handle by my conscience. So, yes, I can voluntarily give the lifeboat of
mine to the person who doesn’t have to save their lives, and also, I would tell him/her
that, it is not his/her responsibility that I sacrifice myself for him/her. But I will tell them
that it is my decision, and it is the calling of conscience, a calling to serve and prioritize
the sake of other first, rather than mine.

SOURCE: utilitarianism | Definition, Philosophy, Examples, Ethics, Philosophers, & Facts.

(2022). Retrieved 9 February 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/utilitarianism-
philosophy

2. A train with broken brakes is speeding towards a fork in the tracks. On the left, there is
a woman crossing with her two children; on the right, there is a man doing routine
maintenance on the tracks. If you are an engineer, who side will you choose?

I would side with the woman with two children. Why? It is because, there are three lives
are in my hands, and it is my responsibility to save those lives, most especially two of
those lives are children. And, as an individual who had two cousins that I raise and cared
ever since they were a baby, it is such a burden and despair for myself, to not do
something to save them. And I also believe that maybe those two children are not enough
to understand and deal with that kind of situation, maybe they panic and not do
something, if they see the train coming to them. Moreover, I can also save the life of the
man repairing his track by shouting out loud that there is a train that broke its brakes, and
I think he will know what he is about to do, when he heard that. Furthermore, according
 to Kohlberg, as an individual develops both mentally and psychologically, they can make
the right decision based on the best results. With that being said, I do believe that saving
the lives of the mother having the two children are the best and right decision that leads
for a better result, since saving them will save three lives, three lives that two of those are
children.

SOURCE: Kohlberg, three stages of moral development (2022). Retrieved 9 February 2022,
from
https://www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html#:~:text=Kohlberg%20identified%20three%20
distinct%20levels,preconventional%2C%20conventional%2C%20and%20postconventional.

3. Is Death Penalty ethical or unethical? Why?

As an individual and Christian, I strongly disagree with the concept of death penalty, and
I believe that it is unethical in my belief as a Catholic. I strongly disagree with it, since it
is against to my faith, and it is a sin to kill someone even though he/she committed such a
hideous crime or sin. As a person who raised by family that closest to serving God, it
against to principle because, I learned to forgive someone no matter how heavy his/her
sin was, similarly on how Jesus, forgave those persons who doesn’t believe and him.
Moreover, I also believe that if someone is being guilty on committing such crime like
murder or homicide, we should offer the decision into the hands of the law, since they are
the one who are responsible for that, and we as an individual should empower the power
of the rule of law and supports it decision on that thing that are truly matter. But if that
decision will harm or sacrifice someone’s life, with exchange on his/her committed
crime, then I would not definitely agree to it.

4. What do you choose: Stay living unhappily or Commit suicide and await uncertainty
after life? Why?

As an individual, I always believe in the saying that “everything happens for a reason”.
And, if I were to ask suicide or live unhappily? I will choose to stay living unhappily,
because I do believe that our main role in this world, is to encounter several challenges,
testing our patience, faith, and principles. And it is our responsibility to survive those
circumstances that we are encountering, for us to be strengthen our faith, loyalty, and
bravery in our lives. Living an unhappily lives is similarly to a day, maybe it will not be a
good one for us, since we are struggling with problems, stress, and depression, but there
is always a hope beyond those struggles. There is a better day to come. As a student, to
be honest, there are times that I keep thinking on committing suicide, because of the
burden pressure and expectation that keeps me, but in the end of the day it is always my
 motivation that it is just a grade, it is just an expectation, in the end of the day, I’m the
one who will empower my selves to fight for it and to live it for a better.
Activity 1

Fill in the table below. Minimum of 5 sentences, maximum of 7 sentences.

NOTE: There are only 5-7 sentences on my answers, it looks long since some of the
sentences are complex and compound. But overall, I followed the said instructions.

