MODULE 3

Culture and Ethics

Learning Objectives
At the end of this chapter, the learners are expected to:
1. examine culture and its effect to people,
2. evaluate the meaning cultural relativism and its influence to people,
3. explain why cultural relativism is impossible tool in making moral judgement, and
4. determine the unique Asian and Filipino culture in the context of ethics.

Your father is dying in the hospital. You learn from your teachers in a sectarian
school that euthanasia is wrong. Because it lessens the value of human life and is a
direct assault to God’s law. But, it is a long practice in your clan to ask help from your
family doctor a “quick and good death.” This will easily terminate the patient’s
suffering and the bloating hospital bill, and it gives the patient a decent and dignified
death. What will you do?
People Have Different Ethical Opinions

Human beings do not always agree on how they should behave or act in certain
issues, especially controversial issue like “am I going to kill criminals, because they are
menace in society’s peace and order?” Some people say yes, and support death penalty,
while others say no, because it violates human rights. How does this diversity of
opinions arise? Part of the answer is that people go about their ethical reasoning in
different ways. Some place great emphasis on religious tenets and sacred books; others
consult their conscience; others think of the consequence of their actions, others on
following one’s duties or authorities like parents; and others follow their virtues or
cultures. In other words, different people give greater weight to different sources of
moral authority. So, ethics, begins by identifying some of the ways by which people
arrive at their moral positions. What they believe in doing something? What ‘lens’ are
they using?

For example, the son’s father is dying in the hospital. He learns from his teachers
in his school that euthanasia is wrong. But his family tradition is opposed to the
teaching of the school. So between these two institutions, family tradition and school,
with two different point-of-views; which point-of-view will prevail? The family
employs the lens of their tradition which is not conservative, while the school uses the
lens of religion which is very conservative. The family may say, “it is not correct to kill a
dying person, but who are we to judge that it is unethical? The patient requests for it
and he has the right for his own life.” The school officials may say, “it is not correct to
kill a dying person, even though in the name of his long standing tradition. It is a sin
against God” The practice is unethical, period. These two responses reflect two different
understanding of ethics. The sectarian school sees ethics as comparable to physical
sciences that focuses on non-living things like physics, chemistry or mathematics. Since
there are unchanging laws in physical science, there also exist definite ethical codes
which are similarly unalterable or unchanging, fix or permanent. For example, even if
the person denies the existence of gravity, it does not mean that gravity does not exist,
he or she may call it anything – a magnet, a force or an energy; or even if the person
denies that water boils at 100 degree centigrade, it does not mean that water does not
boil at 100 degree centigrade even when it is on top of Mount Apo or in the lowest point
of Manila, the water boils at 100 degree centigrade. At the same time, there are ethical
standards that are fixed or unchanging. They exist, even if the person doesn’t think or
aware of it. They can be applied to all situations anytime. Like in the case of murder;
some people believe that murder is always wrong. It is morally wrong to kill people in
any occasion. Because it violates the right of every human being to ‘life’ and the right of
every individual for a ‘due process.’

However, there are people who can’t accept this reasoning, because their ethical
view is not analogous to physical science, but to cultural anthropology. In cultural
anthropology, the focus is on the dissimilarity of people due to their different cultures.
This may conclude that each culture has its own ethical codes which are different from
the rests. In the case of killing, it may be true that killing is morally wrong but not
always, only on some occasions. Like, it is always wrong to kill an unborn potential
human being, that is direct abortion. But not in self-defence. Because every human
being’s duty is to protect his or her life from an aggressor or danger. However, not all
direct abortion can be considered as morally wrong, like in the case of ‘ectopic’
pregnancy, where the life of the mother is in danger because the fetus grows outside the
placenta.

Effects of culture to people

In Baguio City, eating dog meat is not forbidden, it is their tradition, the natives
there will assert; whereas in Manila to eat dog meat is taboo, except for those people
who can bend the rules. In other countries like Singapore a person will be apprehended
by authorities, if they see him or her spitting in public places because it is illegal. He or
she will be fined with a maximum amount of $1000. In the Philippines, people can spit
or even vomit anywhere in public places and nobody will apprehend him or her. In
Libya, Algeria or Qatar, the local residents will not serve you pork, because it is against
their religion, which is Islam. But not in the Philippines or in Hong Kong, where the
locals can even eat a whole “roasted pig”. All these rules and regulations are related to
culture.

