Introduction

3. DILEMMA AND MORAL DILEMMA

• The term DILEMMA refers to a situation in which a

tough choice has to be made between two or
more options, especially more or less equally
undesirable ones. Note: NOT ALL DILEMMAS
ARE MORAL DILEMMAS.
 Introduction
3. DILEMMA AND MORAL DILEMMA

• MORAL DILEMMAS or ethical dilemmas are

situations in which a difficult choice has to be
made between two courses of action, either of
which entails transgressing a moral principle. At
the very least a moral dilemma involves conflicts
between moral requirements.
 Introduction
3. DILEMMA AND MORAL DILEMMA

• What is common to moral dilemmas is conflict. In

each ethical dilemma, an agent regards himself as
having moral reasons to do each of the two
actions, but doing both actions seems ethically not
possible.
 Introduction
3. DILEMMA AND MORAL DILEMMA

• The key features of a genuine moral dilemma:

• 1. The agent is required to do each of two or more

actions;

• 2. The agent can do each of the actions; but the

agent cannot do both or all of the actions;

• 3. Neither of the conflicting moral requirements is

overridden because one is more important.
 Introduction
3. DILEMMA AND MORAL DILEMMA

• In a genuine moral dilemma, the agent thus seems

condemned to moral failure; no matter what he
does, he will do something wrong, or fail to do
something that he ought to do.

• Example: When a doctor has to choose between

the life of a child who is about to be born and the
child’s mother.
 Introduction
4. THREE LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMA

• 1. PERSONAL DILEMMA - are those experienced

and resolved on the personal level. Since many
ethical decisions are personally made, many, if not
most of, moral dilemmas fall under, or boil down to
this level.
 Introduction
4. THREE LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMA

• Example: In 1940, a man wanted to avenge the

death of his brother killed by the Germans whom
he regarded are an evil force. But his mother was
living with him and he was her one consolation in
life. The man believed he had conflicting
obligations.
 Introduction
4. THREE LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMA

• Two kinds of morality in this example:

• 1. One limited scope but certain efficacy, personal

devotion to his mother

• 2. Much wider scope but uncertain efficacy,

attempting to contribute to the defeat of an unjust
aggressor (evil forces)
 Introduction
4. THREE LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMA

• 2. ORGANIZATIONAL DILEMMAS - refer to ethical

cases encountered and resolved by social
organizations. This category includes moral
dilemmas in business, medical field and public
sector.
 Introduction
4. THREE LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMA

• Example: A medical institution which believes that

human life should not be deliberately shortened
and that unpreventable pain should not be
tolerated encounters a conflict in resolving
whether to withdraw life support from a dying
patient.
 Introduction
4. THREE LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMA

• 3. Structural Dilemmas - refer to cases involving

network of institutions and operative theoretical
paradigms. As they usually encompass multi-
sectoral institutions and organizations, they may
be larger in scope and extent than organizational
dilemmas.
 Introduction
4. THREE LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMA

• Example: The price of medicine in the Philippines

which are higher compared to other countries in
Asia and in countries of similar economic status.
Factors affecting medicine prices include the cost
of research, presence of competition in the
market, government regulations, and patent
protection. Institutions concerned may want to
lower the price thereby benefiting the Filipinos, but
such move may ruin the interests of other
institutions involved.
1.2 ETHICS AND THE HUMAN PERSON:
Human Person as a
Moral Being in Context
Learning Module I
Knowledge Packet 2
 INTRODUCTION
This course packet will help us to answer the question “What gives your life meaning?”
and discuss that we human beings are relational beings, which makes us situated.

In this context, we must always relate to ourselves, others, our environment, and the
Absolute.

What we do with this relationship will strengthen our ideas about the relationship
between Ethics and the Human Person as a Moral Agent. All our actions have
consequences; however, we must need to identify these actions for it will help us in
achieving our “personhood.”

We must also distinguish between “human acts” and “acts of man.” We are going to use
the object, intention, and circumstance to determine the morality of our human actions.
 OBJECTIVES

At the end of the course packet, you are expected to:

1. Differentiate the concepts of the following:
a. Human vs. Person;
b. Human Acts vs. Acts of Man;
2. Recognize the importance of the human person as a moral being with
freewill and intellect; and
3. Perform a simple analysis of moral acts using the three essential
components of human actions: Object, Intention, and Circumstance.
 DISCUSSION

Does the concept of HUMAN is

synonymous with the concept of
the PERSON in philosophy?
“Human is a biological term. You’re human if you have DNA. But the
person is a being who is a part of a moral community”

In other words, the term “human” is a biological term while the term
“person” is a moral term for moral beings. The capability to think, feel, and
having free will are the reason why we are considered “humans.” If we are
going to analyze how the term “person” is being defined in the first
paragraph, it tells us that we humans are persons who can act morally.

Thus, as a person, humans are “moral agents.”

 HUMAN ACTS VS ACTS OF MAN

A Human Act is defined as “an act that results from a man’s deliberated free
will.” In ethics, deliberated means merely the intellectual knowledge of
what one is about to do and what this means. The agent must then do the act
intentionally or knowingly for it to be considered a human act. Technically,
the term agent refers to the person who performs the human act. Human
actions necessitate the use of both the rational faculties of knowing
(intellect) and willing (freewill).
Elements of Human Acts

1.Knowledge - means that the act is carried out in light of the agent’s knowing
faculty. He is aware and conscious of his actions. He understands what it
means to perform a human act.

