`

This module belongs to:

NAME: ________________________________ YEAR & SECTION: ___________________
ADDRESS: _______________________________________ CONTACT NUMBER:__________________
_

GENERAL
M
od
ul

EDUCATIO
e

Ethics
“Principles of Ethical Behavior in Modern Society
at the Level of the Person, Society, and in
Interaction with the environment and other Shared
Resources”

Module 1-4: Week 1-4

CONTENTS:
Part I: The Moral Agent
Lesson 1: Introduction to the Nature of Ethics
Lesson 2: Culture and Moral Behaviour
Lesson 3: The Moral Agent: Developing Virtue as Habit

Part II: The Act

Lesson 4: Feelings and Moral Decision Making
Lesson 5: Reason and Impartiality as Minimum Requirements for
Morality
Lesson 6: Moral Courage
Lesson 7: Virtue Ethics

Part III: Frameworks and Principles behind our Moral Disposition

Frameworks
Lesson 8: Kant and Right Theorists
Lesson 9: Utilitarianism
Lesson 10: Justice and Fairness: Promoting the Common Good

Conclusion: Ethics through Thick and Thin, and Ethics and Religion
Lesson 11: The Challenges of Pluralism and Fundamentalism: The Search
for Universal Values

PETER ALBERT F. COLUMNA

COS Instructor
Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa Sr., Memorial State College of Agriculture and Technology
franciscopeteralbert@gmail.com
09452559614

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RATIONALE

There must no barriers to freedom of inquiry. There must be no place for dogma in science.
The scientist is free, and must be free to ask any question, to doubt any assertion, to seek for any evidence, to
correct any errors. Our life is also predicated on openness. We know that the only way to avoid error is to
detect it is to be free to inquire. And we know that as long as men are free to ask what they must, free to say
what they think what they will, freedom can never be lost, and science can never progress.
- J. Robert Oppenheimer, 1949
All tertiary- leveled students are required to take units in philosophy especially in Ethics at least to
have a concrete grasp of freedom. By studying the science of morality, one is able to relate and reflect gravity
of his/ her action. All students in the tertiary level are invited to discover their freedom through rational
reflection and initiations in the sense that one can be conscious of himself and the other.
By understanding the Science of Morality or Ethics, one is guided in how he/ she lives with others
under the virtue of freedom and harmony. Freedom here is not all about doing one’s desire but thinking and
introspecting what is ought to be done. The ought to do what is right under the boundary of ethics should
always considered every day. When we justify the news and actions of our government leaders, morality
noticing freedom must be our eyes. Sometimes, we urge our opinions based from the laws but we have to
reflect if the laws are moral or not. Rational reflections direct our conscience based from facts and ought. Our
conscience depending on norms must be rectified according to knowledge, freedom and voluntariness that we
do not confine ourselves in accordance blinded opinion but according to the basic foundations of our ethical
reflection.
Ethics in the General Education Curriculum should be in line with the Filipino experience and
culture. Our Filipino traditions have natural values coming from our appreciation to our identity and
preservation. We are products of our families. By this, we know the basic core concepts of the moral self that
is tangibly related Ethics. In seeking to understand the self in relation to moral value and culture, we also have
some reasons that we comprehending how the self produces immoral and moral actions.
The self is also influenced by moral experiences like culture and situations which are factors of
the development of one’s conscience. Experiences are important origins of one’s morality because they are
the reasons of one’s attitude and character.
But ethics does not only concern with the moral agent but also on the act and principles where one
has to make right justification and actions arising from one’s decision. Many times, people justify some
positive laws to be right though they don’t have pieces of morality. Here in understanding morality, we are
directed to see things correctly. In seeing things in principles under morality, one is able to use his or her
justification in a correct sense that one promotes unity and peace in a society.