Whether a person likes it or not, culture influences his or her way of seeing
realities; or his or her way of understanding things. Like in religion, a Catholic who
prays in front of an image of a saint is a form of thanking God, but to non-Catholic
Christians, like the Protestants, it is ‘idolatry.’

Culture is learned the moment person is immersed into it. It is transmitted or

passed from one generation to the next through socialization or enculturation. Such as,
the use of ‘chopsticks’, before the Filipinos don’t mind it, but today more and more
Filipinos use it.

The culture of ‘social media.’ It is like a ‘gas,’ that seep into the person’s life and
community, like in politics. In fact, a person will only need a laptop to make a political
campaign, it happened in 2016 Philippine National Election. If the person wishes to talk
to his or her relatives abroad, he or she just use the ‘Facebook’ or ‘Skype.’ It is
undeniable true today, that the world is very much influenced by ‘Internet culture’.
And the borderlines between individuals are getting closer and closer due to ‘Internet.’
Besides, our personal and cultural moral principles in life are being challenged or tested
by this fast global change.

We also notice that the moment ‘culture’ is infused in the person’s lives it
becomes inseparable. Before, Filipino youth are very respectful, they say ‘mano po’, ‘po
at opo’ and ‘salamat po’. But because of the threshold of western cultures, the
‘respectful’ behaviors of some Filipinos are gradually disappearing. However, Filipina
women before are ‘demure’, now they are very ‘bold’, ‘aggressive’ or ‘extrovert’. They
join rallies against misbehaving government officials and adhere to their advocacies. In
other words, when foreign culture comes in, just get ready, because surely some will get
lost or change in us, but something will be gained.

Indeed, every human group or society has different ways of living and
expressing their lives. That is why, people with different culture have different
behaviors and that affect even its moral code. Even inside the family circle, our family
also influences our lifestyle.

Thinking about how culture influences morals raises several questions. What are
good and bad? What is proper and improper? What culture is better? And what
behavior is correct?

A popular British poet, Samuel Butler (1835 -1902) on one occasion says that
morality is the way of life in one country and the present sentiment of a friend. Ethical
codes for Butler also change, but it takes a long period of time before it happens. For
example, in the ‘Scripture’ there are clear instructions regarding slave supervision, since
it is accepted practice at that time. Now slavery is a crime. Thus, ethical values and way
of thinking also changed in time.

Culture influences morality, and morality influences culture. But they don’t
always agree. So like the “clash of the Titans,” the issue never ends.
 Culture KA- Morality
BOOM

In the past, a person goes to the post office and send his or her letters. Today,
just open the computer and the letters are sent to the relatives through electronic mail or
e-mail. If sending of letters are being changed, ethical views are also changing. In the
case of the son whose father is on a deathbed, the school’s perspective holds the view of
an objectivist. Whereas, the family holds the view of a subjectivist. The objectivist
believes that universal law which is permanent and independent of the mind exist.
Whereas, the subjectivist believe that universal law does not exist, laws are changing
and dependent on one’s worldview.

Let’s see the difference between the two views and begin with the most
controversial, which is cultural relativism.

Cultural Relativism

Truth is never an objective reality says Danish Physicist Niels Bohr (1885 – 1962),
but a subjective one (Popova, 2018).

The concept of cultural relativism is coined and used by a German-

American anthropologist Franz Boas (1858 – 1942) in the early 20th century in his
research. It is made to counter the concept of ethnocentrism, which depicts
discrimination of one group of people to another group of people by saying that “my
culture is the best among many cultures.”
 Briefly, a relativist believes that an analogy from physical sciences does not
accurately reflect the situation in ethics. The wide diversity of moral codes and the fast
changes in our cultural mores show that there is no one definitively correct moral code.
Ethical judgements are always judgement from a certain moral perspective, with no one
perfective necessarily any better than another.

