Alondra L.

Siggayo BSED-FIL-2A ETHICS MIDTERM TOPICS

Now, our topics: emotion and moral decision making, moral character, moral agent, and
neuroscience of moral decision making.

Moral agent: ang moral agent daw yung taong gagawa ng decision na hindi kasama ang
personal bias nya kahit sino pa ang affected…dapat impartial ka, kung baga..wala kang
papaburan, duon ka lang sa tama at sa ethical

Moral agent: duon ka lang sa kung ano at saan ang tama at ethical.
eg. Kung alam mo naman niloloko ka lang ng kasingtahan mo (bute nga sanyo!!) at ikaw need
mo na mag desisyon, aba use your brain…set aside yung mga idea na, “mahal ko kasi sya,
titiisin ko ang lahat kahit ako lang ang nagmamahal, kahit unfair sa part ko eh ok lang” in
decision making, duon ka sa tama, alangan mag stay ka pa eh niloloko ka nga tapos muka pang
virus yung jowa mo.. gets nyo?

Moral character: eto naman yung kabuuan ng “IKAW” about your qualities..behavior, attitude,
beliefs, decisions at etc… kung anong uri kang tao. Para bang “OVER ALL PERSONALITY MO"
Pero moral character is more on your….rational and qualities.
Eg. handa ka parin bang Gawin ang tama kahit walang nakatingin sayo? Anong gagawin mo
sa isang situation kung saan pag pinili mo ang isang bagay eh maapektuhan ka pero yung ang
tama.. sa mga ganung situation mo makikita ang character ng isang tao..
Eg. Like ako.. may mga decision ako sa buhay na kinaayawan ako ng iba, pero anong
magagawa ko kung yun ang kailangan kong gawin kong decision…now naipakita ko sakanila na
ako yung taong hindi mo masusuhulan or mauuto at lalong ako kung taong hindi ipipilit ang
sarili sa taong ayaw sakin!!!!!

Next topic: Nuero-science of decision making

Duon sa trolley problem, ikaw yung andun sa switch kung saan may parading na train pero may
masasagasaan syang 5 na tao pag tinuloy yung riles kung saan papunta yung train, wala silang
alam lahat na may masagasaan, pero if you turn the switch maiiba kung pupuntahan ng train
pero may isang mamatay lang..
Sa trolley problem may dalawang silat na philosophy na applicable.. Utilitarianism at
Deontology
Utilitarianism: eto yung philosophy na..ang decision mo ay dapat nakabase dun sa idea na…
piliin mo kung DECISION KUNG SAAN KONTI ANG MAAPEKTUHAN PERO MAS MADAMI ANG
MAKIKINABANG.
"LESSER EVIL but GREATER GOOD” yan ang utilitarianism
I hope malinaw yan.. so ang decision mo ay parang, mas maraming advantages kesa
disadvantages, pero ang problema dito… paano kung yung decision naman na madaming
advantages eh maling decision naman?? Ang sabi ng utilitarianism..huwag ka mag alala, moral
decision parin yan kasi madaming mabuteng dulot naman yung decision mo.

Eg. May jowa ka, ang problema, alam mo na niloloko ka ng jowa mong mukang virus, pero sya
ang nagsusustento sayo at buong family mo… gusto mong hiwalayan pero FINANCIALLY
DEPENDENT KA SAKANYA, wala kang work.. ano den decisión mo? Sabi ng utilitarianism, mas
Tamang piliin na décision kung saan mas madaıing makikinabang or masasave, may
masasakripisyo pero hayaan mo lang, ang daming makikinabang..

Sa Deontology naman: morality of an action depends on the nature of the action.

Kung baga, forget the advantages and the benefits, ang basehan kung moral o hindi ay kung
action mismo. kahit walang benefit pero kung eto ang tamang gawin eto ang dapat mong
gawin..

Balik tayo sa jowa mong mukang virus, financially dependent ka , wala kang work, literal na
wala kang pera, may sakit ka, may gamot ka need as your maintenance, anak mo baby palang,
need ng gatas, nakasalalay sakanya pera ng mga family at anak mo, pero may kabit at worse,
minomolestya ni anak mo, now anong decision mo?

Sabi ng deontology, no need mag isip, kahit magutom kayo, decide kung anong tama.. hindi
advantages or disadvantages ang basis ng decision mo, dun ka sa nature ng action mismo…
mere fact the minomolestya nya anak mo, Hiwalayan agad..yan ang deontology.
Nuero-science of moral judgment
Experts say that there are two systems that affect or influence of moral judgment.
First system is the Rational system and the next is the Emotional system..

