lOMoARcPSD|21197807

GNED 02 - Ethics - Lessons

Histologia (University of San Carlos)

Scan to open on Studocu

Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university

Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)
 lOMoARcPSD|21197807

GNED 02 – ETHICS
LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION OTHER ESSENTIAL DEFINITIONS OF
PHILOSOPHY
PHILOSOPHY
 Search for meaning
 Coined by Pythagoras, a Greek
 Science of all sciences
Philosopher.
 Mother of all sciences (it is used by
pre-Socratic philosophers to study
 Came from Greek words:
the nature of the world, and it gave
philos – love
birth to new disciplines)
sophia – wisdom
 Search for the ultimate meaning of
Meaning, lover of wisdom
reality
THREE CLASSIFICATIONS OF LOVE
1. Eros (erasthai) PHILOSOPHY AND OTHER SCIENCES
 Passionate/intense love for
1. Philosophy and Science
something, sexual desire – erotic
 Both discusses truths about the
(erotikos).
universe
 Romantic love: personal infatuation
and physical pleasure.
2. Philosophy and History
 Love Catalyst: Body
 The latter serves as the breeding
 Ways to show this love:
ground of philosophy while the
a. Engage in physical touch such
former defines history and
as hugging or kissing.
interprets it.
2. Agape
3. Philosophy and Mathematics
 Love of God for men
 Both are logical bodies of
 Selfless love: an empathetic
knowledge (works of or according
attitude of love for everyone and
to rules, has clear, and sound
anyone. (Empathy; ability to
reasoning, rational)
understand and share feelings of
other people)
4. Philosophy and Religion
 Love Catalyst: Spirit
 One justifies the other
 Ways to show this love:
a. Express unconditional love in
any situation. WHY IS PHILOSOPHY IMPORTANT?
1. It provides students with fundamental
3. Philia
views in coping the changing demands
 Love that seeks truth/appreciation
and ethical problems
of the other, of person or of reality.
 Affectionate love: a love that runs
2. It develops students ability to
deep in true friendships
comprehend systematic learning and
 Love Catalyst: Mind
enhance critical thinking skills
 Ways to show this love:
a. Exchange your beliefs and
imperfections with close friends. MAJOR DISCIPLINES IN PHILOSOPHY
a. Logic – the study of right and sound
reasoning
b. Epistemology – the study of the
validity of knowledge

Pia Novelo | BSMT 1-3, 2nd Semester Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)
 lOMoARcPSD|21197807

c. Metaphysics – seeks to explain the

fundamental concepts of being
MORAL
d. Aesthetics – the philosophical study of
beauty  From the Latin word: mos, which
e. Cosmology – the study of real things in means custom
the universe  It refers to social, cultural, and
f. Theodicy – the study of God and his religious beliefs/values practiced
nature over time by individuals/groups.
g. Social Philosophy – the study of  Do what is right and refrain from
human and their relation to society doing what is wrong
h. Ethics – the science of the morality of
human acts Some examples of moral principles:
1. Do not cheat
2. Be loyal
ETHICS 3. Be patient
4. Always tell the truth
 From the Greek word: ethos or
5. Be generous
ethikos, meaning character.

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
IMPERATIVES OF ETHICS (IMPORTANCE)
1. Truthfulness/Honesty
1. Human Freedom
 Among the basic principle of
 Be responsible for one’s action
natural moral law
2. Existence of God
2. Loyalty
 God’s presence is the salient factor
 The willing, practical, and
that makes sense in the study of
thoroughgoing devotion of a person
ethics. God alone can give the final
to a cause
judgement
3. Respect
3. Immortality of the Souls
 Respect for a person
 A cornerstone in ethics
4. Fairness
RULE/S  Equity, respect, justice, and
stewardship of the shared world
 It is an instruction that tells us
what we are allowed to do and not
5. Integrity
to do
 Imposes an obligation on all
individuals to be straightforward
WHY ARE RULES IMPORTANT? and honest in all professional and
business relationships.
1. It organizes relationships between
individuals (e.g., boundaries)
2. Rules make it clear on what is right to DIFFERENCES
do/follow in a society and what is MORALS ETHICS
wrong to refrain from Right and wrong Good or evil
3. It provides opportunity to achieve General guidelines Response to a
personal and societal goals (provides framed by society particular situation
framework) Dictated by society, Chosen by a person
culture, or religion under the dictate of
4. It regulates various social institutions
right reason
to fulfill their integral roles for the
Vary from society- Remains the same
common welfare