Cultural relativism is the notion that universal moral code or universal law does
not exist, and therefore all moral codes are equally valid and no one is better than the
other existing moral principles. Moral codes are different from culture to culture. What
is right to one society can be wrong to another society. In this regard, any view on
morality is subject to the cultural point of view of a person. For example, there are
countries where being “nude” is just normal in public, like beaches or swimming pools
in Morocco or in some parts of United States, because they don’t consider it ‘sexual’ or
‘carnal’ so it is not wrong. But there are countries who disallow this practice, because
they regard it as ‘sexual’ or ‘carnal’ like in the Middle East so for them it is wrong.

Cultural relativism is a popular position in the world today. Concepts like

“globalization” “pluralism,” “open-mindedness,” and “acceptance” have attained novel
dimensions from various cultures. Sometimes the way they are used expresses various
positions that justify anything under the word ‘relativism’ which insinuates
unsteadiness and vagueness into areas that were formerly regarded as established. For
example, the concept of human rights, which is based on absolute and eternal law, there
are many countries today question its very nature, role and existence, like in the
Philippines, under the Duterte administration.

On the affirmative side, cultural perspective assists a person to know why certain
human behaviors are considered ‘good’ or ‘evil’ by a specific culture. For example,
body-tattoos are used in one culture as symbols of bravery and peculiarity of a certain
tribe, whereas in other culture it is linked to convicts or ex-convicts. Now, most modern
societies will find body-tattoos normal while others consider them as not normal.
However, there are places which consider tattoos taboo, because of ‘health’ issue, like
the possibility of transmitting wrongly people’s blood with human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Cultural relativism is a big ‘headache’ if reasoning is faulty. Anybody may say

that ethical codes of other cultures must be recognized, but it can also be understood as
judging the ethical codes of other cultures is wrong. Thus it is impossible to say that
anything a culture does is right or wrong. So, from the case of the son’s dying father, we
can’t say if the school’s view is “wrong” or the family’s tradition is “right.” This makes
an ethical discussion really problematic, chaotic and sometimes, non-sense.

Some people will say that cultural relativism is impossible tool in making moral
judgement because of the following reasons:

1. a cultural relativist loses the chance to make judgements whether an action or

behavior is “right” or “wrong.” Often what is right to a relativist is wrong to
non-relativist, and what is wrong to a relativist is right to a non-relativist. Thus it
is difficult for a relativist to make a general moral judgment.
2. a cultural relativist accepts conflicting beliefs or practices which insinuates
unclear stands for all types of views. But some people disagree to it, especially on
issues pertaining to “human rights” violation, like raping and killing a child.
This is completely morally wrong;
3. a cultural relativist’s reasoning is illogical. If the relativist will say that, truth is
relative, and it is valid then, this statement is absolutely correct. But this
statement opposes the idea of cultural relativism and therefore, absolute truth
exist.
4. A cultural relativist believes that there are right and wrong actions. If these are
absolutely true, then absolute or universal law exists.
 Thus as a conclusion, cultural relativists can’t simultaneously go with logic
because there is no room for both of them to come together. Other philosophers will
admit, that universal moral code does exist, because the world will be very messy
without it. And since there are big differences among many cultures, we can’t think of a
specific group of people that will develop such notion. Indeed, the only locus of cultural
relativism in logical perspective is to start with something universal.

Unique Asian and Filipino Culture

Asians have something in common, like the Internet addiction among

adolescents. Over and above, Asians are family and duty oriented people, that bring
about the virtues of obedience and loyalty in them, which is vital for their survival in
this ever changing world. Thus, for Asians, including the Filipinos respect to parents
and elders in the family circle as well as to the elders in the community or even in
society, is very much visible and practice. And since ‘respect’ is very tangible to Asian
people, then we can say that the best starting point of good ethics in Asia is ‘respect’ ( A
Little Adrift Jr. by Ana, 2012).

