2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER

LESSON 1 – Brotherhood and Violence • Richard William Paul and Linda Elder
➢ Define ethics as “a set of
What is Ethics? concepts and principles that
• A branch of Philosophy and a social guide us in determining what
science and academic discipline that aids behavior helps or harms
in understanding and adapting sentient creatures”
situations that affect lives. • The study of standards of conduct and
• It is an inquiry into some standard to moral judgment; moral philosophy.
guide one’s action, or as a tool to • The system or code of morals of a
understand a given condition. particular person, religion, group,
• Ethics seeks to resolve questions of profession, etc.
human morality by defining concepts • Ethics is defined as a moral philosophy or
such as: code of morals practiced by a person or
o Good and evil, right and wrong group of people.
o Virtue and vice, justice and
crime KEY TERMS:
1. Ethical
Ethics Morality • Comes from the Greek word
“theory” of right “practice”, rightness “ethos”, meaning character.
action and the or wrongness of Ethics, then seems to pertain to
greater good human action the individual character of a
person or persons.
2. Moral
“systematic study” of “prescriptive” • Comes from the Latin word
the underlying = tells us what we “moralis” meaning customs or
principles of morality ought to do manners morality seems to
= exhorts us to follow point to the relationships
the right way between human beings.
3. Unethical
• Ethics, generally speaking, is about • Means wrong
matters such as the good thing that we 4. Immoral
should pursue and the bad thing that we • Means bad
should avoid: the right ways in which we
could or should act and the wrong ways
of acting. It is about what is acceptable CYBERBULLYING
and unacceptable in human behavior. It • Cyberbullying is when a student uses the
may involve obligations that we are internet, cellphones, or other
expected to fulfill, prohibitions that we technological devices to send or post
are required to respect or ideals that we text or images intended to hurt,
are encouraged to meet. embarrass, threaten, torment,
humiliate, or intimidate their victim.

• Rushworth Kidder
➢ states that "standard Cyberbullying Tactics
definitions of ethics have 1. Gossip
typically included such phrases • Posting or sending cruel gossip
as 'the science of the ideal to damage a person’s
human character' or 'the reputation and relationships
science of moral duty'“. with others
 2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER

2. Exclusion 7. Because all motives for bullying are

• Deliberately excluding different so are the solutions and
someone from an online group. responses
3. Impersonation
• Breaking into someone’s online Consequences of Cyberbullying
account and sending messages 1. Hurt feelings
or making post that will cause 2. Sadness
embarrassment or damage to 3. Anxiety
the person’s reputation and 4. Depression
affect his or her relationships 5. Anger
with others. 6. Shame
4. Harassment 7. Fear
• Repeatedly posting or sending 8. Frustration
offensive, rude, and insulting 9. Low self esteem
messages or posts. 10. Trust issues
5. Cyberstalking 11. Por academic performance
• Posting or sending unwanted or 12. Suicide
intimidating messages, which 13. Bullying others
may include threats.
6. Flaming Why is Cyberbullying so hurtful?
• Online fights where scornful or 1. Permanence
offensive messages are posted ➢ The insults, comments or
on websites, forums, or blogs. images can be preserved by the
7. Outing and Trickery person who was bullied or by
• Tricking someone into others so that the victim may
revealing secrets or read or view them over and
embarrassing information, over again and the harm is re-
which is then shared online inflicted with each reading or
8. Cyberthreats viewing.
• Remarks on the internet 2. Audience Size
threatening or implying violent ➢ The size of the audience that is
behavior, displaying suicidal able to view or access the
tendencies. damaging material increases
the victim’s humiliation.
Two Kinds or Cyberbullying 3. Familiarity
1. Direct Attacks – messages sent directly ➢ Many young people are friends
to the victim with or know their cyber bully
2. Cyberbullying by Proxy – using someone either thru school or other
else to cyberbully a victim, this proxy personal connections,
may know they are cyber bullying and increasing the potential for
they may not. embarrassment and
humiliation.
Why do children Cyber Bully? 4. Social Networking
1. Anger ➢ Social networking sites such as
2. Frustration facebook and twitter allow
3. Revenge cyber bullies to engage in
4. Entertainment campaigns against a particular
5. To get laughs or reactions person which may involve
6. Power hungry many others.
5. Speed

