GE5: Ethics

Intro to Ethics

Preliminary Concepts

John T. Adams

• There are 2 kinds of educations. One should teach is how to make a living (academic) and
the other how to live (character formation - usually outside the school).

Ethics

• Study of the morality of human act

• Human act is an act done knowingly( you are aware of what you are doing) , freely (no
external forces compelled you to do an act) and voluntarily (kusang-loob)
• Morality is the rightness and wrongness of an act (Human Act)
• Basically - Tama or Maling Human Act
• Why man is a moral being? – man is a rational being, therefore, having a capacity to think
and can be held accountable for his or her actions.
• Came from the greek word “ethos” – characteristic way of life or “ethike” -doctrine of morality
• It is understood as a custom – normative study of human actions
• Also called moral ppphilosophy which evaluates moral concepts, values, principles, and
standards

Morality

• Morality refers human act and its quality or it speaks about the rightness and/or wrongness of a
human act.
• The basis on which human act is evaluated as right or wrong is ethics.
• In other words, morality is the implementation or the application of ethics and its principles. That
is why if one acts accordingly based on ethical standards, he/she is called as a morally
good person.
• Morality is the application of ethics

Why must we be ethical?

1. We must be ethical if:

• We want to win the good opinion of others concerning our self-image
• We want to refrain from making trouble which would result from immorality
• We co-exist with other people
• Our profession, position, or organization (you represent SLC, therefore you take care of your
image)

2. Morality and Human Experience

• Man is corporeal (physical aspect), conscious, and rational being – you know what you are
doing
• Morality exists only in the context of humanity (you can only talk to human about morality) .
There is morality because there is man
• Man is the only moral being because man is a being in action, who has intellect and free
will
 3. In relation to morality, man is classified as:
• A morally good person – has the knowledge of right and wrong and is able to put that
knowledge correctly (doing the right thing)
• Immoral person – knowing what is right and wrong yet do what is wrong
• An amoral person – does not have the capacity to know what is right and wrong,
therefore, they do the bad things and we understand them (people with special needs,
kids below age of reason)

Category of Act Performed by Man

A. Human Act is done Knowingly, freely and voluntarily (stealing, killing)

B. Act of man is done not knowingly, not freely, and not voluntarily - you don’t know what you
have done (blinking, breathing, beating of heart, digestion)
C. Indifferent Act is an act whose rightness and wrongness is dependent on the circumstances
(doing beautiful eyes, smiling, walking, sleeping, helping)

*Ergo, ETHICS is ONLY concerned with HUMAN ACT

Human Acts are classified:

A. Elicited Act: Began and completed in the will without bodily involvement – nasa isip mo lang
so you are not breaking rules- you are not legally accountable but you are morally
accountable. Starts and ends in the mind
B. Commanded Act: body-mind acts done to carry out elicited act. Starts in the mind and
translated into action.

Factors that determine the Morality of Human Act – determine if an act is right or wrong

a. Act itself
b. Intention
c. Circumstance
❖ If one of the three is bad then it is not a morally good act.
❖ A morally Good Act = good act + Good Action + Good circumstance

Modifiers - Factors that Lessen/ modify/eliminate the morality of human act –determine how wrong is
that wrong (quality of the wrongness of an act, determine the degree wrong)

A. Ignorance – wrong doing is done because of the lack of knowledge

1. Vincible – ignorance can be eliminated with effort (you can ask but you did not)
2. Invincible – applicable for person with special needs, ang people that are mentally
unstable – we cannot hold them accountable
3. Affected – intentional, you know but you pretend not to, used to avoid accountability
(immoral, highest degree)
4. Simple – you have the intention to eliminate ignorance, you have effort but it is not enough
due to different reasons (because of traffic, etc.), can be disregarded (slightly immoral)
 B. Concupiscence – expression of emotions through actions (cry, sing, shout, jump, etc.) and the
actions have negative effect on other peple
1. Antecedent – there is sudden expression of feelings (sumigaw ka sa mass kase namatay
yung ex mo), level of wrongness depends on the environment
2. Consequent – there is planning prior to the expression of emotions, (naistorbo mo yung
kapitbahay sa pagpaparty niyo because you passed the boards)

C. Fear – wrongdoings due to fear

1. In fear – sudden expression of fear (you heard an explosion and you ran away hitting other
people along the way, forgetting earthquake drills due to panic)
2. Out of fear – prior to, the fear is already there existing in you, the act is done in fear (

D. Violence – no degree of wrongness, the person does not have a moral accountability when
violence is inflicted to him or her, those that follow instructions due to blackmailing, not
accountable because there is no free will, intention, and voluntariness (tortured, forced to kill
someone)

E. Habit – Does not excuse you of moral accountability, has knowledge, freedom, voluntariness
while doing the habit or action (person is used to lyinng)

F. Indirect Voluntary Act – unexpected consequences (Shoot-out: there are people killed during
a shoot-out even if the police is aiming for the criminal ) degree of wrongness depends

Principle of Double Effect

• Panizo – a human act has both positive and negative effects is morally permissible under 4
conditions. So, what will you do?
1. The act itself should be good or at least morally indifferent
2. The negative effects should not be directly intended but morally allowed to happen as
regrettable side issue
3. There should be a reason sufficiently grave in doing the act (Sapat na reason)
4. The negative effects should not outweigh the positive effects (mas madami dapat na
positive effects)

Principle of communism

• the end justify the means.

• Right or wrong is determined in the end.
• The end goal is to help (whatever the means).

Importance of Rules to Social Beings

1. Protect social beings by regulating behavior

2. Guarantee each person’s certain rights and freedom
3. Produce a sense of justice among social beings
4. Essential for a healthy economic system (building permits, etc.)
Thomas Hobbes

• We are always self-centered

• We do not do things for free; we always expect something in return
• We do not trust one another – we always close our doors, locks, CCTV, security guards,
proctors during exams
• Importance of Rules:

Moral Standards – involves rules people have about the kinds of actions they believe are morally right
or wrong

Non Moral Standards – refer to rules that are unrelated to moral or ethical considerations. Game rules
(not international or formal), house rules

Dilemma

• Happens when we are confronted with options but these options are difficult to choose from
• 3 levels of Moral Dilemma:
1. Personal Dilemma – personal problems and choices
2. Organizational dilemma – Abs Cbn
3. Structural Dilemma- system of organizations. Kulang ang bigas and mahal ang bigas,
nag iimport, local farmers ay malulugi. Not only 1 organizationis involved, poverty,
corruption etc.

Freedom is a foundation of morality

• Freedom implies accountability

• Freedom is a question of choice
• Choice implies freedom
• Since you have freedom to chose, you are accountable of your actions

Reason and Impartiality

• Product of reasoning process, not emotional

• Impartial- hindi padalos dalos, research on all aspects,

Culture

• Culture is dynamic because human beings are dynamic too, we adapt to our environment
• A way of life

Material culture – kagamitan sa bahay, traditional houses,

Moral Relativism – reject the absolutism of morality, right or wrong depends, no clarity (some places it
is right and in some places are wrong), it helps us to respect others and be sensitive of our
differences, there is no superiority

Moral subjectivism -

Role of culture in Moral Behavior – standard of right or wrong is different because of different cultures.
Social convention – agreement between people, ways th

Social conditioning – instilling rules through reward and punishment

Asian Moral Understanding

• Oriental people -behavior is the product of our religion

• Concept of togetherness is the standard
• Relational Being - Camaraderie, hospitality

Eastern

• Realistic
• I before we