But lets correct this, while we believe that emotion is connected with our heart, it is not true at
all… our heart doesn’t give us the emotion.. ok? We just use heart figuratively..
Experts say that emotion affects our moral judgment.
However, that does not apply pag MORAL AGENT ka… diba pag moral agent ka dapat set aside
ang biases at emotions mo.. dun ka lang sa facts, DAPAT IMPARTIAL KA. Impartial..patas ka
lang, dun ka lang sa tama, wala kang kikiligan.
Remember this, PRE FRONTAL CORTEX and AMYGDALA.
Theory of Cognitive Development- Ang pinupunto sa theory na ito… habang tumatanda tayo
may corresponding development din dapat cognitive natin.
So ang assumption natin, pag 18 ka na ay mejo mas tama na ang decision mo, mas matured ka
na. .mas alam mo na.. meaning expected na pag 18 ka na, your cognition has developed na..

Pre frontal cortex (Rational Part of the brain)- ay yung nasa likod ng nuo part mo.
Amygdala (Emotional System)- lower center part ng brain natin… PART OF LYMBIC SYSTEM...
So ano ang function nyan.. science says, it is responsible for EXECUTIVE FUNCTION ng brain
natin.
Ano ang executive function..madami yan pero ang pinaka connected ay yung function na..
"Abilities to differentiate among conflicting thoughts, determine good and bad, better and best,
same and different at.
The bility to suppress urges that, if not suppressed, could lead to socially unacceptable
outcomes
Meaning…yang yung part ng brain natin na tumutulong satin na alamin ang tama sa mali at
pigilan ang sarili natin ng gumawa ng hindi tama.
In connection sa cognitive development, it is expected na habang tumatanda tayo dapat
madevelop natin yan… so while growing up mas alam na natin ang tama sa mali at mas nagiging
mas tama na decision natin..
Accdg to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Brain research indicating that
prefrontal cortex brain development is not complete until near the age of 25.
So meaning… sana daw, sana.. fully develop na pre frontal cortex natin pag nag 25 na tayo..
pero syempre hindi lahat tama DECISION kahit 30 na sila..bakit??? KASI NGA HINDI NA DEVELOP
YUNG PRE FRONTAL CORTEX… now paano ba nadedevelop yun?? SIMPLE..experience and
EDUCATION.

RECAP
but we cleared also that, SCIENTIFICALLY AS PROVEN BY EXPERTS, HEART is never involved in
our decision making..it is solely our BRAIN.
in our brain, i told you there are two parts that you need to remember, the PRE FRONTAL
CORTEX and AMYGDALA..
we said the that PRE FRONTAL CORTEX is responsible for our executive judgment.. in knowing
what is right from wrong and helping us suppress our URGES, DESIRES and socially
unacceptable behavior..
now, nasaan ang role ng emotion or feelings in decision making or moral judgment,, dito na
papasok si AMYGDALA...
Scientifically 3 parts ang cortex, pero hayaan nyo… basta remember that cortex.. at ang
amygdala, maliit lang.
So meaning… pag nasa situation ka, like moral dilemma, 2 parts of brain ang mag wowork…
yung cortex at amygdala.. ETO NA NGAYON ANG CLINCHER...
Sino dapat ang mas masunod….ang cortex o ang amygdala… ano sagot: ideally, syempre dapat
ang Cortex… pero dahil minsan malakas ang emotion mo..malakas si amygdala, natabunan si
cortex, nakakagawa ka ng decision without thinking properly…so ang decision mo ang
EMOTION BASED...
Ang problema, pag emotion based..you forgot to be impartial or rational sometimes.. db nga
ang sabi natin.. pag pabigla bigla ang decision mo ay baka hindi tama ang decision mo,
kailangan mo muna pag isipan
Sabi ng experts, nakita nila sa MRI na pag nag dedecide ang tao, gumagana ang CORTEX at
AMYGDALA natin.. at nakita din nila, na yung mga nagdecide out of emotion, mas nanaig ang
AMYGDALA NILA.
dont forget ha.."Don't promise when you're happy, Don't reply when you're angry, and don't
decide when you're sad.” at mas lalong… "Don't respond while in the heat of emotion!"
Remember, use your rationality in speaking, behaving and deciding… mahalaga ang emotion
but most of the times we need to be rational.

Now, there are two requirements / minimum requirements for moral judgment.
The two requirements of Moral Judgment are: Rationality and Impartiality
Lets make it simple: Rationality is Reasonableness.. a rational man is a reasonable man.
What does it mean… when you can think logically, systematically and fairly… great chance,
you are a rational being.
dito tayo nagkakaproblema din now.. madaming tao ang may utak ang problema hindi
nagagamit sa tama ang utak… bakit? kasi kulang sa logic, understanding, comprehension and
so on.
minsan meron pang mga taong hindi marunong tumanggap ng idea ng iba, ayaw tanggapin na
mali sila, narrow minded at minsan, sadyang….delayed ang development ang cortex.