Ethics proposes correct justification and analysis on the part of moral agent facing the challenges
of the time like the advancement of globalization and religious plurality. The new arising challenge of
technology affects the time in respect to character and attitude of the generation. Most people forget that in
judgment, there are points to consider that are the elements of morality: subject or the moral agent, the act and
the principles governing the rightness of an action. By thinking morality, one is led to the end which is the
goal or purpose an action leading one to happiness.

GENERAL OBJECTIVES:

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After using this module, you will be able to:
a. Discover and understand the three elements of Ethics: Moral Agent, the Act, and the ethical principles
which are the main foundation of the course.
b. Justify in accordance to these elements the current situational issues and scenarios with the sense of
Morality or the rightness of human action.
c. Live and inhabit virtues as one lives the community and discern morally even in different moments of the
time.

REQUIREMENT:

You are engaged in a self-paced learning. Therefore, evidences of your progress in the subject must properly
be documented. In this regard, you are required to complete all the tasks given in this module. Attach your
outputs in the allocated pages of this module or provide an envelope or anything which your outputs can be
presented like an album, a folder, etc. where your creativity can be expressed and outputs are properly
compiled.
Organize the contents according to the lessons on this module. Do not forget to include captions on the
pictures and reflections on the activity
This compilation will serve as your final project. The project in general will be graded using the rubric below
however the individual contents will be evaluated using some specified criteria.
Rubric /criteria

POINTS CRITERIA
91-100 All required materials are included with additional entries. Work
Outstanding Progress demonstrates noticeable progress in the understanding of lesson. Clear,
well-organized, and creative entries demonstrate an enthusiasm as an
artist.
80-90 Most of the materials are included with a number of additional entries.
Very Satisfactory Work demonstrates progress in understanding the lessons. Entries are
Progress clear, well-organized and increase in number from beginning to an end.

71-79 Minimum of the required materials are included. Work demonstrates a

Satisfactory Progress general understanding of the concepts and their application but has not
improved significantly from beginning to the end of the module.
Organization of the entries are acceptable.

60 and below No entries and evidences of understanding of concepts covered in the

Unsatisfactory module.
Progress

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 NAME: ___________________________________
YR.and SECTION: ___________________________________

PREASSESSMENT:
I. TRUE OR FALSE: Write T if the statement is a human act and F if it is not.

__________1. Dante who loves his girlfriend choose to sacrifice by studying well and passing his examinations.
__________2. John was sleeping while his saliva flowed from his mouth.
__________3. A father cheated to his family choosing another someone.
__________4. A girl cried because she was hurt.
__________5. Upon knowing that the food has no poison, Mark ate his breakfast.

II. ESSAY:
Write anything that you thought about the question based on your presumptions about the subject.

1. How do you understand morality and what is your understanding about ethics?
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1. Why do we need to study Ethics or Moral Philosophy?
________________________________________________________________________________________
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LESSON 1: Introduction to the Nature of Ethics

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
a. Learn and understand the definition, object, importance and division of Ethics
b. Be aware of the application Human Acts and Acts of Man
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 c. Distinguish Morality of Human Acts and Norms of Morality
d. Explain the Introduction of the three themes of Ethics: The Moral Agent, the Act; framework and
principles behind our moral disposition frameworks

Introduction to Ethics
I. DEFINITION
Ethics according to Paul Glenn is defined as a practical science that deals with the morality of human acts
a. Ethics is a science. A science is relatively complete and systematically arranged body of connected
data together with the causes and reasons by which these data are known to be true. Ethics squares with this
definition, for it is a complete and systematically arranged body of data which relate to the morality of human
conduct; and it presents the reasons which show these data to be true. Ethics is therefore a science. (Glenn,
1968)

In its definition, it is easy to understand that ethics is a science of morality. The question here is that how do
we make our actions right. Sometimes, we are in prison in the narrative that we do not really know say for
instance we just in favor to fake news or follow historical revisionism. Another example, a lot of issue came
were people are unconscious of their reactions because crucial situations emerge without their grasp like what
happened during this pandemic. People became greedy of what they have in a way that they suppress others
because selfishness to survive. They have not observe that they are going out of morality like panic buying
when rich people want to own the market purchasing all the good leaving nothing to the poor. Here, we are
reminded that in every action, we know the consequences to others. By the science of morality, at least we
make our moves in virtue of respect and vigilance for the rights and freedom of another.