Pia Novelo | BSMT 1-3, 2nd Semester Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)
 lOMoARcPSD|21197807

to-society and regardless of any LESSON 2: DILEMMA AND FOUNDATION OF

culture-to-culture culture, MORALITY
religion/society
Expressed in a form Translated into an DILEMMA
of a statement explicit action  It is a difficult situation in which an
individual is confronted to choose
MORAL STANDARD NON-MORAL between two or more alternative
STANDARD actions to resolve the problem.
Concerned Rules that are  Dealing with tough and significant
with/relating to unrelated to choices.
human behavior moral/ethical
especially the consideration TYPES OF DILLEMAS
distinction of good 1. Classic Dilemmas
and bad or right and
 Different criteria, same behavior.
wrong
Associated with e.g., etiquette, Examples:
special emotions fashion standard,
and vocabulary rules in games, a. Order vs Freedom
house rules, legal b. Empowerment vs Alignment
statutes (laws,
ordinances) 2. Temporal Dilemmas
 Same process, different criteria
applied at a different time
ETHICAL STANDARD
Examples:
 Principles that when followed,
promote values such as honesty, a. Innovation vs Manufacturability
patience, respect, and kindness b. Speed (customer satisfaction) vs
Accuracy (process integrity)
CHARACTERISTICS OF MORAL STANDARD
3. Orthogonal Dilemmas
1. It involves serious wrong or significant  Different behaviors, different
benefits (e.g., following or violating criteria
rules in a game).
Examples:
2. It ought to be preferred to other
values (e.g., white lies, following one’s a. Centralization vs Decentralization
dream but leaving one’s family, b. Service orientation vs Product
unbearable laws) Orientation
3. It is not established by authority figure
4. It has a trait of universality (Golden 4. Sequential Dilemmas
rule)  Different behaviors, different times
5. It is based on impartial consideration
6. It is associated with special emotions Examples:
and vocabulary a. Performance vs Development
b. Work vs Home

5. Unequal Dilemma
 The dilemma is split across unequal
status
Examples:
a. High growth vs Organization
integrity

Pia Novelo | BSMT 1-3, 2nd Semester Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)
 lOMoARcPSD|21197807

without hindrance or restraint; “we

do have some freedom of choice.”
b. Fiscal stability through cost cutting
vs Preserving capability
 Freedom, in politics, consists of the
c. Product innovation vs. Support for
social, political, and economic
existing product lines
freedoms to which all community
MORAL DILLEMA members are entitled. In
philosophy, freedom involves free
 Defined as any situation in which will as contrasted with
the person making the decision determinism.
experiences a conflict between the
moral rightness of a decision and  Immanuel Kant claims that
the quality of the results it freedom is the source of all value
produces. (because it is what makes human
 Many times, it involves a morally moral choice and responsibility
wrong decision that produces a possible, without our freedom to
desirable result, or vice versa. create boundaries and structure,
 Other times it involves a decision in there is no rules and responsibility)
which the person is forced to
choose only one of two good  Saint Augustine showed that
things. human is free physically yet bound
TYPES OF MORAL DILEMMAS to obey the law.

1. Personal Dilemma  For Gorbachev (1988), the principle

 These are situations in which an of freedom is a must – refusal to
individual has a choice to be made recognize this principle will have
between two options, neither of serious consequences to the issue
which resolves the situation in an of world peace.
ethically acceptable fashion.
 Moral freedom involves freedom
2. Organizational Dilemma over the things that matter most
 Organizational ethics are the
principals and standards by which  Quito (2008) explains that no
businesses operate, according to ethics is likewise possible without
Reference for Business. They are human freedom (human beings are
best demonstrated through acts of accountable for their actions).
fairness, compassion, integrity,
honor, and responsibility.
REASON AND IMPARTIALITY
3. Systematic Dilemma  Immanuel Kant argued that:
 The process of systematic moral “Morality was based on reason alone,
analysis is predicated on moral rule and once we understood it, we would
violations, which result in harm to see that acting morally is the same as
another person or persons. acting rationally.

