PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG VALENZUELA

ETHICS BECAUSE WE ARE NOT ROBOT

COLLEGE OF
EDUCATION

Department of Social
Studies

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TOPICS
MORAL STANDARDS 3 LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMAS
MORAL DILLEMAS FREEDOM: FOUNDATION OF ETHICS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Differentiate between moral and non-moral standards.
2. Recognize and recall a moral experience.
3. Detect a moral dilemma.
4. Identify the three levels of moral dilemmas.
5. Explain why only human beings can be ethical.

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In many parts of the world, the issue of legalizing euthanasia, also called as assisted suicide, has gone
through major debates questioning the morality of the act. There are some countries which has so far
legalized assisted suicide. However, it is yet to be seen whether euthanasia will become a law in the
Philippines
REISE | PAGE 2

On November 2017, The Australian state parliament of Victoria, has legalized voluntary euthanasia
after 20 years (McGuirk, 2017). State Premier Daniel Andrews, a euthanasia advocate after his father
died of cancer in 2016, called on the reform as compassionate.
ETHICS: If so, where then is the morality of the act?
Moral and ethical principles and standards

KEY
are challenged if not questioned in
dilemmas such as this, as social dynamics

CONCEPT
have led many to become more accepting
and understanding of personal decisions in
light of moral issues.
According to the Handbook of Clinical
Neurology (2013), voluntary active
euthanasia is the administration, by the
   
  

b
physician, of a lethal agent (or the
In making moral decisions, what standards
administration of a therapeutic agent at a
are we supposed to follow? Who made
lethal dose), actively permitted by the
these standards? Will following these
patient, with the intent to cause the
standards make us all ethically moral?
latter’s death, for the purpose of relieving
These are but a few questions that need to
intolerable, intractable, and incurable pain.
be answered as we are compelled to abide
b
by ethical principles daily.
Physician-assisted suicideb is the doctor’s
b
deliberate assistance in mplementingbb a
The rightness or wrongness of an act
patient’s suicide plan.
makes us, willingly or unwillingly, confront



the morality of our decisions. It is
significant, therefore, that we analyze
carefully, not only the motive of our
actions, but to be certain that our actions


  are indeed keeping up with the

ethical values that we have.
b
 
  At the forefront of this discussion is the
value that we give to moral standards
which serve as our guide to the rightness

 of our behavior. We are tied to some sets
of moral standards that we bring with us
as we make moral decisions. These
   standards serve as our compass, a sort of
light in our path, keeping us on our toes,
ETHICS | PAGE 3

thus, allowing us to check if our actions


 
 behooves ethical and moral ideals.
b
The question of what is morally right and
wrong has hounded man throughout    
  

history. We allowed ourselves to be
judged by standards that we have imposed
upon ourselves. In our attempt to perfect
our actions, and live in peace with our
fellows, and with nature, we deemed it
necessary to create ethical standards that
will surmise whether our actions are good,
and of the greatest virtue, or if we have
been out rightly missing the mark.
  
b
ETHICS refers to the philosophical
concept of morality, endeavors to
understand moral concepts and justify
moral principles. It analyzes concepts such
as right and wrong, and seeks to establish
principles of right behavior that may serve
as guides to action for people to follow
(Pojman, 1992).

  

MORALITY is the
effort to guide
one’s conduct by
reason, that is,b to
do what there are
the best reasons
for doing- while
giving equal
weight to the
interests of each
individualbwho
will be affected by
what one does
(Rachels, 2003).
ETHICS | PAGE 4
MORAL VS
NON-MORAL
WHAT ARE MORAL STANDARDS?
b
To analyze what is morally acceptable or
not, it is significant to zero in on the
definition of morality, and the standards
that point out whether an action is moral
or not.
b
Mason (1996), describes that morality is
achieved when a set of possible mores of
any social group are observed and
achieved.
b
Mores (pronounced more-ays) are
strongly held norms, which epitomize the
deeply held standards of what is right, and
wrong (Stolley, 2005).
b
Moral standards are those ethical
principles that we live by and believe.b
These are important blueprints of our
behavior, which we abide by daily, and are
influenced by our society, or by certain
ethical universals.