b. Ethics is a practical science. If the data of a science directly imply rules or directions for thought or
action, the science is called practical. If the data of the science enrich the mind without directly implying
the rules or directions, the science is speculative. Speculative science presents the truths that are to be
known; practical science presents the truths that are to be acted upon. A speculative science enlarges our
knowledge and enhances our cultural equipment; a practical science gives us knowledge with definite
guidance. (Glenn, 1968)

In the speculative scientific sense, one acquires knowledge about the reality of human life and things that
refers to the essential nature of reality. Knowledge that pertains to the things around the world or outside the
world is subjective speculation.

Practical science refers always to how things to be done. They involve disciplines that guide a person in
action. Our knowledge must not give us only information but also help us in being good citizens in the
country. (Glenn, 1968)
According to Educational outcomes, knowledge is nothing without practice. Ethics supplements our
knowledge. When you go home coming from the school and you behave naughtily, your relatives would
always remind or ask you what have you learned from your teachers because of your behavior. Knowing
something in the schools implies that we attain good character and such is not only a product of knowledge but
of practice. As future educators, the Ethics tells you to build in yourselves good manners and right conduct like
what we have learned during our elementary years where our teachers when we behave in the classroom would
give us a star mark on our hands to be motivated.

To inhabit a value through practice is not immediate. For consecutive days, we need to continually do
a good action that we form ourselves ethically. Yes, it is always better to use the brain, but whatever that it
receives must be used and applied properly. To be have knowledge about the methods of teaching makes
sense, but when we apply teaching application for the development of value, the world attains the beauty as
someone attains the proper and valuable behavior that dominate our personality.

Activity 1:

1. In your own creativity, you will make creative poem Tagalog or English in relation to Ethics.
2. You will explain that poem coming from your experience in a way why Ethics is really a need.
3. Connect the poem to your values from the science of Ethics.

II. OBJECT
Every science has a material object and a form object.
The material object is the subject matter of the science: the thing, or things, with which the science deals.
The material object of ethics is human acts, that is to say human conduct.

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The formal object of a science is the especial way, aim or point of view that the science employs in studying
or dealing with the material object. Now Ethics studies human acts (its material object) to discover what this
must be in order to agree with the dictates of reason. Hence the special aims and the point of view of Ethics is
the right morality, or rectitude of the human acts. We assert then that the formal object of Ethics is the
rectitude of human acts. (Glenn, 1968)

When we do a particular thing, we always have objectives. These objectives are the goals or the purpose. In
education, our methods contain objectives, affective and psychomotor. These are the target we want to have
that is why we set them as outcome. Ethics also have these objects to set limits in order to understand the
nature of the study. By these objects, are led to understand that we have to do what is right and avoid what is
evil. In the cultural context of our identity, the material object pertains to the knowledge about human acts,
laws, conscience, freedom, and other concepts relevant to be attained as a student deals with Ethics.

Activity 2:

1. From the syllabus, think of the possible topics that may direct you to the formal object and material
object of Ethics.
2. Create situations where Ethics from its objective be applied.

III. IMPORTANCE
Ethics employs the marvelous faculty of human reason upon the supremely important question of what
an upright life is and must be. It is therefore a noble and important science.
Ethics furnishes the norm by which relation among men (Juridical, Political, Professional, and Social) are
regulated. It shows what such relation must be, and indicates the reason that requires them to be so. Thus,
Ethics is fundamental to the science of Law, Medicine, Political Economy, Sociology, etc. It is in the
consequence of this fact, a very important science.

