Ethics 2

Culture is a way of viewing reality that is unique to a particular group of people, a

specific location, and a specific period in history. It refers to how humans interact with
the world through basic assumptions and pictures that provide them with a cohesive
perspective of reality (Claver, 1978). It includes the following: a) material living (clothing,
housing, and architecture); b) customary manners and conduct; c) language use; d)
thought processes; e) shared psychology; f) meaning (arts and symbols); and g) beliefs,
values, and meaning (life views and attitudes).

Matsumoto (2007) defines human culture as a unique meaning and information system
shared by a group and passed down through generations that enables the group to
meet basic survival needs, coordinate socially to achieve a viable existence, transmit
social behavior, pursue happiness and well-being, and find meaning in life. Every
culture carries a community's social customs and ideas, thus moral behavior and values
are passed down from generation to generation.

Culture’s Role in Moral Behavior

So how can culture influence moral behavior? Moral norms exist within cultures and are
applied through social behavior. Moral codes are a collection of rules or principles that a
person or community must follow in order to live a just and fulfilling life. Moral codes are
significantly influenced by culture. This is because each culture has its own notions
about what is right or wrong, good or evil. Moral standards influence many parts of our
lives, including how we interact with different age groups, how we dress, and how we
treat others.

Cultural Relativism
Culture can differ from one area to another, from one culture to another, and even from
one country to the next. And this becomes difficult when one ethnic group's views and
practices of right and wrong, good and bad, clash or overlap with those of another, even
in the broader context of cultures, nations, and religion. This introduces us to the
concepts of cultural variety and relativism. Cultural relativism asserts that ethical facts
are relative, that the rightness of an action and the goodness of an item are determined
by or consist in the attitude held toward it by some individual or group, and hence may
differ from individual to individual or group to group. Individual or cultural standards
serve as the basis for ethical judgments. It is the notion of viewing a culture's beliefs,
values, and activities from its own perspective. Others should understand an individual's
ideas and activities via the lens of that person's culture (Runes, 1983; Baldwin, 1986;
Martin, 2007; De Guzman, 2018).

The premise behind cultural relativism is that the terms right and wrong are entirely
determined by the context in which they are used. A person's conduct should be
considered in light of all factors, particularly their religion and culture of upbringing.
Supporters feel that one's moral norms and attitudes about good and evil are heavily
influenced by the culture in which one is raised. A better way to think about this is that
what is morally good in one culture may be regarded bad in another. It questions
whether there is a universal concept of right and wrong. In other words, the cultural
lenses bring their own biases toward ethical action.

Universal Values
Universal human values are concepts that we feel should be prioritized and encouraged
in the lives of all people, regardless of their cultural or societal background. A value is
one of our most fundamental and enduring ideas, whether about a product or a
behavior. Some values may be universal, but they frequently emerge from specific
religious, socio-cultural, and political settings (UNODC, 2018: 21).

According to Rachels (2018: 23), there are some moral principles that all societies must
follow because they are vital for society's survival. The prohibitions on lying and murder
are two instances. Telling the truth and respecting life are reinforced across cultures,
even if they are presented differently, and exceptions to the rule cannot be ignored.
Human rights have universal character. The rights enshrined in the United Nations'
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) arose from disputes among a diverse
group of individual thinkers, diplomats and politicians. Universal values emerge from
lived experiences, and their justifications by others must be part of the debate if humans
are to live in global harmony. They can be discovered through several methods,
including scientific investigation, historical research, public debate, and deliberation
(UNODC, 2018: 22).

(Short Activity: Form Groups of 5 and discuss how do you think your community affects
your behavior. Discuss why can‘t all cultural practices be always right? Give three
examples to prove your point. One representative will report the group findings)
The Filipino Way
The Filipino culture is so rich and diverse that it has evolved significantly throughout
time. Although it is made up of various ethnolinguistic groups spread across the islands,
these cultural communities have managed to retain their indigenous moral values and
belief systems while consciously or unconsciously adopting Western lifestyles brought
about by five centuries of colonial subjugation and the negative effects of globalization
that followed. Our culture and past shaped us into who we are today.