Impartiality- hence, impartiality: analyze the facts, weight the facts, without biases or
emotion….then decide.
Proponents say that there are guides on one’s conduct by REASON
1. Moral judgments must be backed by good reasons
2. Morality is first and foremost a matter of consulting reasons.
3. The right act is "where the weight of reason lies."
4. Best idea is one that has reason on its side.
5. Morally right thing to do is determined by what there are as the best reasons for doing.

If you observe, REASON is always present… hence, you have to see and weight which is
reasonable… MOST REASONABLE.
I hope that is clear.. kung baga, always look, kung gagawin ko to, anong dahilan… anong mga
rason ko, anong mga bagay ang nagbibigay ng RASON PARA YUNG ANG GAWIN KONG
DESISYON…then weight it.
hence, hindi mo pwedeng sabihin…GINAWA KO YUNG KASI WALA LANG, TRIP KO LANG….. if
ginawa mo yung without any reason, meaning you failed to use one of the requirements of
moral judgment…hence, the action and the consequence could not be categorized as moral
action.
Eg. ganito… “BAKIT MO NAMAN SINAPAK YUNG TAO?” sagot mo…. WALA EH TRIP KO LANG…..
so tayong mga nakarinig nun, pwede natin sabihin… “ah kulang sa prefrontal cortex yung tao
na yun, hindi nag isip muna kung tama ba gagawin nya."

The 7-Step Moral Reasoning Model

they say, this the model before we make a judgment..or so we could arrive at MORAL
judgment.. may procedure daw, hindi pwedeng decide ng decide o banat ng banat tapos hindi
pinag iisipan… MAY TAMANG PROSESO lalo na kung yung decision mo ay maraming
maaapektuhan..
The 7 step for moral judgment assumes that the person is in MORAL DILEMMA.. (alam nyo na
ha kung kailan mo masasabing ikaw ang nasa isang moral dilemma)
1. Gather the facts: meaning.. what are the matters and details or the background of the issue
that may ask for moral judgment.. REMEMBER, you must know all the facts… dito palang
malalaman mo na agad kung nasa moral dilemma ka na o hindi.
after knowing the facts, KUNG nakita mo na youre NOT in moral dilemma, hence no need to
proceed to use this model.. example, kung ang issue mo lang naman ay “ang sarap humiga
lang...PAPASOK BA AKO NOW? OO OR HINDI???” susmio… moral dilemma ba yan?
2. Determine the ETHICAL ISSUE: Ethical interests are stated in terms of legitimate competing
interests or goods. The competing interests are what creates the dilemma.
hence, ethical issues are those that will put you in moral dilemma.. eg. “ IPALAGLAG KO BA
TONG BATA or HINDI?" clearly that is an ethical or moral issue..”ABORTION” thats now the
issue.
3. Determine what Virtues / Principles have a bearing on the case: identify the competing
values or the principles that you need to consider in making decision.. hence, tignan nyo, ano
ano yung mga paniniwala, nakasanayan, magandang asal, tradisyon, batas at iba pa na
maaapektuhan pag namili ka na ng desisyon.
Eg. abortion, when you decide to abort the baby, what values, principles, and laws will be
violated?
4. List the Alternatives- list all the alternatives for you to have better judgment.. ang problema
kasi sa iba, nag dedecide agad without knowing that there could be still other possible and
better decisions..
Eg. Abortion uli… think, “bakit mo ba gusto ipa abort?” there could be many reasons ha… pero
lets say, gusto mo ipaabort kasi baka hindi mo mabuhay at mabigay yung needs ng anak mo
lalo nat INIWAN KA NG JOWA MONG MUKANG VIRUS AT HINDI KA KASI SUMUNOD SA SINABI
NI SIR ARCIE NA “QUARANTINE HINDI LANDIAN.

List the alternatives, like :

1. Ask for support from the father,
2. Support from the parents and inlaws
3. Ipa adopt mo sa mga ibang walang baby.
5. Compare the Alternatives with the Virtues / Principles
-Sa mga alternatives mo, ANO DUN ANG MAY PINAKA TAMANG VALUES, PRINCIPLES OR
VIRTOUS… meaning, ANO DUN ANG PINAKATAMA base sa values, principles, and laws...