The principles in Ethics are in perfect harmony with the morality of religion, and this fact appeals to
many minds when employed as a means of approach to the demonstration of truth. (Glenn, 1968)

Ethics is part of philosophy. Introduction to philosophy with logic integrated is tackled during your
senior high but do you think that Ethics could be a relevant field of studies? Is being a right person still in our
system? It is really true that we need to finish our goal in life. What really our goals? In the Senior High
School Curriculum, the learner is to discern his/ her own goal that is with is necessary to take the strands like
HUMSS, GAS, ABM, ICT and STEM that you as students can discern for your life before college. In these
strands, there are specializations but aside from the expertise the different fields want the students to inhabit,
Philosophy is a CORE subject. In college especi ally, the general education curriculum, a student
should take ethics. It is taken not because the students have nothing to do since they are requirements but to
guide them in reflections and introspections so that they may discover some essential matters about life. Life
is short and ethics promotes to us to live life in the fullest. Religion may inspire us to value life but ethics
motivates us to live life according to how it should in this world.

IV. DIVISION
Ethics has two major parts: General Ethics and Special Ethics.
General Ethics presents truths about human acts, and from these truths deduces the general principles
of morality. (Glenn, 1968) In this genre, we only learn idea such as human acts, morality, and virtue from the
basic foundation as competency that should fill the mind. General Ethics tackles the Introduction about the
moral agent, the act and the principles.

Special Ethics is Applied Ethics. It applies the principles of General Ethics in different departments of
human activity, individual and social. (Glenn, 1968)
This part of Ethics deals with the controversial matters and issues demanding application

Activity 3:

1. Think of a situation where Ethics is really necessary in a community.

2. Seek possible ways where your friends and relatives recognize the relevance of Ethics.
3. In your own way, presuppose some problems that really need Ethics.

HUMAN ACTS AND ACTS OF MAN

DIFINITION
A Human Act is an act which proceeds from the deliberate will of man.

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In a wide sense, the Human Act means any sort of activity, internal or external, bodily or spiritual, performed
by a human being. Ethics, however, employs the term in the stricter sense, and calls human only those acts
that are proper to man as man. Now man is an animal and he has many activities common with brutes. Thus,
man feels, hears, sees, and employs the sense of taste and smell, is influenced by bodily tendencies and
appetites. But man is more than animal, he is rational, that is to say, he has understanding and free will.
Hence, it is only the act that proceeds from a knowing and freely willing human being that has full character
of human act. Such an act is proper to man as man. And therefore Ethics stands by human acts only those acts
that proceed from a deliberate i. e., advertent, knowing) and freely human being. (Glenn, 1968)

Man’s animal acts of sensation (i.e., the use of senses) and appetite (i.e., bodily tendencies), as well as
acts that man performs not deliberately or without advertence and the exercise of free choice, are called Acts
of Man. Thus, such acts are affected in sleep, in delirium, in the state of consciousness; acts done abstractedly
or with complete inadvertence; acts performed in infancy; acts due to infirmity of mind or weakness of
senility—all these acts of man, but they are not human acts.

It is to be noticed that acts which are in themselves acts of man may sometimes become human acts by the
advertence and consent of the human agent (by the agent is meant the one who does who perform an act.)
Thus if I hear a word of blasphemy as I walk along the street, my act of hearing is act of man; but the act
becomes a human act if I deliberately pay attention and listen. Again, my eyes may fall upon an indecent
sight, or upon a page of obscene reading matter. The act of seeing and even of seeing, and understanding the
words, is an act of man; but it becomes human act the moment I deliberately consent to look or to read.

Ethics is not concerned with acts of man. Human acts are moral acts. For human acts, man is
responsible, and they are imputed to him as worthy of praise or blame, of the reward or blame, of reward or
punishment. Human acts tend to repeat themselves and to form habits. Habits coalesce into what we call
man’s character. Thus we find verified the dictum of Ethics. (Glenn, 1968)

We are familiar of the story of sleeping beauty who does not know what happens to her because she
was cursed by a witch but when she waked from her sleep, her life was lived through her freedom and
voluntariness. Freedom is a product of knowledge. It is not doing what we desire but it is thinking what is
necessary based from our knowledge. Our actions most of the time proceed from freedom. That is why when
a special child or someone with mind disability commits a violent act, we always refer his/ her action to be
Act of Man because his actions are beyond his disposition.

