ETHICS

CHAPTER 1 Worksheet C

STUDENT’S INFORMATION

GEC-US UNDERSTADING THE SELF Page 1

 Chapter 1
The Ethical Dimension of Human Existence

Intended Learning Outcome

Within the chapter, the pre-service teacher (PST) must have:
1. identify the ethical aspect of human life and the scope of ethical thinking;
2. define and explain the terms that are relevant to ethical thinking; and
3. evaluate the difficulties that are involved in maintaining certain commonly-held notions
on ethics

Time Element: Week 1-3

Direction: Provide answers for each item. DO NOT delete any element on this worksheet.
Answer the questions right after each item or provide another page where your answers can be
found. Upon submission, include the worksheet with answers in the same document. Only one
document in .doc file type shall be submitted; do not make it into a PDF or JPEG file type.

Project
Art and Offense

In 2011, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) mounted an exhibit that included Mideo Cruz’s
“Politeismo,” an installation comprised of an amalgam of many images including a statue of Jesus wearing
Mickey Mouse ears, a crucifix adorned with a bright red phallus, and a picture of the face of Jesus with a
wooden ash tray with penis tacked on the middle. Apparently conceived as a piece to promote critical
thought and perhaps debate on idolatry, it was seen by many in this predominantly Catholic country to be
a deliberate insult to their faith. Given the public outcry and the strong denouncement from various
religious and secular leaders, the exhibit was abruptly closed. In addition to being threatened and having
his work vandalized, Cruz was charged with obscenity. However, he (as well as he administrators of the
CCP) was acquitted of these charges by the courts in 2013.

A case such as this allows us to consider questions, such as “Is it the point of the work of art to be
appealing or to be thought-provoking?” It also allows us to consider political questions, such as “Who gets
to decide which artists and which projects may or may not receive funding from the state?” Our concern
here is ethical, and perhaps we can recognize that a number of highly significant ethical questions can be
raised: Does the artist have an ethical obligation to the sensibilities of his audience? Or does he have a

GEC-US UNDERSTADING THE SELF Page 2

moral obligation only to be faithful to his vision and his art? What constitutes offense, and at what point is
offense severe enough as to require control or to justify retribution? Does a religious majority have a
monopoly on the understanding of what is right or wrong? Does an artist have absolute freedom of
expression, r are there proper restrictions to this right?

What do you think?

1. Imagine a scenario in which an image of someone who is the object of religious devotion (such as
Jesus Christ, or Mary) is placed side by side with phallic image.
1.1. Is this an ethical issue? Why or why not? (5 pts.)
No. It is not an ethical issue because only people who are sensitive would think that it is
not appropriate. Also, people who think that the image of Jesus or Mary was being violated
is just one sided or it is being biased at all. We need to remember that those image is not
the real image of Jesus or Mary, so it is not really a big deal if we think logically and not
sensitively. For me, those image is just an another expression of art and creativity.
1.2. Does the question of the rightness or wrongness of this depend on which religion you
belong to? Explain your answer. (5 pts.)
No. Simply because religion has nothing to do with it. It is just an art creation and it is up
to us whether we accept it or not. For me, it is just a matter of individual perspective. I
knew that Religion is sacred but it didn't tell us to be fanatic in a way we can have the right
to tell that those image is right or wrong. We need to remind ourselves that we have a
diversity of perspectives and we need to accept and respect that to prevent chaos.
2. Look for another example of an artistic creation –a painting, poem, or song – that is a source pf
either actual or potential conflict between the expression of the artist and a sensibility that finds
this offensive. Present the significant details and the reasons that the conflicting sides might have
on this issue. (15 pts)
Gothika Filipina 2
Gothika Filipina 2 is a painting by the Filipino artist Igan D’ Bryan. The painting is a twisted, horror-
inspired take on the famous Grant Wood painting, American Gothic. Instead of Midwestern,
puritanical Iowans being depicted, strange half-flesh, half-skeletal humanoid beasts are shown in
the iconic, viewer-facing position of American Gothic.

GEC-US UNDERSTADING THE SELF Page 3

 Reasons for conflicting sides are: underneath traditional Filipino clothing, the creatures reveal
portions of exposed skeletal structure. The female character’s nude body is exposed underneath
her transparent dress.
Typical with most transgressive art, Gothika Filipina 2 has generated controversy. The painting
was banned from the Asian International Art Exhibition, which was held in Kuala Lampur,
Malaysia, in November of 2009. The curators of the gallery deemed that “the secret part of a
woman” was painted too obviously, and was open to “bad interpretation for the viewers. The
curators then presented a few alternatives for D’ Bayan; paint or cover “the secret part”, submit a
non-offensive painting, or risk the removal of Gothika Filipina 2 from the exhibition. D’Bayan chose
to stand by his work, angered and surprised at the painting’s exclusion.
With those mentioned features above, it is clearly violates the traditional Filipino clothing and it
displays nudity which attracts sexual thoughts to arise. This draw us to the issue of the
disrespectful act for women and a violation for the traditional Filipino clothing.

3. Look for and list down other sources wherein we find a dialogue between ethics and the various
domains of aesthetic, culture, and religion. (10 pts.)
The Aesthetics and Ethics of Faith - A Dialogue Between Liberationist and Pragmatic Thought
Religion and Culture in Dialogue
Beauty and Holiness
Liberation Theology and Pragmatism

GEC-US UNDERSTADING THE SELF Page 4