FOUNDATION OF MORALITY 1. Reason

 enables us to think and reflect over
FREEDOM AS REQUISITE ON MORAL actions that we intend to do and
RESPONSIBILITY: decide which of them to take
 Freedom as the power or right to
act, speak, or think as one wants

Pia Novelo | BSMT 1-3, 2nd Semester Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)
 lOMoARcPSD|21197807

 A mere knowledge of morality will TYPES OF CULTURE

not make human moral (there has
1. High Culture
to be an application of it, by
 Is linked with the elite, upper
obeying the rules)
class society, those families,
and individuals with an ascribed
2. Impartiality
status position. It is often
- A principle of justice holding that
associated with the arts such as
decisions or judgement on
opera, ballet, classical music,
something, or someone should be
and sports such as polo.
objective not on the basis of bias or
prejudice to favor someone
2. Cultural Diversity
irrationally.
 Is a concept relating to
“The absence of a choice is always a culturally embedded differences
dilemma.” Dilemma does not simply mean a within society, it’s the fact that
problem; it means a choice between different cultures exist
disagreeable alternatives. alongside each other.
LESSON 3: MORAL AGENT AND CULTURE
3. Subculture
MORAL AGENT  Culture enjoyed by a small
group within society. In this
 A being who is capable of acting with sense it is a minority part of
reference to right and wrong. majority culture. They have
 Expected to meet the demands of distinct norms and values which
morality (choosing between good and make them sub-section of
evil). society.
 Must also be capable of conforming to  E.g., LGBT community,
at least some of the demands of bodybuilders, goth, bikers,
morality. geeks.
 Should have the capacity to rise above
their feelings and passions and act for 4. Popular Culture
the sake of moral law.  It borrows the idea from high
 Someone who is capable of doing culture and popularizes it,
things rightly or wrongly. making it available for the
 A person who has the ability to discern masses; a product of the media
right from wrong and to be held dominated world; it is a positive
accountable for his or her own actions. force for it brings people of
 Have a moral responsibility not to different backgrounds together
cause unjustified harm. in a common culture.
 Those who can be held responsible for  E.g., tv shows and movies, arts,
their actions. music, and literature, public
CULTURE figures, politicians, celebrities.

 It is an aggregate of beliefs, attitudes, 5. Multiculturalism

etc. which can be viewed as a  It is depicted to be very similar
“blessing” and a preserver of values, to cultural diversity, other
heritage, arts, and good behavior. definitions align
 It can also be a “baggage” when we multiculturalism with different
consider that it transmits some ethnic groups living alongside
irrational and out-of-date attitudes each other.
included in it as custom.
 It changes with time. 6. Global Culture

Pia Novelo | BSMT 1-3, 2nd Semester Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)
 lOMoARcPSD|21197807

 A global culture is a key feature the viewpoint of that culture itself.