Rules How it regulates How it How it How essential it

our behavior?
guarantees our produces sense is on the
rights and of justice? economy?
freedom?
HUMAN -It regulates our -It guarantees -It scopes the -We all knew
RIGHTS LAW behavior in a way our protection majority, that one of the
UNDER THE that it upholds and against violence. without an elements of our
1987 protect our rights. exemption. country is its
PHILIPPINE -It empowers people. In
CONSTITUTION -It ensures that all our role to -It promotes which, it was
individuals have a express diversity, considered as
voice, and ourselves and be diversity in a the most
everyone are freely. Such as way that important
protected. expressing our everyone is element that
opinions and protected no cannot and will
-It provides us an perspectives. matter who you not be eradicate.
essence of are, how old are As an
responsibility and -It promotes you, and what is individual, I do
duty as an good sense of your sexuality. believe that
individual. relationship and protecting the
duty. rights of our
-It protects us -It ensures that people is a must,
against any -It provides an all rights are it is not a
maltreat and encouragement being uphold responsibility,
abuses. and honor to and protected, but it is our
each and especially when duty. Protecting
-Lastly, it creates everybody. it was related on people through
a great impact to court or cases. It human rights are
us to appreciate -Lastly, it promotes to essential since it
and always protect protects our protect the right promotes and
our rights. liberty, of the victim and empowers the
democracy, and the suspect. sectors of our
freedom to society and
choose to like economy.
for example a Without, the
leader in our protection of the
country. people it can
 -It also promotes leads into
justice, in a certain
sense that it inhumane
empowers treatments that
equality, can cause harm
eradicating for them. And,
stereotyping and as an individual
discriminations. I do believe that
through
-Lastly, it protection of
protects different people it
sectors, generates the
organization or power of our
authority economy, since
regarding to people are the
their rights and foundation of
limitations, in our progress and
instance like development,
property and and with that
many more. being said, it is
them the people
and their rights
make our
country together
with its
economy
essential.
TRAIN LAW -It regulates our -Through this -It provides -It helps the
behavior in a law, it expounds justice for the country to
sense that it limits our knowledge poor Filipinos strengthen its
ourselves regarding the since it removes economy, since
regarding the importance of personal and it regulates
products that we paying taxes adding reforms which
may take in. which practice additional tax relates into
our rights to be exemptions. increasing tax.
-It also reduces informed and
the opportunity aware. -Empowers our -Through
for us to control health together generating jobs
what we are -It regulates us with the paid in with the
buying. to become an hospitalization, connection in
open-minded, through this it the said law, it
-Aside from that it especially in provides sense produces an
teaches us on how showing our of justice, since essence of more
to be responsible support, it will help those opportunities to
and discipline in opinions, and unfortunate the Filipinos,
the things that disagreements families who which
 really matters. which as well suffered in contributes to
regulates our poverty. the general
-It regulates us to rights of improvement of
become a freedom of -It creates more the economy.
responsible expression and opportunities,
citizen, especially speech. which reduces
through paying poverty, which -It expands
taxes. -Guarantees us provides an wage increases
that we are essence of hope and tax
-It teaches us on protected and and justice for revenues, which
how to become a secure a better everyone who helps the
responsible future for are lack of jobs. country to
citizen, through everyone, rights sustain the
offering ourselves for security. -Boost the needs of its
to participate and transaction and people.
know what are -Guarantees our processes
happening into future since inclined with the -It produces
society. TRAIN law government, professionals
signed to law to which provides and educated
reduce poverty an essence of individuals,
and provide justice for since it
sustainability. Filipinos who increases more
paid respective job
-It helps us to taxes. opportunities for
create more everyone, which
houses through -Overall, later improve
the build, build, through TRAIN the condition of
program, which law, it creates a the economy
are also scope of sense of justice making it
our rights, which that aims the essential.
regulates best for the
ourselves in Filipinos, -To sum up,
freedom against through which TRAIN law,
homeless and helps them to provides
poverty. recover, essential to our
generates their lives, since it
lives and sustain boost the
their wellbeing, condition of our
through this way economy
I do believe it through
promotes justice, increasing the
a justice that tax in respective
serves to provide products, which
the best and yielding to a
right for every result of more
Filipinos. opportunities,
 and
improvement
into our nation’s
economy.

TERROR LAW -It regulates our -As I mentioned, -This law -It is essential in
behavior in a before there is promotes justice the way that it
sense that it limits certain condition in a sense that it can uplift the
ourselves in a that limits us will provide a lives of so many
certain thing that with inclined to scope of by following
we are about to be this law. First, protection for certain
doing, acts that we this law was everyone against regulations
are about to take passed to fight terrorism. passed by the
in and control to and avoid Moreover, it also government.
those things. This terrorism. aims to put the
law seems to have Second, as were trust and respect -It also brings
a good and bad stated it aims to of its people in essential since it
effects in the lives protect the the government. protect SOME
of the Filipino liberty and life It also ensures of the rights of
people. But, as an of the people. that every the people
individual, I do But as an citizen can be against
believe that this individual, I do truly express terrorism.
kind of law is not believe that this themselves
ethically correct, law is not freely and in -Ensure that
since I believe regulating it just. there is a
that it can put properly, But, as an protection that
innocent someone especially in a individual, I do will serve and
into danger and sense of believe that this will uphold the
fear. Moreover, I providing rights law is not truly country’s
also believe that and freedom for promoting current
this law is Filipinos. justice, but it condition,
strongly against to Instead of doing promotes threat merely in terms
our rights and that, it promotes and panic to the of its economy.
principles as an against to what people.
individual. Our it was, this law Furthermore, I -It improves and
rights, to express brings horror, do believe that become
ourselves to fear, and terror this law in not essential into
deliver our to the people, made to protect our economy, in
thoughts and to given the fact its people, yes, which, it
share our ideas to that they can be some ways it protects our
the public. arrested even may be country and its
though without considered be people towards
warrant. So, correct, but for terrorism.
 overall if I were me, it is
to ask if how it ethically and -It creates an
promotes or morally opportunity for
does it guarantee unaccepted, every individual
right, yes, it is since as an to be
based on its individual I do responsible and
content, but believe that the contribute to the
overall, it government general well
contradicts to aims to protect being of the
what it was its people, in a country and
supposed to be way that will economy.
and do. treat them the
best, given that
there are
numerous
encounter upon
signing this law,
it is a clearly
indication that it
is not promotes
harmoniously
good ethical and
moral principles
for all.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION:
(FOR IDEA AND KNOWLEDGE PURPOSES ONLY)
How are your rights protected? | Equality and Human Rights Commission. (2022).
Retrieved 10 February 2022, from https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/what-are-human-
rights/how-are-your-rights-protected

Official Gazette (2022). Retrieved 10 February 2022, from

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2020/06jun/20200703-RA-11479-RRD.pdf

Position Paper on the Anti-Terror Bill (SB 1083/HB 6875) by Faculty Members of the
UP Department of Political Science – Department of Political Science | University of the
Philippines Diliman. (2020). Retrieved 10 February 2022, from
https://polisci.upd.edu.ph/position-paper-on-the-anti-terror-bill/

Republic Act No.10168. (2022). Retrieved 10 February 2022, from

http://www.amlc.gov.ph/laws/terrorism-financing/2015-10-16-02-51-
58#:~:text=%E2%80%93%20It%20is%20the%20policy%20of,terrorism%20a%20crime%20aga
inst%20the

https://youtu.be/3C455VwtqxA
https://youtu.be/5K3zcWRPmKk
https://youtu.be/p6DmG1UK_ik