CHAPTER 2: THE MORAL EXPERIENCE

In the first lesson, we have discussed how ethics and morality are defined. We also
drew a line between moral and non-moral standards. These standards provide structure to
moral experience. Have you ever asked yourself: “Am I good?” “If so, why am I doing things
that are morally wrong?” “If man is basically good, why do I have the tendency to do bad
things?” “Why should I consider others even when they are mean and uncomprehending?”
These questions make you reflect critically to find out the goodness of your experience as a
moral being; and that’s what ethics is all about—to have a rational understanding of the
goodness of your experience.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. identify the two elements of moral experience;
2. explain the nature of banned acts; and
3. distinguish the two parts of moral experience.
Activity 1
Below is a poem attributed to St. Teresa of Calcutta. Read and internalize the poem and
answer the given question.

The poem tells us to love others and forgive

them with their wrong doings. In your overall
life experience, is it easy to forgive? What
makes you say it is or it isn’t?

Photo A

Source: en.wikipedia.com

Analysis: Based on your answer in the activity, how can you say that an experience is moral?
The Moral Experience
We can't promote the good without morals. We learnt in Module 1 that becoming morally
upright is in your best interests. Moral experience is made up of you and your deeds. According
to Thomas Hobbes (see Pojman, 2005), each of us has our own personal interests. Hence, in
order to avoid conflicts, the society must formulate contracts or moral codes that must be

MORAL EXPERIENCE
A moral experience has two elements:
the moral agent who is the doer of the
adhered to so that everything will be in order; otherwise, there will be “war against all.” Imagine
if people can just do whatever they want without restrictions. They can fight over a slice of
bread and kill each other. Your neighbor, without permission, can butcher your pig for the fiesta
and you will take his cow as a form of revenge. Without morality, life will be in chaos.
The moral experience has two elements: moral agent and moral act. The moral agent
is the doer of the act—you. Only humans have the concept of morality. Non-human animals
might have morally upright behaviors similar to humans (e.g. caring for the young) but they do
not have the ability to reason out or judge their actions based on moral principles. These
human-like moral behaviors of animals are called protomoral behaviors (see Skutch, 2007). In
this sense, the moral agent—Humans—it is thought that they have this ability. to make sound
moral judgment through his reasoning ability.
Moral acts are the things that moral agents do. These behaviors to be considered as
moral acts should be inside the ethical domain or within moral standards discussed in Module 1.
Each moral act has an object who receives the action, an intention that motivates the action,
and the situation that provides the context of the action. For example, you stole your
classmate’s pen before taking the final exam because you have no money to buy one and you
are in desperate need to take the test or else you will fail the course. The act is stealing. The
object of the act is your classmate; the intention is for you to pass the course; and the situation
is that you don’t have the money to buy for a pen.
The Nature of Prohibited Acts
By their very nature, prohibited acts cannot be habitual and enduring, if they do, they
cease to become prohibited (Skutch, 2007) and thus become a norm.
For example, if stealing becomes habitual and enduring, then no one will produce a
merchandize, save money in the bank, or hold on to earned wealth. People will live a hand to
mouth existence like the primitive times. With that, it would be impossible to steal because
there is nothing more to steal. Another, when lying becomes a norm, then It will be a strange
thing to do if you reveal the truth.. In reality, liars succeed in deceiving us because most people
tell the truth than they lie. Hence, moral codes prohibit acts that in themselves cannot be
sustained and maintained (Skutch, 2007).
The Innate Foundation of Moral Experience
There are two impulses or motives that the moral experience is anchored. First, those
that are directed towards self-preservation and second, those that are directed to others. We
said that a moral act has intentions. These intentions or motives urge us to perform acts that
benefit ourselves and those that promote the welfare of others be it to our own blood or others
who are unrelated to us (Skutch, 2007).
Self-regarding motives or virtues
1. Prudence. The rational self-love; it forbids us to overly indulge with pleasure without
thinking of the future (Skutch, 2007). Prudence is defined as doing the right thing at the right
moment, with the right person, for the right reason, and to the appropriate degree.
2. Temperance. It’s standing firm to have only what is enough despite great enticement or
opposing drive and works together with prudence (Skutch, 2007). In Filipino, we call it
pagtitimpi.
3. Fortitude. Perseverance even in the face of
challenges so to achieve a very important goal. Anybody can
4. Patience. It is not acting on impulse. It is about become angry—
taking time to think through a certain act before doing it.
“Being patient does not imply allowing ourselves to that is easy. But to be
constantly mistreated, enduring hostility, or allowing
others to use us,” Pope Francis wrote in Amoris be angry with the
Laetitia. Patience grows when I acknowledge that
other people have the right to live in this world as
right person and to
well.”Other-regarding motives or virtues the right degree and
Altruism is the act of helping others. Altruism
and all other-regarding virtues can all be called as
at the right time
benevolence. The fact that we become happy when
are able to help others unselfishly may, at the
and for the right we

surface, seem a selfish act. However, if you look purpose, and in the
deeper, you would see that benevolence is not
derived from self-interest because both exists right way—that is
separately on their own and does not require each
other in order to exist. Moreover, it is only when one difficult.
has reached a high self-awareness that he is able to
Google iimage
become mindful about the needs of other and satisfy Source: pintenest.phil
them (Skutch, 2007). Simply put, one must gain himself first before he can deny it.
That is why, even if it is hard for you to forgive someone who has done you wrong, you
take time to reflect on your experience and pattern in out because it is innate for a person to be
benevolent.
Activity 2

Surname: Given Name: M.I.:

Student Number Course/Year/Section

Subject: Chapter: CHAPTER 2: THE MORAL

EXPERIENCE

Assessment Questions:

1. Enumerate and discuss the elements of moral experience.

2. Explain the nature of prohibited acts.
3. Describe innate foundations of moral experience using your personal experience.