➢ The speed at which harmful
messages can reach large
audiences also plays a major
part in making cyberbullying so
damaging to the targets.
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10175
CYBERCRIME PREVENTION ACT OF 2012
CHAPTER I – Preliminary Provisions
CHAPTER II – Punishable Acts
CHAPTER III – Penalties
CHAPTER IV – Enforcement and Implementation
CHAPTER V – Jurisdiction
CHAPTER VI – International Cooperation
CHAPTER VII – Competent Authorities
CHAPTER VIII – Final Provisions
• February 27, 2013 – The PNP-Anti
Cybercrime Group, with official acronym
“PNP ACG”, was activated as a National
Operational Support Unit primarily
responsible for the implementation of
pertinent Philippine laws on cybercrimes
and advocating the anti-cybercrime
campaign of the PNP.
LESSON 2 – Valuation
• Ethics seems to involve valuations that
we make in a sphere of human actions
that are characterized by a certain
gravity and that concern human well-
being or human life itself. Therefore,
matters that concern life and death such
as war, capital punishment, or abortion
and matters that concern human well-
being such as poverty, inequality, or
sexual identity are often included in
discussions of ethics.
• ETHICS refers to standards of conduct,
standards that indicate how one should
behave based on moral duties and
virtues, which themselves are derived
from principles of right and wrong.
• VALUES are determined by the society
we grow up in, and there are no
universal values. Moral values are simply
2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER
customs or conventions that vary from
culture to culture.
ETHICS
• Ancient Greek word ēthikós ,
“relating to one’s character”, which itself
comes from the root word
êthos meaning “character, moral
nature”
• Latin as ethica
• French as éthique, from which it was
transferred into English.
PHILOSOPHY
➢ Philia (love) + Sophia (wisdom) = love of
wisdom
• Philia (love) – strong desire for a
particular object
• Sophia (wisdom) – correct
application of knowledge
➢ Science that studies beings in their
ultimate causes, reasons and principles
through the aid of human reason alone
➢ All things that exist: material or
immaterial
ETHICS AND PHILOSOPHY
• Greece is traditionally considered the
birthplace of philosophy.
• Early Greek thinkers realized they
needed more than what poets and
storytellers could tell about the world
around them.
➢ SOCRATES
o Appeared in 15th century B.C.
o Though not the first one, yet
still recognized for being the
first to redirect the focus of
philosophy from natural world
to the human person.
➢ PLATO
o Enhanced the ethical
orientation of philosophy, that
is, to live according to a certain
idea or form of what life ought
to be.
 2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER

➢ ARISTOTLE ➢ Is the study of what makes

o For him, a happy life is not just actions
merely an act of doing ➢ Right or wrong, what makes
particular tasks but also situations or events good or
knowing what are these for. bad and what makes people
virtuous or vicious
ETHICS (the study of morality) ➢ “What should I do?”
Ethics deals with what is right or wrong ➢ Normative ethics question the
in human behavior and conduct. It asks such good or bad of an action
questions as:
1. What constitutes a person or action
being good, bad, right, or wrong, and
how do we know (epistemology)?
2. What part does self-interest or the
interest of others play in making moral
decisions and judgements?
3. What theories of conduct are valid or 3. Applied Ethics
invalid and why? ➢ Deals with what a person is
4. Should we use principles or rules or obligated (or permitted) to do
laws, or should we let each situation in specific situations
decide our morality? ➢ Refers to the practical
5. Are killing, lying, cheating, stealing, and application of moral
sexual acts right or wrong, and why or considerations.
why not? ➢ It is ethics with respect to real –
world actions and their moral
considerations in the areas of
The Three Main Branches of the Philosophical private and public life, the
Study of Ethics professions, health,
technology, law, and
1. Metaethics leadership.
➢ Deals with the foundations and ➢ Deals with difficult moral
nature of moral values, questions and controversial
properties, and words moral issues that people
➢ is a branch of analytic actually face in their lives
philosophy that explores the ➢ Examples:
status, foundations, and scope o The moral issues
of moral values, properties, and regarding…. Abortion
words. o Giving to the poor the
➢ “What is goodness?” death penalty
➢ “How can we tell what is good o Gay/lesbian marriage
from what is bad?” (or other rights)
➢ “Meta” from Greek meaning o War tactics censorship
“above” or “after” so-called “white lies”
➢ Metaethics dig into the
morality of ethical claims THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NORMATIVE ETHICS
2. Normative Ethics AND APPLIED ETHICS:
➢ Deals with systems if morality • Normative Ethics – studies what
and questions how one ought features make an action right or wrong.
to be and act morally