Everyone, no one is exempted, especially Asian kids as well as adults, has heard
from their parents and also in media, the statement, “Respect your elders!” Of course,
parents were not only referring to grandparents and elders, but also to our sometimes
authoritarian older brothers or relatives who were very autocratic or oppressive.
However, parents will say, “it doesn’t matter what they do to you, just respect them.”
This shows everyone a certain level of respect for someone based on age. Though it
seems strange, ridiculous and crazy at times, Asians kids follow them.

Later, they become clever, older and inquisitive, they hear from other people the
rule saying, “Respect must be earned.” “If someone didn’t earn it or deserve it, they
didn’t get it”. At this stage, their understanding of respect progresses. But their
knowledge about it develops into two kinds – people or things are to be respected and
not to be respected. However, it becomes easy for them to identify those people who
will not be respected using their intuitions or feelings.

This is where ethics and respect are linked together. Their knowledge of respect
tells everybody to be patient, loving, understanding, peaceful, merciful and just to name
a few. From this point, they learn to respect even their enemy, persons with disability,
the senior citizens in their community, the socially disadvantaged, or even the
environment.

Regarding environment, if we learn to respect them, then there will never be

“endangered species,” more trees will absorb Carbon Dioxide, the Ozone layer will not
be ruined, green house effect will be prevented, as well as, global warming and climate
change will be abated.

As a whole, everybody is taught to respect all persons and non-persons because

it means ‘good behavior.’ And ‘good behavior’ is equal to ‘good conduct.’ A person
who has ‘good conduct’ is considered ‘Ethical’. Thus, ethics needs people who are
respectable and knows how to respect. Thus, respect and ethics are complimentary to
each other.

Everytime a person acts he or she makes a choice. He or she chooses between

‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in ethical problems often. Most of the times, it can be exasperating
and baffling to constantly concentrate on the “nitty-gritty” of the ethical dilemma and
the ambiguous spot, to escape the moral mess. And the only way to do it is approaching
ethics from the vantage point of ‘respect’. It will give him or her a novel and lucid
perspective and with profound knowledge of what is really happening around him or
her.

For example, while in the restroom, a student overhears a female teacher telling a
colleague that his classmate Anton, will fail in her subject. Anton is his good friend. Will
he tell Anton what he heard? This ethical dilemma is difficult to handle, and most of the
students will choose to tell Anton what they hear. However, if they respect their
teacher, they will not tell what they hear from the conversation, especially they just
overhear it, it is not proper. They can possibly tell Anton to talk to their teacher, period.
What the students can also possibly do is to keep quiet and let the thing be done by
their teacher. For the reason that they don’t even know the whole story why Anton will
flunk. They will just speculate and aggravate the entire situation. Look at the issue with
respect. Do we respect our teacher? Do we respect our school’s rules and regulations?
Do we respect our friend and classmate? No matter what seemingly valid excuse we
have, seeing it as a respect issue prevents us from making troubles or justifications.
Anyways, perhaps the teacher has her own way of doing things right and let’s hope it is
also based on ‘respect’.

So we may ask ourselves, is it respectful to abuse school facilities or leave our

garbage inside our classroom because it does not belong to us? Is it respectful for our
classmates to clean our dirt? Is it respectful not to flush the toilet bowl after using it
knowing that other people will also use it? The question of respect applies to almost
every kind of ethical situation or dilemma.

Be reminded that, if we respect authorities it does not mean we will not support
their victims against unjust and oppressive situations. Remember there is no better tool
to remove an oppressor, pacify an angry customer or correct an unjust system than to
respond with respect and professionalism; it is the quickest way to be ethical in society,
however it is not the only way.

Anatomy of ‘Respect’
G Se elftR esp
to / eO
th erct s tG o
i Sev R
eslf/ O
p th
ec tr s

Cycle of respect: by Lito Ebia

Respect is known as a basic human right, thus it is a necessary ingredient of the

“self” and of inter-personal rapport. If we fail to respect people, then it results to
fighting, fragmentation and violence. For example, if parents don’t respect their
children, their children won’t respect them either.

Respect is derived from the Latin word “respectus.” It refers to a person’s

attentiveness to oneself, others, environment and society. It can also mean “esteem for
or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or
something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.