6. What is your decision, CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES of you possible decision.

- REMEMBER, newton third law of motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite
reaction.
- in every action in life there is always a reaction: we call it consequence. the consequence may
be good or bad… but be ready to face and bear the consequences. A PERSON MUST BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS DECISIONS.
hence, take the alternatives and work out the positive and negative consequences of each.
Estimate how beneficial each POSTIVE and NEGATIVE consequence is - some might have greater
weight than others. �

7. MAKE A DECISION
- remember since you are in a moral dilemma, Ethical or moral decisions rarely have pain-free
solutions - it might be you have to choose the solution with the least number of problems /
painful consequences.
hence, kahit ano man ang decision mo..meron at meron at meron masagaan or not so nice
consequences, hence be ready to face it…
Eg. nung sinabi ng asawa ko na want nyo mag abroad, it was a huge sacrifice for us.. ano yung
moral dilemma ko nun?? simple.. "what is the sense of marriage if we will not live in the same
roof."
- so we made a decision.. now we have to face the consequences… positive and negative
meron, may advantages and disadvantages..

Ethics according to ARISTOTLE and ST THOMAS AQUINAS

hence for this time, our approach shall be more philisophical and analytical.. we shall avoid
hasty statements based on mere opinion. My dear Oxytocin, remember this, while it is true that
the constitution guarantees freedom of speech, such freedom shall be used with accountability.
You may criticize anything or anyone (pero sana huwag naman), eg, you may criticize the
government and assert the you are just exercising your freedom speech but such criticism shall
be bsaed on ANALYSIS, CONCEPTS, DOCTRINE, EVIDENCE, SCIENCE, FACTS, LAWS or TRUTH
To start with, lets discuss first.. what is philosophy, conceptually,
Philosophy is “the study and pursuit of facts which deal with the ultimate reality or causes of
things as they affect life.” Hence, if you study philosophy.. your are investigating for the reality
or for the TRUTH.
(parang ganito, perhaps some of you have asked yourselves, “BAKIT GANITO DAMING
PAGSUBOK NA DUMADAAN SAKIN? ANO BA TALAGANG RASON AT KAILANGAN AKO PA
MAKADANAS NG MGA ‘TO” or you may simple ask: “BAKIT BA AKO NABABUHAY?” when you
say those question…you are looking for an answer: the TRUTH BEHIND EVERYTHING. those are
philosophical questions.)
(another eg. “BAKIT KO BA SYA PAKAKASALAN?” yan..hence, you are looking, what is the
philosophy or the ULTIMATE TRUTH ABOUT MARRIAGE or MARRYING SOMEONE. “BAKIT KO BA
SYA PAKAKASALAN?”.. well the main answer: BECAUSE OF LOVE. hence, the philosophy of
marriage is LOVE.)

(newston third law of motion: in every action, there is opposite action. BE READY FOR THE
CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR DECISION.)
Philosophy…. remember this, you search for truth. Though sometimes truth hurts, we should
accept the truth.
Aristotle is one the great greek philosophers..( Socrates, Plato then Aristotle.)
-Aristotle believes that: Virtue ethics focuses on the MORAL QUALITY of individuals, or HOW TO
BE A GOOD PERSON.. and he further adds that: in order to become a VIRTUOUS PERSON one
must develop a VIRTUOUS CHARACTER.
("“The ultimate purpose in studying ethics is not as it is in other inquiries, the attainment of
theoretical knowledge; we are not conducting this inquiry in order to know what virtue is, but
in order to become good, else there would be no advantage in studying it.”)
-Aristotle’s argument. He said: A virtuous person is a happy person. When we do something,
we always have some end in view - our FINAL END, goal or aim, our TARGET TO ACHIEVE. So
what is this final end, which is our target? Aristotle names it as : ‘Eudemonia’
(so what is “Eudaemonia”? is means… Happiness, Well-being or Flourishing. hence we go back
to the first premise: A VIRTUOUS PERSON IS A HAPPY PERSON.)
Everyone wants to be happy. “Eudaemonia… Happiness, Well-being or Flourishing is the end,
our final goal. yan ang ibig sabihin nya in general.
*WHAT IS HAPPINESS? And HOW CAN I ACHIEVE HAPPINESS?
(Simply telling: Happiness is not possible without virtues. Hence, before can a person achieve
happiness, that person should possess first VIRTUES.)
-How to achieve HAPPINESS? This is the process.. A person should develop Good thoughts, then
this thoughts should be translated into Good Actions, the these Good Actions should be
repeatedly done to be Good Habits, then the accumulation of Good habits will be part of the
person’s Good Character then that is the final requirement to achieve HAPPINESS.. (in simple
illustration: Good thoughts to Good Actions to Good Habits to Good Character to HAPPINESS)
-the problem of some, dun palang sa first stage mejo wala na agad, SOME PEOPLE LACK OF
GOOD THOUGHTS.. and even they have, they DONT put it into actions, and if put into actions,
they dont always do it.. so the process ends in the ACTIONS.. they dont become a habit.
(Eg: Discipline is a good example of good thought, it is actually a concrete example of virtue.
Hence, discipline is a virtue. The problem, many Filipinos lack Discipline. They have the thought
of Discipline but do they really do it?? If they do, do they always behave disciplined or THEY ARE
BEHAVE DISCIPLINED ONLY WHEN THERE ARE EYES OR CCTVs?)
Recall: A virtuous person is a happy person. The final end of what we are doing is called as
‘Eudaemonia’
Fast review
-we entered in a new topic na: Frameworks and Principles Behind our Moral Disposition
Frameworks� (Aristotle and St Thomas Aquinas” and we also discussed the basic concept of
Philosophy as a discipline
We also reminded everyone that we have to philosophical and analytical in our succeeding
discussions. The three points we made last discussion, are: Virtue Ethics as to
(1) Aristotle: Telos,
(2) Virtue as Habit and
(3) Happiness as Virtue..

