Questions for Midterm Exams in ETHICS

Instructions: Answer the following questions properly. Do not copy exactly from your module.

1. Present the concept of Good Life from ancient to contemporary era. (10 points)

Concept of Good Life

- The good life is, for a human being to live in the way that is most suitable for a
human that is according to reason. This is, what separates man from animals,
as a man alone has the ability to think reasons.

In Ancient Times In Contemporary Era

The concept of good life from

The concept of good life from ancient
times is just a normal way or usual for
them, like it was just simple, it is not big
deal for them because they live as a
perfect place that there are no problems.
It means having no problems like they are
living in harmony with nature, they are
seeking balance in their own place. In
short they have unity, universality and
they have one in common. There were no
issues for having good life for them.
contemporary era or civilization period is
people began to move beyond the
confines of their communities which
means they travelled across borders for
trade, conquest, and adventure. They
have seen every part of the world
because they are scattered. They
discovered that there is a bigger world
beyond their small communal spaces like
for example the North Korea wherein all
they know is their country is the only one
existing in the world so time past by some
people go there and they discover that
there is a bigger world beyond their
communal spaces. They found out that
there are other communities that exist
outside their borders.
2. Define Ethics. Enumerate and explain the reasons why we study Ethics. (10 points)

- Ethics deals with human activity in as much as the acts are in conformity with the
natural end. The medium of knowledge is reason alone, setting out the data of
experience and acquired knowledge.
- Ethics is concerned with norms, mores or traditions and principles of behavior in so far
as these principles are known by reason.
- Ethics is a set of rules of human behavior, which has been influenced by the standards
set by the society or by himself in relation to his society. This means it is the moral
principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity.
Why we study ethics?
1. Ethics is the very investigation of the meaning of life.
- This means that ethics is a medium to better understand the meaning of life. Just like for
example, you buy an item with a manual, to better understand the item and know its
purpose you must to read the manual first before using. So in this case the manual is
ethics and the item will be your life. To better understand the meaning of life you must
to undergo the word ethics which is the very investigation of life.
2. You will be guided in understanding what real happiness is.
- In studying ethics you will be guided in understanding what real happiness is. This
means that ethics will help you to find what is the true meaning of happiness.
3. It will help you understand that man’s ultimate goal is not acquisition of material goods
rather his actual fulfilment lies in the development of the moral quality.
- This means studying ethics will prove to you that the mans ultimate goal is not about
obtaining material goods but instead to pursue virtues such as knowledge, courage and
temperance wherein these are essential ingredients in making the right choices in life
and lead to happiness.
4. It provides for you an idea of what right living is all about and the importance of
acquiring good moral character.
- Ethics provides for you an idea of what right living is all about which means it shows you
how to be a right person whatever you will do in life, and the importance of acquiring
good moral character, wherein you trained to be good to achieve good moral character.
5. It can give the necessary guidelines for the acquisition of his goal.
- Ethics also give the necessary guidelines for the acquisition of his goal, it means ethics
will serve as your guide in pursuing your goals.
6. Character-building
- Ethics enhance character-building wherein it will molds your good personality and will
help us develop our character traits that lead to a life of excellence.
3. Define Human Acts and Acts of Man; enumerate and explain their constituents, and give
10 examples each. (20 points)

A HUMAN ACT ACTS OF MAN

- An act that is performed only by - Those action which happens in

human being and thus is proper to man naturally.
man. - Acts that man perform
- A human act is an act that is indeliberately or without
deliberately performed by one advertence.
possessed of the use of reason. - Mans animal act of densation (use
Deliberately performed means of senses) and appetition (bodily
that it is done freely and tendenciness).
knowingly. - Acts done abstractedly or with
- A human act is a conscious, complete inadvertence.
voluntary and free act (alam mo, - Acts performed in infancy,
gusto mo, at Malaya mong infirmity mind or the weakness of
ginawa). It means you hold senility.
responsibility for your actions, if
your act turns out to be good
then you deserve the good
consequences that come after. If
your act turns out to be evil, you
are held accountable for the
negative impacts.
- Acts internal, external, bodily or
spiritually performed by human
being.
- An act that after few deliberation
is performed with knowledge of
the end and the consent of will.

Examples of Human Acts Examples of Acts of Man

1. Involuntary Natural Acts. These
1. Killing include the involuntary, intuitive
2. Purchasing a car or reflex acts
3. Deceiving exhibited by man.
4. Attending to church EXAMPLE:
5. Going to school 1. Salivation
6. Torturing 2. Scratching
7. Buying house and lot 3. Perspiration
8. Slandering 4. Digestion
9. Maiming 5. Seeing
10. Buying birthday gifts 2. Voluntary Natural Acts. They
include parts of our daily
activities, socially learned
Activities.
EXAMPLES:
1. Cutting our hair
2. Washing our face
3. Brushing our teeth
4. Combing our hair
5. Washing our hands
CONSTITUENTS OF HUMAN ACTS

1. Knowledge. Human act must be knowing and deliberate at. A human act
proceeds from the deliberate will. Napag-isipan, Napagnilayan. As an
agent, you must know both the nature of the act you are about to perform
and the possible consequences that may come after. A person is not
responsible for an act done in ignorance, unless ignorance is the persons
own fault, and is therefore willed, in which case he has knowledge that he
is in ignorance an ought to dispel it. Knowledge is necessary for
responsible human activity.