SUMMARY:
Ethics is a Philosophical Science that deals with the morality of human Acts. Ethics is a science
because it primarily gives us knowledge. It is practical because it guides us to discipline our mind and action
for the good of the community. Ethics as a practical science leads us to be persons who do right actions based
from the principles of morality that we have to consider that make moral decisions.

Human Act is the main and important material object of ethics. By a formal object, we understand that
it is studied under the foundation of morality. Morality is a rectification of one’s action based from the
standard set by scholars from education, sociology, politics, economics and other genre of study that makes
human acts perfected and renewed to have voluntariness and knowledge.

NAME: ___________________________________
YR.and SECTION: ___________________________________

POST- ASSESTMENT
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 I. TRUE OR FALSE

Write HM if the statement is a Human Act, AM if it is Act of Man.

____________1. James was hypnotized so he loved the girl.
____________2. Mark was drunk and he dishonored his parents.
____________3.The stranger was hungry so stole a food from his neighbor.
____________4. Because of love, a girl studied hard.
____________5. Through his parent’s inspiration, one valued his freedom.

II. ESSAY:

1. In your own words, explain the definition, object, importance, and division of ethics. Supply
your examples for your thought to be understood.
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2. Describe and Define morality of human acts. Differentiate the two norms of morality
according to your own experience.
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3. Discuss the relationship of the Moral Agent. Acts and Principles in relation to Ethics.
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MORALITY OF HUMAN ACTS

In Ethics, one of the most important and fundamental topics is morality. Morality is the substance or
without it, Ethics is just another genre of science. By morality, the material object of Ethics which is human
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acts is understood in the qualification of what is right. Socrates said, “do good and avoid evil.” In the other
sense, he is referring to the good as the right thing to be done. This time, good has plenty of meaning and it is
equal depending from the subject where it is attributed or modifying like good dog, good drug, well-being etc.
Actions must be integrated with morality. Ethics is nothing without morality because in Ethics, actions attain
perfection through justified criteria based from the nature of the cause and the result.

DESCRIPTION:
Morality is the quality of human acts which lead us to call some of them good or evil. Now why do we
call anything good or evil? We have already seen the answer to this question but we must recall and enlarge
our knowledge of the matter.

A thing is good inasmuch as it can answer tendency, appetite and desire. In other words, it is good
inasmuch as it serves as an end of such tendency. Thus I call my coat “a good coat” if it furnishes me what I
want from a coat like warmth, style, fit, good cloth. I call my automobile good if it does what I can be
reasonably expected of it in the way of speed, comfortable riding, rich appearance etc. What I expect of my
coat and automobile are ends I wish to attend by means of the garment or the motor car. Inasmuch as the coat
or the car serves as any or all the ends desired, it is good; inasmuch as it fails to serve these ends I say it is not
good
In the matter of human acts—where moral good or evil is the point in question--- there is always a last end
towards which an action. Objectively, this is Summum Bonum, the limitless good, God. The last end human
act is happiness in the possession of the Summum Bonum. Such being the end human action, it follows that
human act is good in as much as it serve to carry the agent on towards the attainment of this end, and not good
or evil, inasmuch as they fail to lead towards the last end, or even away from it. (Glenn, 1968)

The goodness or evilness of action depend the subject, object and circumstance. Sometimes, there are
problems in these fields of morality in which we encounter confusions in our justification. Morality at least
makes us clear of the end. Say for instance, you drink liquor or alcoholic beverages. Your parents tell you that
when you’re drunk, you are out mind. So when you drink such beverage, you’re guided to discipline yourself.
When someone reprimand you of your wrong actions, it is to initiate you to at least make your end in a way
that you will not regret. The “end” in Ethics does not mean death or anything terminating but it is the goal or
the purpose of your action. Your act of studying is not for the sake of education but it is to graduate and have
salary that you can start your stable life. But actually, our main goal in life is to be happy. For Aristotle, it is
the life of contemplation is our way to happiness. In life, we really need sometimes to think in order to come
up with moral decisions.