and as to "Aristotelian Virtue Ethics�, these are the key concepts:

(1) Ergon (function),
(2) Eudaimonia (flourishing),
(3) Arête (excellence or virtue) and
(4) Phronesis (practical or moral wisdom)
-we have mentioned last meeting the two key concepts:
1. Eudaimonia (flourishing), and
2. Arête (excellence or virtue)..
-we said that accdg to Aristotle: "in order to become a virtuous person one must develop a
virtuous character.”� actually he even argued that.. "The ultimate purpose in studying ethics
is not the attainment of theoretical knowledge; we are not conducting this inquiry in order to
know what virtue is, BUT in order to become GOOD."
*hence we don’t study this just to become an “intellectual monster”… we study ethics to
become a virtuous person. Remember, as said by King Martin Luther: the true goal of
education is intelligence and character.

Aristotle argued that the final goal, end, or objective of human function is “Eudaemonia�” or
Happiness, Well-being or Flourishing. So when one does what one is supposed to do, one feels
fulfillment. In other words, when one is what one is supposed to be, one is happy - there is
happiness HOWEVER, in modern understanding happiness connotes something which is
SUBJECTIVELY DETERMINED.�

(ngayon, eto ngayon ang problema…yung happiness na sinasabi ni Aritstole ay hindi yung
ordinaryong happiness na nasa isip natin..nagkakaron ng kamalian ang madami sa definition of
happiness na yan.. it has become subjectively determined, kung baga..yung happiness na yun
hindi yung parang: may bagong iphone tapos binili ka ng parents mo, then nung nakuha mo na
eh masaya ka na or nag date kayo ng jowa mo tapos dahil mejo malandi ka kinilig kilig ka
hanggang pagtulog ayun masaya ka.... hindi ganung happiness ang ibig natin sabihin dito. When
aristotle said happines or eudaemonia it means.. Eudaimonia is a moralised, or "value-
laden“concept of happiness, something like "true“or "real" happiness or "the sort of
happiness worth seeking or having.“
REMEMBER THIS: "a human life devoted to physical pleasure or the acquisition of wealth is
not eudaimon, not real happiness but a wasted life"
-eto application nyan: ang problema natin ngayon: WE EQUATE HAPPINESS WITH MATERIAL
POSSESSION or WEALTH. My apology but let me be brutally frank, many are so materialistic
now.
-eto nakikita kong problema ng mga self-proclaimed Millennials now: (1) Materialistic, (2) Self
entitled and (3) Vain.. I hope hindi kayo ganyan… eto pa, meron yung iba, binabase nila yung
happiness nila sa dami ng LIKES na makukuha nila sa FB.. tsk tsk very wrong.

(*remember this: Happiness is not possible without virtues�. HENCE, VIRTUES are necessary to
achieved Eudaimonia�. Rememver pa ba yung process to achieve HAPPINESS? yung Good
thoughts then Good Actions then Good habits then Good Character then Happiness...)
(Remember, good actions should be habitually repeated to become GOOD HABITS…then it
would be your character na. Virtue is something that is practiced and thereby learned. Nobody
can learn virtue overnight.. hindi yan yung tinuro sayo tapos bukas virute mo agad, no… it takes
repetition to become your virtue.)
-example... yung study habits nyo… yung mga matyatygang magbasa at mag aral, yan, that is
something not learned overnight… kung baga, matagal at paulit ulit mong ginawa bago naging
parte ng sistema mo na yan..
-ngayon, dito mejo magkakatalo tayo… Aristotle said: ”People have a natural capacity for good
character, but it must be developed through constant practice. “ but some say, HUMANS ARE
EVIL BY NATURE. Some say, HUMANS ARE LIKE EMPTY SHELL, it is neither good nor evil.
(sabi ni aristotle, innate DAW sa TAO ANG MAGING MABUTE..pero dapat mapagyabong…
INNATELY MABAIT DAW TAYO. DAW ha…. DAW… MABAIT DAW KAYO… TAYO.)

