Elements of Moral Agent
moral behavior
Training of the Intellect:
 To seek the purpose
 To grasp universal truths
 To understand and reason out truths and
moral precepts and relate them to life
 To make judgments based on an objective
standard of morality
 To analyze the cause and effect of decisions
and behavior
 To solve problems critically and rationally
Formation of the Will:
 To love the Supreme Being and neighbor
 To choose the higher good/universal truths
and moral values
 To act upon a decision
 To take the rational and logical consequences
of a decision and act
 To make responsible use of freedom
 To exercise self-discipline and control the
emotions
 To persevere, sustain and commit
 To change and improve
 To practice virtues and good moral habits
Providers of Moral Behavior
1. Culture
• Culture is derived from Latin word “cultus”
which means “care” – a care and attention
provided to a human person as he grows into
a mature person.
• According to a theorist, Allan G. Johnson,
culture is the sum of symbols, ideas, forms of
experience, and material products associated
with a social system.
• It is a dynamic medium through which
societies create a collective way of life
reflected in such things as belief, values,
music, literary, arts, dance, science, religion,
ritual, technology, and others.
• It is a social heritage of a society transmitted
from one generation to the next through
language.
Two types of culture that influences the person’s
Material Culture – refers to the concrete and
tangible things that man creates and uses. This
includes dwelling units, tools, weapons,
clothings, books, machines, artifacts, relics,
fossils, etc.
Non-Material Culture – refers things or
intangible objects that a person uses, follows,
professes and other things that he strives to
conform with. It includes knowledge, laws,
lifestyle, teachings, ideas, customs, moral
behavior, mores, values, language, sanctions, etc.
Providers of Moral Behavior in a Culture
a. The Family– is said to be the smallest unit of
society that plays a vital role in the
development of personality and values
formation of children. Children are taught to
follow and observe the family’s norms, values,
beliefs and appropriate social behavior, etc...
Without all of this, the family is in disarray.
b. The School– helps preserve, perpetuate,
modify and integrate the conditions of human
life by promoting teachings and learnings.
Through education, knowledge, skills,
attitudes, and values are acquired, shared and
transmitted to other members of society.
c. The Church – also plays a very significant role
in the lives of the members. The church
promotes interaction among its members in
order to foster unity and group solidarity.
Through preaching, listening and watching
church activities, the individual is able to
understand the meaning of his existence.
d. The Government – exists for the benefit of
the people. It promotes economic and socio-
cultural well-being of the people. It
administers justice, fairness; promotes
progress and development, security and
protection.
e. The Workplace – in the contemporary world,
high technology and computerization have
important roles in the conduct of employees
and workers in the workplace. Advance highly
technical work has changed the life of the
workers. It has made their work increasingly
easy and reliable.
The advancement and increase of computing
technologies has changed the behaviors of most
people, too, especially students or out of school
youths who spend more time in internet cafés or in
their gadgets to play online games than in their
lessons or household chores.
f. The Mass Media. The mass media as agents
of socialization are impersonal
communication aimed at a vast audience.
Mass media arise as communication
technology (first the newspapers and then
radio, television, films, and the Internet)
spreads information on a mass scale.
The mass media have an enormous effect on our
attitudes and behavior, and on shaping people's
opinions about issues as well as what they buy.
Universal Values
A value is universal when it has the same value for
all, same worth for all or for almost all people.
Spheres of human value encompass morality,
aesthetic preference, human traits, human endeavor,
and social order.
It is clear that certain values are found across a great
diversity of human cultures, such as primary attribute
of physical attractiveness (e.g. youthfulness,
symmetry).
Relativism concerning morals is known as moral
relativism, a philosophical stance opposed to the
existence of universal moral values.
The claim for universal values can be understood in
two different ways:
• First, it could be that something has a
universal value when everybody finds it
valuable.
• Second, something could have universal value
when all people have reason to believe it has
value.
Development of Moral Character
1. Aristotle (Nichomachean Ethics)
Nichomachean Ethics is a remarkable work
written in 350 B.C by Aristotle. His work was
focused on the importance of development
and behavior among virtuous characters.
He introduced the word “Eudaimonia,” which
is relative to the how a moral character
develops. It is an end in itself. Aristotle
argued that eudaimonia was known as a goal
of a healthy life, not as an instrument.
2. Confucius (Analects)
• He spoke more on the kindness of human
rather than spiritual concepts. In another
words, Confucius argued that things must be
clear to one’s mind in order to function
properly in an environment.
3. Plato (in Apology, Phaedo, Republic)
• Lastly, another prominent figure in the world
of philosophy is Plato. Plato’s writings such as
Apology demonstrate dramatic accounts of
the events leading to his death, as well as
illustrating matters of concerns, ethical living,
and clarity of thought and expression.
• “Apology” means “legal defense of trial.”
Plato offers to discuss about the defense of
philosophy as a way of life. A soul is part of
life, whereas, the soul determines the things
we do every day.
• In the “Republic,” he argued that the soul is
divided in three parts, and each part is a kind
of desire. Respectively, these desires are
rational, appetitive, or spirited. To be
virtuous one must understand what is the
beneficial.