NORMS OF MORALITY:
In the article of law, we learn that there is an eternal plan for ordering or government of all acts and
movement in the universe and this plan directs things towards the last end. But as we also learned man is free
and rational; he is not coerced (in the field of free choice) by the plan but it means to recognize it by his reason
and freely follow it in all his free and human acts. Human acts which are in harmony with eternal plan are
good; those not with harmony with it are evil. Now the eternal plan is the eternal law, which is the divine
reason. Now how is the divine reason recognized by man, obviously by human reason, which pronounces on
the individual? Human acts in a word by conscience. Hence the eternal law on the other hand constitutes the
norm of morality. From this it will be seen we were right when we say that human acts are good or evil
inasmuch as they agree or conflict with the dictates of reason.

The divine reason or eternal law is the ultimate norm of morality. But that which serves man in action,
that which is applicable to his proximate use, is human reason pronouncing upon good or evil on individual
human acts: in other words, conscience is the proximate norm of morality. Summing the matter up, we say that
norm of morality is remotely or ultimately. In reality, there are not two norms but only one; for conscience is
judgment of human reason recognizing and applying eternal law in individual human acts. (Glenn, 1968)

Conscience is the proximate norm of morality. It is not the voice of God but it is practical judgment
telling you to do something good and avoid something evil. By your conscience, you refer to the prior
knowledge you have with the thing. Say for instance, doing lie is evil and helping your mother is good. Due to
your habit or repeated knowledge that something is so, you build out your conscience. Law is an ultimate norm
because it is base or the foundation of your conscience. It is your refers which is to be known by you to
conclude what something in your conscience is right or wrong. Killing is wrong because it is in the law. Bur
we have to always justify the nature of our action.

DEFINITION:
Morality is the relation of human acts to other norm. Morality is the quality or property of human act
where by it measures up to what it should be as a step towards objective last end human action, or fails so to
measure up. It consists therefore in the relation existing between human acts and the norm of morality.

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 The morality of an act, its character as good or evil is not a mere external denomination or
classification. It is not a mere label pasted on arbitrary. It is something that belong inevitably to human acts a
such either to the act considered objectively as the deed performed or to the act considered as characterized by
its circumstances, particularly to the circumstance, the end of the agent.
Some ethicist placed morality of human act in freedom. This doctrine is false. It is true that the human
act is a free act and in a true sense, it is a moral act because it is free. But freedom does not constitute morality.
Morality is the property of a free act. But it consists formally, as we have said not in freedom itself. But in the
relation by which the act bears towards the norm or measure of what it should be—toward the norm of
morality. (Glenn, 1968)
Morality is the rectification of human action. It is the bases that something is right and wrong. Morality is to be
secured that you can justify the rightness or correctness of your action.

Activity 4:
1. Draw an ideal society in the box and write the labels based from your knowledge how it
would be just.

SUMMARY:
The society in this generation is complicating because of the different factors influencing the society.
Right and wrong is a product of choice so people would not mind what they do due to the voice of irrational
community. Many times, it is not reason that guides but the brutish part of emotion. Morality is to be seen as

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something that nourishes us in order for us to discover the value coming from conscience and law. The law is
the basis of the conscience. The conscience is the entity in ourselves that carries out the law.
Morality through the law and conscience must be a principle that governs our action and justification before
make decision pointing to actions.

References:

Glenn, Paul. Ethics: A Manual in Moral Philosophy. Manila: National Bookstore, 1968
Buenaflor, Leonel: The Meaning Human Existence. Mandaluyong City: Books Atbp Publisihing Corp, 2011

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