The Aristotelian Mean known as the Golden Mean�”

The Virtuous (right) Conduct as a Mean between Two Vices of
Excess�… for Aristotle, Virtue is a “golden mean” between the extremes of excess and
deficiency, it is the proper balance between two extremes.. ano yung two extremes??? eto
yung..
(1) DEFICIENCY / kulang at
(2) EXCESS / sobra..

(Example.. Courage is the golden mean regarding the feeling of fear�: hence, DEFICIENCY /
kulang..too little fear� is RASHNESS and EXCESS / sobra.. too much fear� is COWARDICE.)
-parang eto…mas madali nyong maalala. “LAHAT NG KULANG AT SOBRA AY MASAMA”
-so dapat.. YUNG SAPAT LANG.. So pag nagmahal ka… YUNG SAPAT LANG.. HUWAG KULANG
HUWAG SOBRA…pero ang tanong, paano mo malalaman kung KULANG O SOBRA na??????
-example uli ng golden mean.. as to self-appraisal (kung paano tignan ang sarili mo) pag ang
baba ng tingin mo sa sarili mo…feeling of inferiority, pag sobrang taas ng tingin mo sa sarili mo..
Vanity. PERO PAG SAKTO LANG… PROPER PRIDE.

(Remember dun sa Golden mean or Aristotelian Mean�.. Aristotle refers to the proper
balance.)
*Wrap up: Eudaimonia is a moralised, or "value-laden“ concept of happiness, something like
"true“ or "real" happiness or "the sort of happiness worth seeking or having.“� and not the
happiness referring to accumulation of physical possesion or wealth.
*Virtues are necessary to be genuinely happy.
Brief Review
-We said that, for Aristotle, Eudaimonia or the true happiness�, is the end target or goal of our every
action. However, the Eudaimonia we refer does not mean worldy or temporal happiness…�the
Eudaimonia – the true happiness� we mean is a life with virtues.. hence for Aristotle, we all seek to
have a Eudaimonic life.

-then Aristotle claimed that People have a natural capacity for good character, but it must be developed
through constant practice. We have the facility to acquire this virtuous conduct. We refer as he
Aristotelian Mean also called the Golden Mean…the mean between the Two Vices.. Vices of deficiency
and Vices of excess. Eg… courage, it is the mean between rashness and cowardice

-as to self-evaluation, proper pride is the mean between inferiority and vanity

(now since nabanggnit naman yung salitan vanity, let me talk about it muna… vanity is the GGSS
problem of the some or the superiority complex.. anyone who knows what is GGSS??)

-eto problema ng iba, yung mga GGSS (bababe or lalake), sobrang taas ng tingin sa sarili nila.. when you
think that you are more attractive than the others, we him or her GGSS… ang tawag jan VANITY. when
you don’t know how to humble yourself, most probably you are suffering from VANITY.. and in a more
complex situation, when you think na ikaw ang pinakamagaling or pinakamataas and you can’t accept
suggestion or criticism, in psychology, that is superiority complex…and as proven, superiority complex is
a symptom of INSECURITY.

There are two kinds of virtue:

Intellectual and Moral Virtue.

Under Intellectual Virtues.

there are 2 sub-kinds, the

Theoretical Intelligence - Theoretical intelligence is the human faculty that apprehends fundamental
principles such as the laws of thinking and other fundamental truths on the hand,

The practical wisdom- is the ability to make right judgement on practical issues.

The difference between the two is… the Theoretical intelligence is technically our IQ…while Practical
Wisdom is our ability to call for correct and right decision when confronted with concrete and actual
problem or issues.

-so eto,,, dun sa theoretical intelligence, we all differ depende sa mga napag aralan natin, sa
nature and level of education but as practical wisdom, it is more of our intelligence and
experience… remember the dilemmas or practical problems i asked you to answer?? When you
answered it…you used your theoretical intelligence, but when you are literally confronted with
real problems, dun na papasok yung mga napag aralan ako at naranasan mo, your learnings from
experiences..yun ang practical wisdom, hence we expect that old people have better or greater
practical wisdom compare to young people because the former have more experiences than the
latter.
(parang ganito yan.. minsan maririnig mo sa mga matatanda: “bata ka pa, papunta ka palang pabalik
na ako” what they are actually telling is…naranasan na nila kaya MAS alam na nila ang tama at mali.