• Applied Ethics – attempts to figure out,
in actual cases, whether or not certain
acts have those features.
SELF INTEREST THEORY
Human beings are always and
everywhere selfish. Even if there are objective
moral values, we are incapable of living up to
them.
1. Definitional Argument – we are selfish
when we do what we want to do, and we
always do what we want to do.
2. Hidden Benefits Argument – selfish
benefits to helping others.
3. Fear of Punishment Argument – what if
I get caught?
THEORIES OF ETHICS
• While it may be that some values are
relative and that people are often
selfish, we do not have to conclude that
all values are relative or that people are
always selfish.
• An ethical theory attempts to provide a
set of fundamental moral principles in
harmony with our moral intuitions.
✓ Religious Ethics – an authoritative rule
book to tell us what rules to follow
✓ Duty Ethics – Fulfill your obligations.
Duties and rights are two sides of the
same coin.
o Under this form of ethics, you
can’t justify an action by
showing that it produced good
consequences.
Kant’s Approach to Ethics
• According to Kant, if something is wrong,
it is always wrong.
Categorical Imperative
• Universal Moral Law
o An ethical low can be universal
if everybody wishes to follow it
equally
o If an action is morally right or
wrong it is similar for everyone
2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER
• Treat People as Ends
o Treat others and own self as
ends
o Individuals’ capability of
leading life should be
recognized
• Kingdom of Ends
o Imaginary state whose lows
protect individual autonomy
o Morality is not just a matter of
individual conduct, but also the
foundation of society
LESSON 3 – Thinking of Ethics
• A study on ethics may once in a while
involve learning some completely new
words, but more often, it will probably
involve realizing that what matters is
using some familiar and maybe even
common terms with greater care and in
more strictly defined ways, so that our
thinking will be clearer.
• Ethics and morality.
• This lesson is about appreciating how
clarifications on the words we use is an
important step in our goal to think
properly about ethics, which is
ultimately a matter of finding the best
reasons for making our determinations
of good and bad, right and wrong.
ETHICAL
• Relating to beliefs about what is morally
right and wrong
• Ethical and legal issues
o The ethical dilemmas
surrounding genetic research
UNETHICAL
• Not morally acceptable
• Morally wrong
• Identify something in our society that
you considered unethical
CLARIFICATIONS:
• Our first set of clarifications is on the use
of the words ëthics and morals. Would
include cognates such as ethical,
unethical, immoral, amoral, morality

