ETHICS

 Fromthe Greek word “ethos”→

characteristic way of acting”, “habit” or
“custom”
 SOCRATES – regarded as the father of moral
philosophy
 Fromthe Latin equivalent is “mos”, “mores”,
from which come the word moral and
morality.
 ETHICSstudies the characteristics behavior of
man as endowed with reason and freewill.
Definition of ETHICS
*The science of the morality of human acts.
HUMAN ACTS → actions done
intentionally and freely. Ex. Walking,
playing, reading, working, shopping,
jogging
ACTS of MAN → instinctive;
physiological and psychological
movements : breathing, feeling happy,
or falling in love.
ETHICS is the study of man as moral
being, one who is rationally able to
distinguish between right and
wrong.
 Examines how man is accountable
for his actions and its consequences
and proposes how man ought to live
his life – meaningfully.
 Concerns with morality,
the quality which makes
an act good or evil,
correct or wrong.
 Examines and explains the
rational basis why actions
are moral or immoral.
The Art of Correct Living
ART- what is orderly and harmonious

 Ethics is the “art of correct living”.

 It teaches how we may put an order and
harmony in our lives
 Only beneficial when its truth are put into
practice as rules of conduct.
 Regarded as the “only necessary knowledge”.
 Morally upright : God-fearing, patriotic,
diligent, honest, helpful of others, self-
respecting and protective of his family.
Ethics and Religion
 Both concerned with moral education,
different but compliment each other.
 Ethics relies on reasons for its
conclusions, also teaches the value of
religion
 Religionis a system of beliefs and
practices based on faith or truths
revealed to man by God, contributes to
the development of ethical thought.
Ethical Norms and Law
 Gambling and divorce – immoral acts but
legal in the laws of society.
 Robbing a bank is not a crime unless its
attempted.
 Ethical norms cover thoughts and feelings
so that a person could sin because of what
he thinks or desires.
 Moral norms require proper spiritual
disposition towards what is lawful- not
sufficient to do good, one must be sincere
in doing what is good.
Ethical Approaches
 1. Aesthetic Approach – man is responsible to
the state since there is no God who rules the
universe. Morality is an invention of man to suit
his requirement. Moral truths are temporary
and changeable depending on the situation.
The concept of good and evil is relative.
(something can be thought of in opposite ways
depending on what one compares it to)
 2. Theistic Approach - Assumes that God is the
Supreme Lawgiver-everything must conform to
God’s Eternal plan or creation. Man is
accountable for his actions and deserves a
reward or punishment in this life or in the next.
General and Special Ethics

 GeneralEthics – about the principle of

morality. It explains the norms with
which the moral significance of the
human act is determined
 Special Ethics – the application of
general ethics to the problems and
issues confronting a person on account
of his circumstances in life.
MAN as a PERSON
ETHICS is the study of man as a
moral being. What goals we assign to
ourselves, what actions we choose to
do, and how we treat others –
depend on how we understand
ourselves as a human being.
“The starting point of wisdom is TO
KNOW ONESELF.”
Filipino Beliefs…

Man is a creature of God.

Man has an immortal soul.
Man has an assigned destiny in life.
Man must do good or else be punished
by God.
Man by nature is good but is morally
weak.
Regarding MORALITY,
Filipinos believe that …
 MORALITY is “batas ng Diyos”.
 A person should respect his humanity, “pagkatao”.
 A person should love and care for his family.
 A person should strive to live peacefully with others.
 A person should fear God and His punishment.
Rational Animal

Man is an organism composed of a

material body and spiritual soul.
Hylomorphic- substantial union of
body and soul, matter and spirit.
Human Nature – the essential
wholeness; made up of man’s
biological, psychological, and
rational powers.
Human Nature
 Biological
Powers – nutrition, locomotion,
growth and reproduction.
 Psychological Powers – include those of the
senses; smelling, tasting, seeing, hearing,
perceiving, imagining and remembering.
 -alsoincludes acts of emotions: love, hatred,
desire, disgust, joy, sorrow, fear, despair, and
courage.
 Rational
Powers- of intellect and will-
comprehension and volition, respectively.
Natural Law – human nature ;
laws of society, it directs man
in all his activities; applies
only to man as a rational
animal.
Laws of Nature – the forces
governing the material
universe, including man.
Three Characteristics that
Reveal Man’s Moral Nature
1.Man by natural insight is able to
distinguish between good and evil, right
and wrong, moral and immoral.
2. Man feels himself obliged to do what
is good and to avoid what is evil.
3. Man feels himself accountable for his
actions so that his good deeds merit
rewards, while his evil deserve
punishment.
MAN as a PERSON
Person is human nature actualized and
manifested in the history of place and
time.
Person – an individual, existing
separately and independently from
others, capable of knowing and loving
in an intellectual way, and of deciding
for himself the purpose or end of his
actions
 Person is an individual human being.
 Personalityis the sum of those physical
attributes and tendencies which define a
person’s distinctive behavior.
 -the
sum of a person’s physical
constitution , talents, abilities, and habits
which define characteristic behavior.
 -consists
of the physical qualities and
mannerisms of an aesthetically refined
person.
 CHARACTER
-refers the person’s choice of values

and his intelligent exercise of his

freedom
-an aspect of the human soul.
“Personality is the principle of
rational action(pleasant or
unpleasant), character is the principle
of moral action (good or bad)”.-Brennan