( PERO MINSAN KAHIT MATANDA na…mejo parang talbos ng kamote parin))

-when i give advice about life..what i am using is my practical wisdom, kasi nga may mga napagdaanan
na ako na maaaring makatulong sanyo.

“ IF CSU IS YOUR ONLY OPPORTUNITY TO ESCAPE POVERTY, DO WASTE THE CHANCE” i said it because.. i
know how hard life is if you dont have a degree. BAKIT NAGPAPAKAHIRAP ANG MGA MAGULANG NYO
MAPAG ARAL LANG KAYO, kasi gusto nila kayong mabigayn ng mas maginhawang buhay.. what we have
is practical wisdom.

Moral Virtue -this is the ability to be reasonable in actions, desires and emotions.�

-remember this, THERE IS NO RULE OR BOOK ON HOW TO BE A VIRTUOUS PERSON.. Virtues are
acquired through learning and experience. It cannot be learned overnight, it has to be repeatedly done
for it to become your habit and be part of your character.

-in a capsule, Aristotle believes people seek a Eudaimonic life but to achieve it, we have to be a virtuous
person first.

Let’s now proceed with St. Thomas Aquinas (STA, let me establish first that we will be talking about soul
and God when it comes to STA, remember he is a theologian and a Scholastic philosopher. So regardless
of your beliefs about soul and God, just accept it as facts of Aquinas philosophy… Samakatwid, may
KALULUWA at DYOS para ka Aquinas.. i hope that is clear.

Basic terms to encounter: soul, God, eternal law, natural law, INCLINATIONS / INSTINCTS or
NATURAL DESIRES, REASON and FREE WILL / CHOICE.
(, sa college pag catholic school may theology kaming subjects… remember, that theology class is more
of life of jesus and holy scripture..pero pag philosophy, we may use religion or bible, PERO WE SEEK FOR
TRUTH)
-Now for STA.. Man is substantially body and soul. The soul is united with the human body because it is
the substantial form of the human body. Hence, our body is not just a mere body but the unification of
SOUL and WORLDY BODY. now question..” sir saan galing yung soul na sinasabi ni STA?””” afoooo… pag
tinanong nyo sakin yan in person, ipasasaksak ko kayo kay athena mismo!

-Man is the point of convergence between the corporeal (means things pertaining to the human body)
and spiritual substances. In other words, Man is “one substance body and soul”. Man is substantially
body and soul. And definitely, only the soul is the substance while the body is actual.
QUESTION: CAN A BODY EXIST W/O a SOUL and CAN A SOUL EXIST W/O A Body?

-NO. Because Body and soul, BEFORE DEATH, are essentially united because the two exist in a
correlative manner.

-moreover, STA believed that GOD CREATED THE UNIVERSE. (Forget muna your theories in science ha,
the bigbang and the bang bang bang at kung ano bang pa yan) I hope that is clear...

-God created the world and remains constantly involved in it. He does not create it and walks away,
hence he created us and stays with us... HE IS STILL HERE. As to where HE is now. The answer is, GOD is
everywhere because God is INFINITE.

-He created everything in the most perfect manner and system. He stays and helps all creatures,
including human beings that exist to flourish, to become happy, and become the best version of what
they are.

-Hence, he wants the human beings to be healthy, happy and virtuous people. BUT… eto ha, read this
well, But STA believes that the way how God helps and guides us to flourish and to become happy is
NOT through interfering or controlling: HE IS NOT ACTING LIKE A PUPPET MASTER WHO CONTROLS HIS
CREATION.

-If God is not controlling, how does God help us to be flourish or be happy? Answer is..because God
gave ALL CREATURES: INCLINATIONS / INSTINCTS or NATURAL DESIRES.. But gave again REASON AND
FREE WILL for HUMAN BEINGS.

-hence, God gave all CREATURES, animals, plants, and human beings INCLINATIONS / INSTINCTS or
NATURAL DESIRES. But since HUMAN BEINGS ARE SPECIAL CREATURES, he gave us again REASON AND
FREE WILL.

Human beings were given with three capacities to flourish:

(1) INCLINATIONS / INSTINCTS or NATURAL DESIRES.

(2) REASON - Underused

(3) FREE WILL. - Most Abused

RECAP OF THE LESSON (Summary)

Lawrence Kohlberg’s Six Stages Moral Development
1. Level 1- Pre-conventional Morality –(eto tandaan nyo).. Morality is externally controlled.
Rules imposed by authority figures are conformed to in order to avoid punishment or receive
rewards
2. Level 2 - Conventional Morality- ( eto naman).. This is the stage at which children learn about
rules and authority.
3. Level 3- - Post-conventional Morality- A person has learned that there is a difference
between what is right and what is wrong from a moral perspective, and what is right and what
is wrong according to rules. (Higher level of thinking)

Moral agent vs. Moral character.