and so on. We should be careful
particularly on the use of the word not
when apply to the word moral or ethical.
• According to some, the term morals
maybe used to refer to specific beliefs or
attitudes that people have or to describe
acts that people perform. It is
sometimes said that an individual’s
personal conduct is referred to as his
morals, and if he falls short of behaving
properly, this can be described as
immoral.
• However, we also have terms such as
"moral judgment" or "moral reasoning,"
which suggest a more rational
dimension at work. Along similar lines,
the term "ethics" according to some can
be used to refer to the discipline of
studying and understanding human
behavior and ideal ways of thinking.
Thus, ethics is acknowledged as an
intellectual discipline belonging to
philosophy.
• However, acceptable and unacceptable
behaviors are also generally described as
being ethical and unethical, respectively.
In addition, with regard to the
acceptable and unacceptable ways of
behaving in a given field, we have the
term "professional ethics" (such as, for
instance, legal ethics for the proper
comportment of lawyers and other
people in the legal profession, medical
ethics for doctors and nurses, and media
ethics for writers and reporters).
• Ordinary conversation presents a much
less rigid distinction between these
terms, and in this book, we will lean in
that direction, as we do not need to
occupy ourselves here with the question
of how different thinkers and writers
might construe that distinction.
• In this text, we will be using the terms
"ethical" and "moral" (likewise, "ethics"
and "morality") interchangeably.
• Another point of clarification is to
distinguish between a descriptive and a
normative study of ethics.
2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER
• A descriptive study of ethics reports how
people, particularly groups, make their
moral valuations without making any
judgment either for or against these
valuations.
• This kind of study is often the work of the
social scientist: either a historian
(studying different moral standards over
time) or a sociologist or an
anthropologist (studying different moral
standards across cultures).
➢ A normative study of ethics, as is often
done in moral philosophy or moral
theology, engages the question:
o What could or should be
considered as the right way of
acting?
➢ In other words, a normative discussion
prescribes what we ought to maintain as
our standards or bases for moral
valuation
➢ When one is placed in a situation and
confronted by the choice of what act to
perform, she is called to make a moral
decision.
o For instance, make a choice
to refuse to accept a bribe
from someone.
➢ When a person is an observer making an
assessment on the actions or behavior of
someone, she is making a moral
judgment.
o For instance, a friend of mine
chooses to shoplift from a
convenience store, and I make
an assessment that this is
wrong.
• We have a moral dilemma when an
individual can choose only one from a
number of possible actions, and there
are compelling ethical reasons for the
various choices, and not just for one
obvious answer
o For instance, a mother may feel
conflicted between stealing
food from a store and wanting
to get that food to be able to
feed her hungry child.

WHAT REASONS DO WE GIVE TO DECIDE OR TO
JUDGE THAT A CERTAIN WA OF ACTING IS
EITHER RIGHT OR WRONG?
• A person's fear of punishment or desire
for reward could provide him a reason
for acting in a certain way. It is common
to hear someone say: "I did not cheat on
the exam because I was afraid that I
might get caught," or "I looked after my
father in the hospital because I wanted
to get a higher allowance."
• In a certain sense, fear of punishment
and desire for reward can be spoken of
as giving someone a "reason" for acting
in a certain way.
• But the question then would be:
o Is this reason good enough?
That is to say, this way of
thinking seems to be a shallow
way of understanding "reason"
because it does not show any
true understanding of why
cheating on an exam is wrong
or why looking after a member
of my family is in itself a good
thing.
o Thus, one may conclude that
cheating is wrong, based on a
sense of fairness or a respect
for the importance and validity
of testing.
o From this, we can define
principles as rationally
established grounds by which
one justifies and maintains her
moral decisions and judgments.
• But why do we maintain one particular
principle rather than another? Why
should I maintain that I should care for
fairness and that cheating is, therefore,
wrong? Returning to the case of
fraternity hazing with which we started
this unit, why is it wrong to cause
another person physical injury or to take
another person's life? We can maintain
principles, but we can also ask what
good reasons are there for doing so.
Such reasons may differ. So, for
example, what makes the death of Cris
such a tragedy?
2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER
• One person may say that life is God-
given and therefore sacred. Another
person may declare that whether or not
you believe in God, human life has a
priceless dignity. Still another one may
put forward the idea that taking
another's life does not contribute to
human happiness but to human misery
instead, and should therefore be
avoided. How exactly do we arrive at any
of these claims? This is where we turn to
theory.
• A moral theory is a systematic attempt
to establish the validity of maintaining
certain moral principles. Insofar as a
theory is a system of thought or of ideas,
it can also be referred to as a framework.
We can use this term, "framework," as a
theory of interconnected ideas, and at
the same time, a structure through
which we can evaluate our reasons for
valuing a certain decision or judgment.
• There are different frameworks that can
make us reflect on the principles that we
maintain and thus, the decisions and
judgements we make. By studying these,
we can reconsider, clarify, modify, and
ultimately strengthen our principles,
thereby informing better both moral
judgements and moral decisions.
• In The Apology of Socrates written by
Plato, Socrates makes the claim that it is
the greater good for a person to spend
time thinking about and discussing with
others this question on goodness and
virtue, that this indeed at the heart of
what it means to be truly human.
²Hopefully, as we pursue these topics,
you will come to agree with Socrates
that this effort indeed good thing. We
will be returning to Plato later in this
chapter, as he guides us through some
further difficulties.