2. Freedom. Human act must be free. A human act is an act determined by

the will and nothing else. This means that you are not forced nor coerced
to perform an act. A person is not responsible for an act over which he has
no control, unless he deliberately surrenders such control by running into
conditions and circumstances which rob him of liberty. Human act must be
free. A human act is an act determined by the will and nothing else. This
means that you are not forced nor coerced to perform an act.

3. Voluntariness. A human act is a voluntary act. It is the formal essential

quality of the human act. Both knowledge and freedom are present.
Ginusto mo. A person is not responsible for an act which he does not will,
unless he wills to give up his self-control( as a man does, for instance, in
allowing himself to be hypnotized, or by deliberately becoming
intoxicated.)
4. Discuss the five modifiers of human acts. (10 points)
FIVE MODIFIERS OF HUMAN ACTS:
1) IGNORANCE - in general, it is the lack of knowledge regarding a certain thing.
-ignorance that may be overcome by due diligence is called vincible ignorance or
culpable ignorance, ignorance that can be expelled by due diligence is called
invincible ignorance or inculpable ignorance. The reasoned ethical principle on this
point is, invincible ignorance destroys involuntariness and relieves the agent of
responsibility, vincible ignorance lessens but does not remove voluntariness and
responsibility.

2) PASSION or CONCUPISCENCE – is a feeling, such as anger, of fear, of joy, or of

despair. It refers more specially to those bodily appetites or tendencies as
experienced.
- by concupiscence we mean any of the human impulses or tendencies technically
called the passions. These are: love, hatred, grief, desire, aversion, hope, despair,
courage, fear, anger. When concupiscence sweeps upon a person without his
intending it, it is called antecedent concupiscence, when person wills it ( as in the
case of a man who nurses his injuries or stirs himself to revenge, or who allows a
suddenly envisioned obscene image to remain in his mind or before his eyes) it is
called consequent concupiscence. The ethical principle here is, antecedent
concupiscence lessens voluntariness and responsibility.

3) FEAR – is a mental agitation brought on by the apprehension of some present or

imminent danger. It is the disturbance of the mind of a person who is confronted by
an impending harm to himself or loved ones (Agapay 1991:24) Fear maybe slight or
grave.
Note: May pagkakaiba ang 1) Ginawa mo na “may” takot at 2) Ginawa mo “dahil sa”
takot.
-
4) VIOLENCE – is an external force applied by a free cause for the purpose of
compelling person to perform an act which is against his will.
-coaction or violence is external force applied by a free cause (that is, by human
beings) to compel a person to do something contrary to his will. The ethical principle
with respect to violence is, an act owing to violence to which due resistance is made,
is not voluntary, and the agent is not responsible for it.
5) HABIT – is a lasting readiness and facility, born of frequently repeated acts, for acting
in a certain manner.
- habit is a readiness, born of repeated acts, for doing a certain thing. The ethical
principle is, habit does not take away voluntariness, acts done from habit is
permitted to continue.
5. Watch a Filipino Drama Movie with moral issue and answer the following questions: (10
points)

a. What moral standards is/are applied in the movie? Why?

The moral standards applied in the movie “Anak” is the first characteristic of the moral
standards which is:
o Moral standards deal with matters that we think can seriously harm or benefit
human beings. Whether human dignity is respected or degraded, work
conditions are safe or dangerous, and products are beneficial or detrimental to
our health are matters that affect human well-being.
This applied to the movie because “Anak” is a classic portrayal of the trials and
tribulations that an OFW’s family must endure during their separation. Josie, like many
other Filipinos, strive to provide for and support their families by accepting employment
in a different country. Basically, the Philippines’ economy is incompetent in providing its
people with adequate salaries, thus parents are not able to establish a comfortable
standard of living for themselves and for their families. Although, their decision to leave
the Philippines and work overseas seems like an ethical decision, many do not realize
that there are negative repercussions that can occur during a long term family
separation. 

b. Identify moral dilemmas experienced by the characters in the movie.

Two moral dilemmas arise from this movie which are;
1.) Educated and hard-working Filipinos leave the Philippines to work overseas thus
depleting any potential resources that could have benefited the Philippines; and
2.) A mother is obligated to leave her own children in order to care for and nurture a
stranger’s child.
The moral dilemmas experienced by the characters in the movie is epistemic moral
dilemmas which involve situations wherein two or more moral requirements conflict
with each other and that the moral agent hardly knows which of the conflicting moral
requirements takes precedence over the other. In other words, the moral agent here
does not know which option is morally right or wrong.