Unfortunately, Filipinos are experiencing a serious cultural identity crisis. Many of us

have little regard for our culture. Our colonizers have played an important role in
convincing us that our culture is inferior to theirs, to the point where the more people
use chemicals and treatments to look more like foreign or Caucasian features, the more
they believe their status has been elevated, causing them to look down on their fellow
Filipinos. Our ethical standards continue to deteriorate as a result of the colonial
mentality that we inherited, as well as the spread of various lifestyles caused by rapid
worldwide change. This circumstance may appear to be terrible, yet there is always
hope in the face of adversity. As a general rule, Filipinos are tough; they rise to
adversity like bamboos that bend but do not break from the ravages of storms all year.
We can be proud of our identity if we can convince ourselves that our culture's values
are the source of our strength and willpower as a nation deserving of respect and
appreciation alongside those of other civilizations (Wostyn et al., 2004: 110).

Strengths and Weaknesses of Filipinos

Strengths

1. Pakikipagkapwa-tao: Opening yourself to others; feel one with others with dignity and
respect; deal with them as fellow human beings.
- sense of fairness and justice
- concern for others
- ability to empathize with others
- helpfulness and generosity
- practice of hospitality
- sensitive to other feelings and trust

2. Family Orientation: a Genuine and deep love for family.

- commitment and responsibility
- honor and respect
- generosity and sacrifice
- sense of trust and security

3. Joy and Humor: Cheerful and fun loving approach to life and its up and down,
pleasant disposition, a sense of humor and propensity for happiness that contribute not
only to the Filipino charm but also to the Filipino Spirit. We laugh at those we love and
hate. We tend to make joke about our good and even bad fortune, to smile even in the
most trying of times.
- emotional balance and optimism
- healthy disrespect for power and office.

4. Hard Work and Industry: capacity for hard work given to raise one's standard living of
a decent life for one's family.

5. Faith and Religiosity: Faith in God

- accepting reality to comprehend as a human created by God. "Pampalakasloob"

6. Flexibility, Adaptability and Creativity

7. Ability to Survive

Weaknesses

1. Kanya-kanya Syndrome: Self-serving attitude that generates feeling of envy and

competitiveness towards others (status vs prestige).
- personal ambition but insensitive to common good
- crab mentality
- lack of appreciation resulting unhealthy competition

2. Extreme Personalism
- Personal contacts or “kapit” is observed through all transactions causing corruption
-Preference is given to friends or families
- thank you with "but" (compliment-criticism-compliment)

3. Passivity and Lack of Initiative: strong reliance to other‘s fate –

“yeah proud Pinoy”. It's all because of the race (nationality/blood) not by persons
attitude, hard-work, dream and perseverance etc.
- very complacent (relax) but there rarely is a sense of urgency (It's OK we have 1 day
left to finished, just relax)
- too patient without any plan or action (matiisin) "Bahala na System"
- No matter what, At least we tried.
-Masyadong matiisin
-Very reliant on others (politicians)
4. Lack of Discipline: relaxed attitude but poor time management
- impatient and unable to delay gratification or reward
- love to take short-cuts or 'palusot' system
- carelessness
-procrastination

5. Colonial Mentality: Patriotism vs Active awareness

- lack of love and appreciation on what they have
- Very proud because of their nationality but still prefers things that are foreign
-Filipinos are very susceptible to acceptance to modern culture, mostly western,
resulting to the cultural weakness of the Filipinos

6. Lack of Self-Analysis and Self-Reflection

- Filipinos tend to be very superficial and never dig deep into the root of the problem
-Filipinos always joke about serious matters making it hard for them to become serious
and really reflect or look deeply into matters.
-We are easily satisfied with superficial explanations or solutions to a problem
-As long as the right things are said, as long as the reports and documents are
presented, Filipinos are easily deluded to think that something should exist