LESSON 4 – Sources of Authority – Law
Various institutions – law, religion, and
culture – have such a strong influence in the way
that we think and we act, including how we make
moral valuations. It might be tempting to suppose
that since we see ourselves already guided by
these institutions, perhaps they are themselves
the very authorities we should turn to in order to
direct our ethics.
THINK
• Various institutions have such a strong
influence in the way that we think and
we act, including how we make moral
valuations. We are constrained by the
law from acting in certain ways;
• For instance, I cannot drive a vehicle
beyond a certain speed limit on certain
roads.
• Our religious tradition often both
prevents us from some actions while
encouraging us towards others; for
instance, in the Islamic faith, Muslims
are prohibited from drinking intoxicating
beverages, and are enjoined to give
charity to those who are less fortunate.
• Finally, we often look to culture as a
basis for actions; we proudly proclaim
that a strong sense of hospitality,
cheerfulness, and respect for elders are
prime Filipino values. So, we can
understand how it might be tempting to
suppose that since we see ourselves
already guided by these institutions,
perhaps they are themselves the very
authorities we should turn to in order to
direct our ethics. We will discuss each of
these three in turn.
LAW
• It is sometimes supposed that the
law is one's guide to ethical behavior.
In the Philippines, Filipinos are
constrained to obey the laws of the
land as stated in the country's
criminal and civil codes.
2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER
• Making this even more particular, in
a given province or city, let us say for
instance Rizal province, or more
particularly, Antipolo City, residents
are constrained to follow any
provincial laws or city ordinances
present there. One can easily
imagine this becoming even more
localized to the barangay or village
level, where local or municipal layers
of obligation are there for residents
to follow.
ORDINANCE
• The term positive law refers to all the
different rules and regulations that are
posited or put forward by an authority
figure which require one's compliance.
• Positive laws are human-made laws that
oblige or specify an action. Positive law
also describes the establishment of
specific rights for an individual or group.
• One point that has to be raised here is
the prohibitive nature of law. The law
does not tell us what we should do; it
basically works by constraining us from
performing acts that we are not
supposed to do.
• To put it slightly differently, the law
cannot tell us what to pursue, only what
to avoid.
Are there actions that we could consider
ethically questionable but is not prohibited by
the law?
• For instance, a company who refuse to
give its employees benefits may do so
within the parameters of the law.
o The company can do this by
simply refusing to hire workers
on a permanent basis, only
continuously offering them six-
month contracts.
o Here, no law is violated, yet one
can wonder whether there is
something ethically
questionable to this business
practice.

o To make this point concrete,
recall the story of a toddler who
had been run over by a couple
of vehicles.
o While there were many
passers-by who witnessed what
had happened, for quite a long
while, no one did anything to
help. The child later died in the
hospital.
o The law does not oblige people
to help others in need, so none
of these passers-by were guilty
of breaking any law.
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
• A complex and interlocking body of
statutes, common law, treaties,
conventions, regulations, and policies
that operate to regulate the interaction
of humanity and the rest of the
biophysical or natural environment.
• A purpose of reducing or minimizing the
impacts of human activity, both on the
natural environment for its own sake,
and on humanity itself.
AREAS OF CONCERNS
• Air quality and water quality
• Global climate change
• Agriculture
• Biodiversity and species protection
• Pesticides and hazardous chemicals
• Water management and remediation of
contaminated land
• Management of public lands and natural
resources
Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000
(Republic Act No. 9003)
• Segregation and collection of solid waste
shall be conducted at the barangay level
specifically for biodegradable,
compostable and reusable wastes:
o Provided, that the collection of
non-recyclable materials and
special wastes shall be the
responsibility of the
municipality or city (Section 10)
2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER
Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999
Republic Act No. 8749
• The state shall promote and protect the
global environment to attain sustainable
development while recognizing the
primary responsibility of local
government units to deal with
environmental problems.
• The state recognizes that the
responsibility of cleaning the habitat and
environment is primarily area-based
• The state also recognizes the principle
that “polluters must pay”
Animal Welfare Act of 1998
Republic Act No. 8485
• Act to protect and promote the welfare
of all animals in the Philippines by
supervising and regulating the
establishment and operations of all
facilities utilized for breeding,
maintaining, keeping, treating or
training of all animals either as objects of
trade or as household pets.
o Pet animal shall include bird
• Any form of cruelty shall be penalized.
• PAWS
o When millions of dogs must die
every year because no one will
adopt them, breeding a dog
even once is unethical. Instead,
guardians should be having
their animal companions
spayed or neutered.
Philippine Mining Act of 1995
Republic Act No. 7942
• All mineral resources in public and
private lands within the territory and
exclusive economic zone of the Republic
of the Philippines are owned by the
state.
• It shall be the responsibility of the state
to promote their rational exploration,
development, utilization and
conservation through the combined
efforts of government and the private
sector in order to enhance national
growth in a way that effectively