of globalization, they emerged Factor as diverse geography is the
due to patterns of migration, primary shaper of one’s culture.
trends in international travel  It is an affirmation that holds that
and the spread of the media, societies are dissimilar in their moral
exposing people to the same standards, their laws, and culture
images of the same dominant protocols.
world companies.
ETHICAL RELATIVISM
IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE
 The theory that holds that morality is
1. Culture affects perceptions. relative to the norms of one’s culture.
2. Culture influences behavior. That is, whether an action is right or
3. Culture shapes personalities. wrong depends on the moral norms of
4. Our culture shapes our value and the society in which it is practiced.
belief systems.  It denies the existence of one
universal moral law.
MORAL BEHAVIOR
MORAL RELATIVISM
 Moral behaviors are what one believes
to be the right things to do.  The view that moral judgements are
e.g., following your society’s (or other true or false only relative to some
social group’s) rules of good behavior particular standpoint (for instance,
where honesty is highly valued, telling that of a culture or a historical period)
the truth is important. and that no standpoint is uniquely
privileged over all others.
ROLE OF CULTURE IN MORAL BEHAVIOR
 There is no universal or absolute set of
 Play a significant pseudo (not genuine) moral principles.
role within shaping moral behavior and  There is always one right answer to
extends even further to social norms. any ethical question.
 Influences human behavior at any  It is an ethical judgement which claims
given society’s belief system, laws, that no ethical system is better than
mores, practices, language, and another (Jeff Landauer and Joseph
attitudinal variables which make Rowlands, 2001).
people unique from others (Victor,  That values are subjective
2017)  There is no objective morality; that
 Has a great impact in the there is no such thing as right or
development of the human person in wrong, good, or evil.
varied ways; may it be in physical,  The denial of truth in ethical
knowledge, thought, relationship, questions.
religious or moral development.  Holds that ethical systems are
 To mold and establish a social identity subjective, it claims that none is better
that brings people as well to provide or worse than another, that any
the knowledge of common objectives system that claims to be true or
which members would try to achieve. absolute is evil, it falls ironic for it still
 The principle that surrounds the moral maintains a distinct moral principle
development of the people that may leading to the possibility of truth in
not always promote what is good and ethics.
just for all.
MORAL RELATIVISM CAN BE
CULTURAL RELATIVISM UNDERSTOOD IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS:

 The principle of regarding the beliefs, a. Descriptive moral relativism/cultural

values, and practices of a culture from relativism

Pia Novelo | BSMT 1-3, 2nd Semester Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)
 lOMoARcPSD|21197807

Says that moral standards are FILIPINO MORAL CHARACTER

culturally defined, which is
 Friendly, outgoing, sensitive, easily
generally true.
offended, nosy, garrulous, direct,
b. Meta-ethical moral relativism
hospitable, feisty, irreverent, good
 There are no objective grounds
natured, clever, witty, gregarious,
for preferring the moral values
happy, generous, easy to laugh,
of one culture over another.
gracious, easy to befriend, casual, fun
loving, sensitive, and hospitable.
c. Normative moral relativism
 Value education, has shame
 Idea that all societies should
 Filipinos as the “easiest people in Asia
accept each other’s differing
to get along with.”
moral values, given that there
are no universal moral STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF FILIPINO
principles. CHARACTER
LESSON 4: ASIAN MORAL CHARACTER STRENGTHS
BUDDHISM CHARACTER 1. Pakikipagkapwa-tao
 Basic sense of justice and
 Buddhism shapes character in
fairness, concern for others and
Southeast Asia as Christianity does in
the ability to empathize with
Europe.
others.
 Theravada Buddhism encourages its
practitioners to keep their emotions
2. Strong Family Ties
and passions in check and stresses
 Possess a genuine and deep
karma over determination, which often
love for family.
means people are more willing to
 Source of personal identity,
accept their lot in life and is
emotional, and material
sometimes viewed by Westerners as a
support.
lack of ambition or unwillingness to
 Has honor to elders and care to
work hard to improve their positions in
children.
life.
BUDDHISM FIVE BASIC MORAL PROHIBITIONS 3. Joy and Humor
 Being cheerful and fun loving.
1. Refrain from taking life
2. Don’t steal;
4. Flexibility, Adaptability, and Creativity
3. Avoid illicit sexual activity;
 We can adjust and adapt to
4. Don’t speak falsely; and
circumstances and the
5. Refrain from consuming inebriating
surrounding environment, both
substances
physical and social.
CONFUCIAN CHARACTER: FIVE CARDINAL
VIRTUES 5. Hard Work and Industry
 We have the capacity for hard
1. Benevolence in terms of sympathy for work given proper conditions; to
others (jen); raise one’s standard of living
2. Duty reflected in the shame felt after and to possess the essentials of
doing something wrong (yi); a decent life for one’s family.
3. Manners, propriety, and feelings of
deference – respect (li); 6. Faith and Religiosity
4. Wisdom, in terms of discerning right
and wrong (chih); and WEAKNESSES
5. Loyalty and good faith (hsin).
1. Extreme Personalism

Pia Novelo | BSMT 1-3, 2nd Semester Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)
 lOMoARcPSD|21197807

 We tend to give personal  Leaving work either half-baked

interpretations to actions, i.e., or unfinished.
“take things personally”.
4. Filipino Time
2. Extreme Family Centeredness  Known to be minutes or hours
 Results to a lack of concern for behind the standard time. Thus,
the common good and acts as a we tend to not observe
block to national consciousness. punctuality at all.