 ¼


    
ETHICS | PAGE 5

   


 
  
WHAT ARE NON-MORAL 
 
¼

STANDARDS?
            
b
b
Non-moral standards are those unwanted
H.E. Mason (1996), expounds that moral
principles, which are in opposition to
conflict is a fact of moral life. It is
everything that we are expected to be and
something that we can never do away
do. Likewise, non-moral standards are
with. It is embedded in the crucial
influenced largely by the constructs
decisions that we make, particularly in
prescribed in our society.
moments that we are faced with what is
b and what should be. As moral as we want
 to be, our convictions are oftentimes

      challenged, and if not strong enough, are
      dejectedly compromised. These challenges
are products of the evolving values and
b
moral systems of our society. It is thus
 
 
     
necessary that we are in-touch with the
      norms in our society as it is mirrors the
 moral consciousness of the the people.
b

            
   
 
b
b
As Mason explains, we will experience a
“We are capable of making judgments
moral dilemma if we are faced with two
about our own and other people's
actions, of each of which, it would be
behavior, and have the capacity
correct to say in the appropriate sense of
consciously to change the way we behave
'ought', that it ought to be done, and both
and society as whole.”
of which we cannot do.
-Guldberg (2011)
b
b

       
Hence, it is only us, humans, who are able
to make oral choices, reflect, rethink, and         
re-align our actions to what is morally and 
ethically acceptable. These choices are not b
inherent in other living beings. Thus, we
    
are in a very special position as we are
As defined, euthanasia exists to at least
given that innate capability to make moral
REISE | PAGEb4

help a patient die a good death. Ezra

decisions.
(2006), explained its three forms, with the
b
assumption that the patient has an acute,
terminal, chronic illness that medical
treatment cannot remedy or even cure.
THREE LEVELS
OF MORAL  
  

Ethical standards are seen in company policies. Still

DILEMMA IN and all, there might be a gap between those who

WORKPLACE run the business whose ethical standards deviate

from that of the organization. This might cause
ethical challenges and conflicts for those who are



 


 working in the
company.



 


   





  Here, ethics are predisposed by the larger
operating environment of the company. Political
pressures, economic conditions, societal attitudes
    and others can affect the operating standards and
The dilemma here is when the employee’s policies of the organization where it might face
ethical standards are in opposition to that moral dilemmas outside of the organization but
of his or her employer, which could lead to within the macro-society where it belongs.
tensions in the workplace. b
b

REISE | PAGEb4
 FREEDOM AS FOUNDATION OF ETHICS

“Autonomy” literally means giving the law to oneself. and our

understanding provides laws that constitute the a priori
framework of our experience (Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy, 2016). This a prior knowledge is "prior to," or
independent of, experience, but, more importantly, identical
for all human beings and not subject to change (Louden,
1992).b

To explain his concept of autonomy or freedom as foundation

of moral act, Kant pointed out that moral rightness and
wrongness apply only to free agents who have the capacity to
ETHICS| PAGE 8

regulate their behavior and have it in their power, at the

time of their actions, either to act rightly or not. Hence,
when we make choices, we must act "under the idea of
freedom" (Morality as Freedom, n.d.)
ETHICS PLV

  
   
In making moral decisions, Immanuel Kant runs to human autonomy as the principal foundation of morality. Free will
then become the foundation of our moral act, which is done also out of our moral responsibility.

Our understanding then, in hindsight, However, it would be difficult to not use

comes from reason, rather than experience.
As for Kant, autonomy-that is freedom,
reason in making moral judgments as it is
enlightening in our reflections and

comes from obeying the law for the right introspections in doing the moral act itself.
reasons. We do not act for self- Since not all people hold the
servinginterests but out of moral
same moral and ethical
responsibilities (Nucci, 2014).
 ¼ principles, we will eventually




Hence, self-consciousness becomes the face moral dilemmas.
highest principle since it is (at least) the
basis for all of our a priori knowledge about Nonetheless, it will always be
reasonable to act on moral



the structure of nature (Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2016).
issues based on our instinctive
However, freedom does not give us the rationality, Still and all, we have
ability to decide similarly. Our free will
dictates that we have differences in self-
consciousness which makes it even more
 

 our autonomy to decide on our
own, despite of the conflicting


 
complicated to entirely grasp Kant’s interests of the world forced on
philosophical mooring. Rationality is not us.
entirely the same for all of us. That being
said, it could not be our exclusive basis in
ETHICS | 9
making moral decisions.
ETTHICS PLV

Worksheet 1.1
1. When do we say that an act is moral or non-moral?
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2. Are there universal principles which should be invoked before making or giving in a moral act?
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3.How does cultural relativism affect moral and non moral standards?
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4. Why is it that only human beings can be ethical?

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5. Was there ever a time that you compromised your moral convictions? How did you feel about it?
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EVERYDAY GRAPHIC | 10
6. What are the moral dilemmas that college students like you usually encounter?
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7. Is it moral to end the life of a patient, with or without his or her consent? Explain.
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8. Do you agree to any of these forms of euthanasia?

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9. Should employees experiencing moral dilemmas at work leave their jobs no matter how compensating they are for them?
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10. Do you feel free in making moral decisions? Explain. What is the significance of freedom in making moral?
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