2. Freedom - means that the act is carried out in accordance with and not in
opposition to the will. It is under the command of the will, which determines
the action. In other words, the will to do or not do an act is the source of power.
As a result, it is a free act performed without the use of force or coercion.

3. Voluntariness - that the agent’s action was deliberate. When an agent

voluntarily performs an act, he intends it to be a result of his decision, which is
within his power of will. In other words, a voluntary act is a willed act or an act
that is done willingly.
While Acts of Man does not result from a person’s deliberate freewill. In
contrast, it does not necessitate the use of the rational faculties of intellect
and free will. The three components of a human act are missing.

Can you give me an activity showing an Act of Man? Human Act?

Man is a being for others

One of man’s fundamental needs is to love and be loved. However, the

current common orientation is to be for oneself rather than for others. So,
how does a man become a man for others? And not just a man after his own
heart? Man is considered a being with other beings, and he enjoys equality
with others. As a result, every human being is equally “love-able.” They are
both an end, not a means. LOVE is the first and ultimate expression of
man’s being for others.
Man is a being in the World

Man’s existence in the world is not passive. He is a being in the world. He

does not merely exist in the world. He is an actor who contributes his talents
to the world. There is a vital dialogue between him and the rest of the world.
He leaves his accomplishments (footprints) on the world. He has the ability
to (a) appreciate; (b) work over the world; (c) transcend it; and (d) break
through it. Man exists in the world as a being at work. And the world bears
the fruits of his toil. Man’s most basic tool as a being-in-the-world is his
inner self, which includes his conscious mind, subconscious mind, inner
thoughts, and inner feelings. His consciousness allows him to rise above and
transcend the world. His consciousness consists of his awareness of the
outside world as well as his awareness of his inner self. The workings of
man’s brain are revealed by his inner self.
Object, Intention, and Circumstance

The determinants of morality are Object, Intention, and Circumstance.

1. Object - The act refers to the act done or accomplished. It is the fundamental determinant of ethics. You
can simply tell whether it’s good or bad by looking at the deed. However, the fact that the motivation or
conditions may decrease or aggravate the moral imputability of an act exists as such, apart from other
determinants. If the act is indifferent, of course, its moral character shall be defined by the agent’s motive
and the conditions in which it is carried out.

2. Intention - The agent’s motive refers to the objective, purpose, or goal to be reached through the act. It is
the goal for which the act is performed. In a nutshell, it is the agent’s intention in carrying out the act. In
determining the morality of an act, the agent’s motive, like the circumstances, plays a qualifying role. Even
if intrinsic morality exists independently of the other deciding components of morality in the object of an
act, an act that is good in itself may turn out to be bad due to the evil motive of the one executing it.

3. Circumstance - The circumstances relate to the situations in which the act is performed, which affect its
morality in some way. They exist outside of the nature of the act and are not essential to the deed. However,
if they occur during the execution of an act, then circumstances can actually & qualify it in its concrete
performance; They can raise or decrease the goodness of an act, as well as amplify or reduce its evil.
Human Person as a Situated Moral Being

Perhaps hearing this Filipino adage “Madaling maging tao, mahirap

magpakatao”; has become a cliché. The first line tells us how easy it is to be
born human, but how difficult it is to be humane in the second. Being
humane is a process known as “personhood”; It is our ongoing and continual
fight to become who we are and what we are, as well as to grasp our
“personality”; (EsP, 2015). This can only be achieved through an ethical
action and a life which is morally upright. In relation to this, allow me to
share a phrase from the superhero film Batman Begins: “It is not who I am
underneath but what I do that defines me,” says the caped crusader in his
thick and raspy voice. (Batman Begins, 2005) Similarly, we may say that
our human capacities are “underneath” us, but it is what we do with them in
our ethical activities that “defines” who we are as persons.
“Why do we need to be ethical?” you may inquire. One appropriate solution
for the time being is that the human being is always in relationship with
himself, others, the environment, and the Absolute. As a result, we might
argue that human beings are always in context. We are always relating to
and harmonizing with ourselves, others, our environment, and the absolute.
In a world that encourages too much selfish individualism, the study of
ethics reminds us of the reality of these ties and reminds us to direct our
reason and will toward ethical and moral deeds so that we can fully belong
to the moral community of humans.

Is it worth to be an ethical/moral person? I have high hopes that after all of

our discussions, your answer will be a resounding yes.
References

https://youtu.be/YaDvRdLMkHs
Crash Course Philosophy: Personhood - https://youtu.be/GxM9BZeRrUI
https://www.docsity.com/en/the-morality-of-human-acts/4559906/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2383653
https://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~korsgaar/CMK.Rationality.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK210003/

The Essential Dignity of Man as a Man

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/680390

Tetsurō, W., & Dilworth, D. (1971). The Significance of Ethics. As the Study of Man.
Monumenta Nipponica, 26(3/4), 395-413. doi:10.2307/2383653
https://doi.org/10.2307/2383653

Tillich, P. (1939). The Conception of Man in Existential Philosophy. The Journal of

Religion, 19(3), 201-215. Retrieved July 18, 2021, from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1198504

“Mga Katangian ng Pagpapakatao” Excerpted from Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao

Grade 10 Module, Deped First Edition, 2015, pp.9-15 Retrieved from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B41NpxO8pu79cjNNMWp5dWJYRUU/view .

“The Three Integral Parts of Moral Act [And a Bit of Fun]” by Bro. Andre Marie
Catholicism.Org, 30 August 2007. Retrieved from: https://catholicism.org/fun-with-
moral-theology-the-three-integral-parts-of-a-moral-act.html last August 20, 2020