WEEKS 2.
&3 • Affects the thoughts, actions, and
THE MORAL AGENT
Culture in Moral Behavior
1. Definition of Culture
- refers to the cumulative deposit of
knowledge, experience, beliefs, values,
attitudes, hierarchies, religion, notions
of time, roles, spatial relations,
conceptof the universe, material
objects and possessions acquired by a
group of people in the course of
generation through individual and
group striving.
- Consists of patterns, explicit and
implicit, for behavior acquired and
transmitted by symbols, constituting
the distinctive achievements of human
groups..artifacts, traditional ideas and
attached values.
- the sum total of learned behavior of
group of people considering their
tradition and transmitting from
generation to generation.
-Is cultivated behavior.
-symbolic communication.
Broader definition: culture includes all
the things individuals learn while
growing up among particular group:
attitude, standards of morality, rules of
etiquette, perceptions of reality.
language, notions about the proper
way to live, beliefs about how females
and males should interact, ideas about
how the world works and so forth. Its
called cultural knowledge
Culture's Role in Moral Behavior
• People learn moral aspects of right
and wrong from transmitters of culture
Ex. Parents, teachers, novels, books,
films and television.
• Anthropologically, culture- moral
values, beliefs, and behavior - is
learned from other people while
growing up in a particular
society or group.
Two reasons about morality according
feelings of people in every group.
• Social Learning -the process by which
individuals acquire knowledge from
others in the groups they belong, part
of childhood.
• Enculturation or socialization the
process by which infants and children
socially learn the culture.
Moral Standards as a Social
Convention and Social Conditioning
Theory.
Theory Explained
The existence of moral rules, the sense
of moral obligation, and the moral
accountability are so-called "social
convention and social conditioning
theories"
• Moral laws is regard as social
convention.
• Agreed by people through their
authorities.
• Being learned as customary being
done by the group.
• Social convention that human beings
had just made up for themselves.
Ex. Richard Robinson (1902-1996)
"an atheist. the original conscience of
an individual in any given society is a
historical accident, the result of the
infiuence to which he has been subject "
Theory Analyzed.
Just because something learned at
home or school does not necessarily
mean it is a social convention.
Ex. Mathematical operations,
geographical facts, & scientific law
being thought in an institutions are
never considered as mere human
fabrication.
Meaning, whether or not people know
or like them, they are as they are
EX. Driving in the Philippines/ Australia.
C.S LEWIS - philosopher
to CS Lewis
a. Although there differences between
the moral ideas of one time or country
and those of another, the difference
are not really great. Nations or cultures
only have slightly different moralities
but have same moral values under the
section universal values'
b. We affirm that the morality of one
people is better than that of another,
which means that there is a moral
standard or rule by which we measure
both moralities and standards.
Social Conditioning Theory
• Can be observe when one says that a
partiactio action "ought or "ought not"
be done.
• There are plenty of situations where a
person, although conditioned and
influenced by his culture to adopt a
particular course, still feels the moral
obligation to take an entirely different
action.
Ex. Pre-marital sex-conditioned by Peer
everyone else in the group may be
doing it anyway.
Culture-IN America and in Africa
Cultural Relativism: An Analysis
Ex. 1. if you were living in Europe
during WWIl, and Nazis showed up at
your house and you were hiding sorge
Jewish people in your basement, What
will be your answer if the soldier ask
you...?
2. if you were a Catholic who believed
in the right of birth control in his or her
marriage, as most Catholics in the
United States believe. You would be
going against the official teachings of
the
Church, but doing what you thought
was ethical for you and you family.
Rachels' evaluation of cultural
relativism (1941-2003).
The Cutural Differences Argument in
the Status of Morality.
• The Greeks believed it was wrong to
eat the dead
• The Callatians (an Indian tribe)
believed it was right to eat the dead
• The Eskimos see nothing wrong with
INFANTICIDES
(esp. girls)_ Whereas we believe
infanticide is immoral.
Different cultures have different moral
codes. Therefore there is no objective
"truth" in morality.
Therefore eating the dead is neither
objectively right or wrong. It is merely a
matter of opinion, varies from culture
to culture.
Rachels' Evaluation Of Cultural
Relativism (1941-2003).
Raehel called this the cultural
dfferences argument'
ARGUMENT: Beliefs and Values
It is wrong to eat cows... think odiffer
cultures.
There are other factors that about
society's values.
1. Religious beliefs
2. Factual beliefs
3.Physical circumstances in which
people must live.
Therefore it is wrong to conclude that
there is disagreement about values and
morality just because customs differ
The Bad Consequences Of Cultural
Relativism.
C. the idea of moral progress is called
into doubt.
Ex. Rachel mention the role/place of
women in society through out the
history.
• Not own a property appears in the eyes of others, fear of
losing face'.
• Not vote
Being afraid to things as may damage
• Hold political office one's reputation in the sight of other
people.
• Under absolute control of their
husbands Note: the fear of losing face reflects his
or her family upbringing. Too much
Comment: in cultural relativism the hiya' may lead to having inferiority
progress that we experience in our time complex and losing self-confidence.
is not legitimate. No standards in
judging the 'progress'.
3. 'Amor propio' is derived from the
concept of 'self' Amor means love and
ASIAN MORAL UNDERSTANDING propio means self. It comes from the
person's tendency to protect his or her
Culture has a major impact on morality,
dignity and honor.
people from different cultures appear
to have seemingly, different sets of Note: because of 'pride' or amor
ethics propio, a person may refuse offers even
if he/she wants to accept them.
Western ethics basically about finding
truth.- claimed to have more on self
and what is rationally or logically true.
Asian( eastern) ethics -more about
showing respect, and more about doing
right in terms of what is expected by
the family, society, and culture.
FILIPINO MORAL CHARACTER
Strength and Weakness
Centers on having a 'smooth
interpersonal relationship' (SIR) with
others.
6 basic Filipino Values.
1. Pakikisama - is having and
maintaining good public relations. This
being practiced to avoid clash with
other people or certain group. Its goal
is to keep good feelings in all personal
interactions and getting along with
others. Smiling even when things go
wrong, avoiding to say 'no' and
refraining from venting anger or losing
temper.
Note: It can work positively and
destructively
2. Hiya -felling of lowliness, shame and
embarrassment, inhibition or shyness
which is experience as somewhat
distressing. It is related to the concept
of face' that is concern on how one