1.Moral Agent someone who is concerned impartially with the interests of everyone affected
by what he or she does; who carefully sifts facts and examines their implications.. ang word
yan.. IMPARTIALITY.. tapos yang impartiality na yan ay mababanggit yung dun sa minimum
requirements of moral / ethical judgment. (Ex. parang ganito yan… if your are one of the
panelists or judge in a contest, you should be impartial….wala ka dapat kilingan or kampihan..)
2. Moral character refers to the assemblage of qualities that distinguish one individual from
another.. “sum of one’s moral habits and dispositions.”
Moral agent refers to the person (tao)
Moral character refers to the person’s total characteristics (pagkatao ng isang tao)

The Neuroscience of Moral Decision Making or Moral Judgment

1. Utilitarianism.. ang pasimuno nyan ay sila Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill nung 19th
century..
-ang punto nila eto.. ethical actions are those that provide the greatest balance of good over
evil for the most number of people.
2. Deontology... morality of an action depends on the nature of the action, i.e., harm is
unacceptable irrespective of its consequences.
-UTILITARIANISM is on the consequences. (“Lesser evil for greater good”)
- DEONTOLOGY is on the act itself.( “Let justice be done though heavens fall”)

Two minimum requirements for moral judgment

Rationality (reason) and impartiality.

Two Systems that influence our Moral Judgments:

Moral decision making is governed by both reason and emotion.
1. Explicit, rational system 2. Implicit, emotional system
then we asked: may kinalaman ba ang emosyon sa decision natin lalo sa moral judgment…
(answer: of course there is…the we discussed the PRE FRONTAL CORTEX and AMYGDALA)

Using the trolley problem, Philosopher Joshua Greene put people in an fMRI machine to
measure their brain activity while they pondered various trolley-problem scenarios..
(ibig sabihin tinignan nila using FMRI kung anong part ng brain natin ang may response nung
sinasagot ng mga respondents nila ang trolley problem… nakita nila ang nag rerespond ang PFC
at amygdala...)
According to mammalian brain anatomy and psychology, the PREFONTRAL CORTEX is
responsible for EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. (eto yung nagsasabi satin kung ano ang tama sa mali,
dapat gawin sa hindi dapat gawin.. yung PFC ang pumipigil satin na gawin ang hindi tama o
hindi kaaya aya. dapat malakas ang PFC natin..kung sinabi na nga ng PFC mo na mali yan pero
ginawa mo parin, ang ibig sabihin nun..may mali sa utak mo..)
Responsible for EMOTIONAL RESPONSES ay ang AMYGDALA...
There are famous four parts of the LIMBIC system..
1. Amygdala: responsible for emotional responses
2. Thalamus: relaying of sensory information
3. Hippocampus: memory conversion
4. Hypothalamus: responsible for homeostasis or equilibrium of the body.
(Si Hypothalamus ay parang regulator or tiga balanse ng katawan natin.. pag napansin ni
Hypothalamus na may mali sa heart beat natin, ang sasabihin nya...“oh sino yung tangang
nagpabilis or bagal ng takbo ng puso ng taong to???” pag nadetermine nya ang cause ng
irregular heart beat, ang gagawin nya, uutusan nya mag adjust yung certain body part/s na
ayusin yung heart beat. Meaning .. it is The portion of the brain that maintains the body’s
internal balance.)
Hypothalamus is responsible for hormone called Oxytocin.
Oxytocin is a hormone that is Also known as LOVE or CUDDLE HORMONE.
(why called as LOVE or CUDDLE HORMONE becuase it was medically found out that When
people hug or kiss a loved one, oxytocin levels increase.)
Researchers in 2012, found that couples in the first stages of romantic attachment had
significantly higher levels of oxytocin.. and xytocin’s possible relationship-enhancing effects
such as : trust, gazing, empathy, positive relationship memories and fidelity.
OXYTOCIN is also released during sexual activity and linked to the intensity of orgasms.
(MEANING… if you are KILIG, LANDI AT INLOVE.. ang may pakana nyan ang nag hypothalamus
nyo kasi nag release ng OXYTOCIN…)

The 7-Step Moral Reasoning Model (Gerenal rule, the The 7-Step Moral Reasoning Model ONLY
APPLIES if you are in a MORAL or ETHICAL DILEMMA)
1. Gather the facts.
2. Determine the Ethical issues.
3. Choose principles which have a bearing on the case.
4. List the alternatives.
5. Compare alternatives with principles.
6. Assess the Consequences.
7. Make a decision.