safeguards the environment and protect
the rights of affected communities.
➢ P.D. #389 – The Forestry Reform Code
• It confides, updates and raises
forestry laws in the country. It
emphasizes the sustainable
utilization of forest resources.
➢ P.D. #330 & P.D. #953 – Laws on
Penalizing illegal cutting of trees
➢ P.D. #1153 – Laws on tree planting
➢ P.D. #331 – Laws on requiring all public
forests be developed on a sustained
yield basis
➢ Executive Order No. 263 – Adopts
Community-Based Forest Management
as the National Strategy to ensure the
sustainable development of the
country’s forest lands.
➢ Presidential Decree 704 – Covers
forestry laws
➢ Executive Order 240 – Covers Integrated
Fishery Management
➢ Republic Act No. 3931 – Commonly
known as the pollution control law
➢ DENR Administrative Order No. 97-38 -
Covers chemical control order for
mercury and mercury compounds.
➢ DENR Administrative Order No. 97-05 -
Procedures in the retention of areas
within certain distances along the banks
of rivers, streams, and shore of seas,
lakes and oceans for environmental
protection.
➢ Republic Act No. 7907 - An Act Amending
Republic Act No. 3844, as amended,
otherwise known as the "Code of
Agrarian Reform in the Philippines".
➢ Republic Act No. 6657 – The
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Law of 1998.
➢ DENR Administrative Order No. 142,
Series of 1989 - Guidelines on the
Disposition of Confiscated Wildlife
Species
➢ Republic Act 8371 - The Indigenous
Peoples Rights Act of 1997, provides for
the recognition, protection and
promotion of the rights of indigenous
2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER
cultural communities / indigenous
people.
Environmental Attitudes
➢ Environmental Ethics is the philosophical
discipline that studies the moral
relationship of human beings and also
the value and moral status of the
environment and its non-human
contents.
➢ It considers the ethical relationship
between humans and the environment.
➢ Environmental ethics helps define man's
moral and ethical obligations toward the
environment. But human values become
a factor when looking at environmental
ethics.
➢ Environmental ethics and human values
affect our ability to understand and
solve environmental problems.
➢ Self interest
Three Ethical Worldviews
1. ANTHROPOCENTRISM
• A human-based ethics arguing
that humans possess complete
authority over decisions about
the environment.
• States that natural resources
are open to human
manipulation
• Nature as existing solely for
the benefit of man
2. BIOCENTRISM
• Focuses on the theory that all
forms of life have an inherent
right to exist.
3. ECOCENTRISM
• Maintains that the Earth itself
has moral value and is to be
treated with respect from
those living within it.
Development
• An anthropocentric approach (inclined
towards the benefit of humans)
• Promotes human control over the
world’s resources at the expense of
future generations