3. Lack of Discipline 5. Colonial Mentality

 Being impatient and unable to  Preference for all things foreign
delay gratification or reward. over our own.

4. Passivity and Lack of Initiative 6. General Disregard for Rules

5. Colonial Mentality  Filipinos are known law abiding
6. Kanya-kanya Syndrome individuals but with stronger
7. Lack of Self-Analysis and Self- inclination to disregard these
Reflection laws.
 There is a tendency in Filipinos
to be superficial and even 7. Procrastination or Mañana Habit
somewhat flighty. 8. Corruption
9. Gossiping
FILIPINO POSITIVE VALUES
 Talking about others’ business.
 Hospitability
 Helpfulness to others/Bayanihan 10.Passivity (lack of leadership)
 Respectful (mano, po and opo, halik sa  Lack of initiative for change.
kamay)
LESSON 5: MORAL AGENT: DEVELOPING
 Bravery
VIRTUE AS A HABIT
 Jolliness and sense of humor
 Discretion and dignity VALUE
 Gratefulness
 From the Latin word “Valere” which
 Honesty and Commitment (palabra de
means “to be of worth”
honor)
 Means to price, to esteem, to
 Helpfulness
appraise, to estimate (John Dewey)
 Family-oriented
 Adaptability and resilience HUMAN VALUES
 Resourcefulness and creativity
 Faithfulness  Are the virtues that guide us to take
 Thriftiness into account human element when
one interacts with another human
FILIPINO NEGATIVE VALUES being.
 Our feelings for the human essence of
1. Fatalism
others
 An attitude of “what goes
around” or “come what may”. MORAL VALUES

2. Crab Mentality  Help us distinguish between what’s

 People tend to push each other right and wrong, good, or bad for you
down to clear the way for their as well as society
own gain.  Principles that govern our lives and
beliefs that make us realize the
3. Ningas-Kugon importance of life, the goals that we
want to attain or accomplish in life

Pia Novelo | BSMT 1-3, 2nd Semester Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)
 lOMoARcPSD|21197807

- Showing consideration for the

worth of someone or something
TYPES OF MORAL VALUES (Kathy Slattengren,
2018)
m. Responsibility
a. Acceptance - Being reliable in your obligations
- Having an objective attitude
toward others’ ideas and practices n. Self-control
that differ from your own - Staying in control of your words
and behavior
b. Compassion
SOURCES OF OUR MORAL VALUES
- Understanding the suffering of
others or self and wanting to do  Religion
something about it (ex. Giving up  Education
your seat for an old woman)  Family
 Personality
c. Courage  Leadership/Mentors
- Willingness to do difficult things  Culture
 Experience
d. Equality
THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES
- Believing that everyone deserves
equal rights and to be treated with 1. Faith
respect - The virtue of believing in God’s
word without seeing
e. Fairness
- Acting in a just way, sharing 2. Hope
appropriately - The virtue of keeping trust in
Divine Providence (God’s
f. Generosity intervention in the universe)
- Willingness to give resources, help,
or time to others 3. Charity
- The virtue of loving God and His
g. Honesty creatures
- Being truthful and sincere
CARDINAL VIRTUES
h. Integrity 1. Prudence
- Sticking to your moral and ethical - The virtue of knowing what to do
principles and values under peculiar circumstances
which enables one to see the best
i. Kindness means to approach a given
- Being considerate and treating situation.
others well
2. Justice
j. Perseverance - A virtue of giving anyone his/her
- Persisting in a course of action, due under no condition
belief, or purpose
3. Fortitude
k. Politeness - A virtue of keeping resolute in the
- Using good manners, acting in face of overwhelming odds.
socially acceptable ways

l. Respect 4. Temperance

Pia Novelo | BSMT 1-3, 2nd Semester Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)
 lOMoARcPSD|21197807