It also refers to our ability to give value and honor to the person, in deeds and in
words, in spite of our disapproval sometimes to his or her misbehaviors. It is our
ability to accepting the other person’s behavior and not just trying to change them.
Respecting another person is not judging them by their attitudes, behaviors or thoughts.
It is does not expect for someone to be different or to change.

Our uniqueness creates our identity. It means we are different to one another.
More than anything else, as members of a society we are equal. All people are due
respect for the simple reason of being unique. Equality keeps us in an equilibrium. For
this reason, it is very important for parents to teach their children from an early age the
value of mutual respect. The best way for them to teach respect is to become a role
model for their children and to people around them. Respect for others is very
important, but respect for oneself is fundamental since it means we give value to
ourselves and to the extent we are moved to give value to others. An old saying goes,
“don’t do what you don’t want to be done to you”.

What are some synonyms of respect? - deference, obedience, attention, courtesy,

tolerance, compliance, or admiration.

Importance of Respect

Respect is important for several reasons:

1. Conflict and restlessness in a web of relationship. Respect is necessary when we

communicate with others and to pacify conflicts.
2. It is necessary to feel safe and to express ourselves without fear of being judged,
humiliated or discriminated against.
3. To increase our self-esteem, self-efficacy, mental health, and well-being.

Teaching Respect to children

Teaching children, in deeds and in words, to respect people and things is the first
step to learn respect. Such as,

1. If you wish to say something to children say it calmly and don’t shout at them.

2. Don’t ridicule your children or insult them in front of friends and strangers. If
children misbehave ask the question, “What have I done wrong?”
3. Parents should not think they must always be respected by the young ones. Parents
should also respect their children, too. Children learn respect if they experience it
from their parents.

4. Don’t let your children see you being disrespected by other people, and don’t let
your children disrespect you. Be an exemplar for them.

5. Set limits always. When teaching respect, it is important to set boundaries on what
is right and wrong for children. When they behave disrespectfully, point out the
behavior, calmly, without shouting.

6. Teach your children say “sorry” and ask apology when they are wrong, it is
humility.

7. Give rewards to your children whenever they are respectful or congratulate them
when they do good things to others, but do it from the heart.

Being respectful is a nice behavior and a cultural practice among Asians. They
still practice this beautiful character until now. For example, the Japanese, Koreans and
Chinese still bow their heads as a gesture of respect. The Malays placing a hand in the
center of their chest. The Filipinos say ‘opo and po’. Maintaining these remarkable
behaviors and gestures as Asians, we can make a difference in this world.

Besides, Asians also respect their environment, by preserving their forests and
endangered species, cleaning their seas and rivers and using renewable energy to name
a few, to preserve mother earth. “Respect!!!” is what we always hear from the media
and various movements up to our leaders. Respect is the term that will remind us that
we are all living in one planet – our only home. And it is a call for us to be conscious of
our “interconnectedness”.
 Indeed, we are living in a world where everyone is interconnected, like the
human body. One Scientists say the human person is a microcosm in a macrocosm. We
are the little world in a bigger world. And as what the Bible says (1 Corinthians 12:12-
27 ), we are like one body with many parts. And if one part is in pain, the whole body is
affected.

Summary

Culture influences the person’s way of seeing realities. It shapes the person’s
entire life, and way of interpreting realities, including what is right and wrong. Thus,
culture reflects the ethical standards that tells how people should behave and relate
with others. Since different people have different culture, therefore, people vary in their
ethical opinions. Some cultures believe in objectivism others in subjectivism.
Objectivism is a belief system that accepts the existence of an eternal and permanent
law which is obligatory for all to follow in any situation. While, subjectivism is its
opposite, and believes that laws are not permanent and eternal. It changes from one
culture to another. The German-American anthropologist, Franz Boas, uses the terms
cultural relativism as a form of subjectivism. However, some philosophers oppose the
idea presented by Boas because the principles in cultural relativism are conflicting.
Anyways, the only way to accept cultural relativism is to begin with something
objective or universal, that is, to start with respect. Respect is the best starting point of
ethics.