• Associated with the “capitalist” work
ethic
Preservation
• An ecocentric approach (nature- based)
• Calls for the preservation of the world’s
resources rather than complete human
consumption.
o Ex. Establishing National Parks
and reservoir
Conservation
• Strikes a balance between the two
aforementioned attitudes.
• Places are important in human survival
as taking into account the need to
manage the environment wisely.
(Sustainable development)
o Sustainable development is a
development that meets the
needs of the present without
compromising the ability of
future generations to meet
their own needs.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
• Management of interaction by the
modern human societies with the
impact upon the environment
• An attempt to control human impact on
and interaction with the environment in
order to preserve natural resources.
Importance
o Aims to ensure that ecosystem
services are protected and
maintained for future human
generations
o Identify factors affected by
conflicts that rise between
meeting needs and protecting
resources. It is thus linked to
environmental protection and
sustainability.
Carrying Capacity
• A more common philosophy and
impetus behind environmental
management refers to the maximum
2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER
number of organisms a particular
resource can sustain.
Religion
• "Love the Lord, Your God, therefore, and
always heed his charge: his statutes,
decrees, and commandments." (New
American Bible)
• This verse is the first line of Chapter 11
of the book of Deuteronomy. It
expresses a claim that many people of a
religious sensibility find appealing and
immediately valid: the idea that one is
obliged to obey her God in all things.
• As a foundation for ethical values, this is
referred to as the divine command
theory.
• God, Allah, Jehovah, Supreme Being
commands us, and each one of us is
obliged to obey our Creator.
• Religious prohibitions like "Thou shall
not kill," "Thou shall not steal," and
"Thou shall not commit adultery“
coincide with what ethics should rightly
demand.
• Religion is not simply prohibitive,
but it also provides ideals to pursue.
• For instance, one may be called to
forgive those who sinned against him or
to be more charitable to those who have
less.
• Further, taking religion to be the basis of
ethics has the advantage of providing us
with not only a set of commands but also
a Supreme Authority that can inspire
and compel our obedience in a way that
nothing else can. The Divine can
command absolute obedience of a
person, as the implications of her
actions, good and bad, involve her
ultimate destiny.
If religious prohibitions coincide with what
Ethics demand, can we say that a religious
person is an ethical person?
• Thus, we would not be surprised if we
were to hear someone say, "Ethics?
That's simple. Just follow whatever your
religion says."
 2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER

• However, there could be some problems • Major world religions include,

with this. First, on the practical level, we Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism,
realize the presence of a multiplicity of Judaism, and Sikhism.
religions. Each faith demands differently
from its adherents, which would Religions
apparently result in conflicting ethical • Generally, are a set of beliefs concerning
standards. For instance, certain religions the cause, nature, and meaning of the
have prohibitions concerning what food universe and often include the belief in a
may be consumed, while others do not supernatural being (God)
share the same constraints. Are we then
compelled to judge others negatively Belief System
given their apparently different • Generally, are a set of mutually
morality? Are we called upon to convert supportive beliefs, which are often
them toward our own faith? How about religious, philosophical, ideological and
the problem of realizing that not can be a combination of these three
everyone is devout or maintains a
religious faith?
• Thus, we would not be surprised if we
were to hear someone say, "Ethics?
That's simple. Just follow whatever your
religion says." However, there could be
some problems with this. First, on the
practical level, we realize the presence
of a multiplicity of religions. Each faith
demands differently from its adherents,
✓ Jerusalem – a city of significance for
which would apparently result in
Jews, Christians and Muslims
conflicting ethical standards. For
instance, certain religions have
Monotheism
prohibitions concerning what food may
o The belief in single God
be consumed, while others do not share
o The belief in only one divine
the same constraints. Are we then
being who deserves
compelled to judge others negatively
recognition, reverence and
given their apparently different
allegiance
morality? Are we called upon to convert
o The belief that there is only one
them toward our own faith? How about
God, as found in Judaism,
the problem of realizing that not
Christianity, and Islam
everyone is devout or maintains a
o Begun by Abraham about 2000
religious faith?
BCE
o Common Beliefs:
WORLD RELIGIONS
▪ God created the
Five Worl Religions
universe
• Five world religions have had a profound
▪ God continues to
impact on culture and civilization.
govern the universe
• Religions and belief systems are
▪ The Ten
important parts of cultures around the
Commandments were
world.
given to Moses by God
• A religion is a set of beliefs and practices on Mt. Sinai and must
that is often focused on one or more be followed
deities, or gods.
 2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER

o Began in Palestine with the o Started his religion in Mecca,

Jews Saudi Arabia. This is the holiest
o Abraham is the founder of: city in Islam
▪ Judaism o Muslims worship in a mosque
▪ Islam o Muslims must follow the Five
✓ Judaism Pillars of Islam:
o Monotheism 1. Shahadah -
o Ten Commandments of moral Stating the Faith
and religious conduct 2. Salat - Prayer 5
o Torah: Written records and times/day facing
beliefs of the Jews Mecca
o Founder: Abraham 3. Zakat – Charity to
o Followers are called Jews poor
o Believes that God made a 4. Hajj – Pilgrimage
covenant with Abraham and his 5. Sawm - Fasting
people (Israelites) during Ramadan
o Adherents are worldwide, but ✓ Buddhism
most are in Israel o Founder: Siddhartha Gautama
o Holy book is the Torah (= the (Buddha)
first five books of the Old o Four Noble Truths
Testament of Christian Bible) o Eightfold Path to
o Worship in a Synagogue Enlightenment
✓ Christianity o Spread of Buddhism from India
o Monotheism to China and other parts of Asia,
o Jesus as Son of God resulting from Asoka’s
o Life after death missionaries and their writings
o New Testament: Life and o Basic Tenets of Buddhism
teachings of Jesus ▪ The world is full of
o Establishment of Christian suffering
doctrines by early church ▪ Meditation is our only
councils escape
o Worship in a church ▪ Nirvana is the ultimate
o Holy Book: Bible goal
o Basic Beliefs: ▪ Follow the Eightfold
▪ There is only one God Path
▪ God is all-knowing
▪ Jesus is the son of God
▪ There is final judgment
▪ The bible contains the
teachings/stories of
God
✓ Islam
o Monotheism
o Muslim name for their God is
Allah
o Muhammad, the prophet
o Holy Book: Qur’an (Koran)
o Mecca and Medina
o Why is the 8-fold path
important?

o It gives Buddhists a
path they can follow to
end suffering.
o These are not steps
but eight guiding
principles that suggest
the way to end
suffering and
ultimately achieve
enlightenment
(nirvana).
Polytheism
o Polytheism is the worship of
more than one God
o May accept Gods from other
religions
o Choose your favorite God
✓ Hinduism
o From India around 1700 BCE
o No single founder
o 3rd largest religion
o Holy Book: Rig Veda
o Brahman is the source of all
divinity (holiness)
o Believe in reincarnation (soul is
reborn many times based on
Karma)
o Many forms of one god
o Reincarnation: Rebirth based
upon karma
o Karma: Knowledge that all
thoughts and actions result in
future consequences
o Dharma: duties
o Hinduism embraces many
religious ideas. For this reason,
it’s sometimes referred to as a
“way of life” or a “family of
religions,” as opposed to a
single, organized religion.
o Most forms of Hinduism are
henotheistic, which means they
worship a single deity, known
as “Brahman,” but still
recognize other gods and
goddesses. Followers believe
there are multiple paths to
reaching their god.
2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER
o Hindus believe in the doctrines
of samsara (the continuous
cycle of life, death, and
reincarnation) and karma (the
universal law of cause and
effect).
o One of the key thoughts of
Hinduism is “atman,” or the
belief in soul. This philosophy
holds that living creatures have
a soul, and they’re all part of
the supreme soul. The goal is to
achieve “moksha,” or salvation,
which ends the cycle of rebirths
to become part of the absolute
soul.
o One fundamental principle of
the religion is the idea that
people’s actions and thoughts
directly determine their current
life and future lives.
o Hindus strive to achieve
dharma (duties), which is a
code of living that emphasizes
good conduct and morality.
o Hindus revere all living
creatures and consider the cow
a sacred animal.
o Food is an important part of life
for hindus. Most don’t eat beef
or pork, and many are
vegetarians.
o Hinduism is closely related to
other Indian religions, including
Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism
 2ND YEAR – SECOND SEMESTER

Geographic Distribution of World’s Major

Religions
➢ Judaism: Concentrated in Israel and
North America
➢ Christianity: Concentrated in Europe
and North and South
America
➢ Islam: Concentrated in the Middle East,
Africa, and Asia
➢ Hinduism: Concentrated in India
➢ Buddhism: Concentrated in East and
Southeast Asia