- The virtue of curbing or managing  Conscience from its Latin origin

the sensitive appetites known as cum alia Scientia; it
means the application of
MORAL CHARACTER
knowledge
 A function of whether he/she has or  An act of reason
lacks various moral virtues and vices  An act of the practical moral
 Formed by one’s actions – habits, judgement
actions, and emotional responses of  An act guided by reason
the person of good character
 The best way to educate our
conscience is to always obey laws
ACTS AND CHARACTER
ACTS THAT BUILD CHARACTER
 Character is developed through time
and experiences
 It will determine our success
ACTS THAT EMANATE FROM CHARACTER
 Character is what we are, it is inside
us, hidden, and shaped through times,
while acts are outward manifestation
of who we are.
KOHLBERG’S THEORY ON MORAL LESSON 6: THE ACT
DEVELOPMENT
THE ACT
 The theory of Lawrence Kohlberg
states that the moral development of  An activity that is attributed to human
most people begins with a desire to being
avoid personal punishment and may
HUMAN ACT
evolve over time to a desire to make
the world a better and more just place  Refers to any activity, either external
for all people. or mental that is performed by a
 Kohlberg used Piaget’s storytelling person
technique to tell people stories
involving moral dilemmas. CONSTITUENTS OF HUMAN ACT
1. Knowledge
- The agent is aware upon
performing the act as well its
consequences

2. Freedom
- The agent/doer is not constrained
in doing the act

3. Voluntariness
- An agent must know and free to
choose which act to perform or not
to perform
CONSCIENCE-BASED MORAL DECISION

Pia Novelo | BSMT 1-3, 2nd Semester Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)
 lOMoARcPSD|21197807

- Is associated with thinking,

cognition, and intellect.
FEELINGS AND MORAL DECISION MAKING
 Emotions affect moral decision making  Practical Reason
by assigning affective value to the - Is reasoning, which is used to guide
moral decision-making scenarios, thus action, and is contrasted with
guiding the distinction between theoretical reason, which is used to
acceptable and inacceptable guide thinking.
behaviors
 Impartiality (also called
APPROACHES TO MORAL DECISION evenhandedness or fair mindedness)
1. Utilitarian Approach - Is a principle of justice holding that
- This answers the dilemma of which decisions should be based on
option will produce the greatest objective criteria, rather than on
benefits and least harm the basis of bias, prejudice, or
preferring the benefit to one
2. Rights Approach person over another for improper
- This follows the belief that reasons.
individuals have the ability to make
their decisions freely (if the act  The Principle of Impartiality
does not respect everyone’s moral - All persons are considered equal
rights, it is wrong to act) and should be treated accordingly

3. Fairness/Justice Approach  Kant’s Categorical Imperative

- This gives the individual the - Is universal and impartial –
opportunity to reflect if the action universal because all people, in
is fair to the people (“equals should virtue of being rational, would act
be treated equally and unequal in precisely the same way, and
unequally.” -Aristotle). impartial because they respect the
dignity and autonomy of every
4. Common Good Approach human being and do not put their
- This helps drive our choice to own personal ambitions above the
decide if the action taken will be respect that others deserve.
good for ourselves and the REASON AND WILL
community
 On a Kantian view of the practical, if
5. Virtue Approach reason is practical, the will, guided by
- Reflects what kind of person you reason, can affect, or cause action.
should be and what it will do to  He says that “a good will is not good
your character because of what it affects or
accomplishes, it is good through its
REASON willing alone – that is good in itself.
 The capacity for consciously making  According to Aquinas, will is the
sense of things, establishing, and rational appetite, which basically
verifying facts, applying logic, and means that will as “appetite” is the
changing or justifying practices, form of desire, but, as rational, will is
institutions, and beliefs based on new guided by intellect/reason.
or existing information. MORAL COURAGE

 Reasoning

Pia Novelo | BSMT 1-3, 2nd Semester Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)
 lOMoARcPSD|21197807

 The courage to take action for moral he called that purpose, telos
reasons despite the risk of adverse (pronounced ‘tellos’or ‘tay-los’).
consequences.  The word can mean ‘purpose,’ ‘intent,’
 More so, morally courageous ‘end,’ or ‘goal,’ the inherent purpose
individuals act upon their ethical of each thing, the ultimate reason for
values to help others during difficult each thing being the way it is, whether
ethical dilemmas, despite the created that way by human beings or
adversity they may face in doing so. nature.
 To be morally courageous means  Telos is the ancient Greek term for an
standing up for what you believe even end, fulfilment, completion, goal or
when it means that you do so alone aim; it is the source of the modern
(Murray, 2015). word ‘teleology’.
 Two kinds of ends were distinguished:
LESSON 7: FRAMEWORKS AND PRINCIPLES
- the instrumental ends; these are
OF MORAL DISPOSITION
actions done as means to another
THE THREE ORIENTAL SAGES (BUDDHA, LAO end like schooling and earning a
TZU, AND CONFUCIUS) degree.
- intrinsic end; actions that are
 Believed that human beings are one committed for their own sake like
with the universal reality – the being a student, teacher, or a
Summum Bonum, the Brahma (the doctor.
creator) until the birth of human to the
Atman self. Thus, human is always 1. Virtue as Habit
miserable due to selfish ordinate - Aristotle made it clear life of virtue
desires leading to frustration and can be achieved through constant
restlessness. contemplation of the “good” or
GREEK TRIUMVIRATE (SOCRATES, PLATO, happiness – doing good constantly
AND ARISTOTLE) and habitually.

 To Socrates, happiness is acquired 2. Happiness as Virtue

upon the good life, a much - Happiness is the manifestation of a
contemplated and discerned to have good life, a well-ordered one,
its real worth. guided by and lived in accordance
 Plato believed that human is exiled with reason; it is the fruit of
and imprisoned in the body as virtuous living, the constant and
punishment for sin. proper exercise of reason in all
 Aristotle added that to attain true human’s actions and endeavors.
happiness, man has to live a virtuous
life by practicing and living a life of 3. Principle of Moderation
virtue. - That a good and happy life follows
when lived in consonance with
VIRTUE ETHICS
reason; meaning within the rational
 Aristotle bounds which lie between two
- He presented that human being’s vicious extremes. Anything done
present earthly existence is a extremely or insufficiently becomes
composite nature of body and soul, unreasonable, improper, and
mind and matter, sense and the irrational. E.g., eating
intellect, and passion and reason.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
ARISTOTLE’S CONCEPT OF TELOS
 He was born sometime between 1224
 Aristotle, the ancient Greek father of and 1226 in Roccasecca, Italy, near
western philosophy, thought so, and Naples. Thomas’ family was fairly well-

Pia Novelo | BSMT 1-3, 2nd Semester Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)
 lOMoARcPSD|21197807

to-do, owning a castle. One of nine

children, Thomas was the youngest of
four boys.
 Aquinas follows Aristotle in thinking
that an act is good or bad depending
on whether it contributes to or deters
us from our proper human end—the
telos or final goal at which all human
actions aim. That telos is eudaimonia,
or happiness, where “happiness” is
understood in terms of completion,
perfection, or well-being.
 Achieving happiness, however,
requires a range of intellectual and
moral virtues that enable us to
understand the nature of happiness
and motivate us to seek it in a reliable
and consistent way.
- That the final happiness consists in
beatitude or supernatural union
with God.
- He also believes that we inherited
a propensity to sin from our first
parent, Adam.
TRANSCRIPT OF ST. THOMAS AQUINAS’
DEFINITION OF LAW
1. A just law is an ordinance of reason
- Reasonable. it must be a product of
careful and serious deliberation
- Permanent. binding and relevant
for a long period of time.
- Flexible. means it is considerate to
some exemptions.

2. A just law is properly promulgated. It

must be clearly communicated to all
people concerned.

3. A just law must be decreed by

competent authority. Only persons
with legitimate authority have the
power to create and implement laws.

4. A just law ought to be for the sake of

common good.
-

Pia Novelo | BSMT 1-3, 2nd Semester Downloaded by Aira Buemia (airabuemia88@gmail.com)