MORAL STANDARDS

CAROLINA O TRIPOLCA
Morality
◦ The standards that an individual or a group has
about right and wrong, good or evil
◦ Norms – standard or pattern of behaviors that are
expected of a group
◦ Standards – criteria for acceptance
Morality
◦Moral
◦Immoral
◦Non Moral
◦Unmoral
Moral Standards
◦ Moral standards – norms we have about the types of actions
we believe to be morally acceptable or morally unacceptable
◦ Equated with moral values and principles
◦ Dynamics between moral and ethical standards
◦ Laws, Rules, Customs, Moral Codes, Professional Codes etc
◦ Moral Compass – moral development of children depend upon
the ethical capabilities of adults that raise them
Non Moral Standards
◦ Rules that are unrelated to moral or ethical considerations
◦ These are not necessarily linked to morality or ethical considerations
◦ Religious rules, traditions, legal statutes (ordinances, laws)
◦ Etiquette – norms of correct conduct in polite society
◦ Special code or behavior or courtesy
◦ Statutes – laws enacted by legislative bodies
◦ Licensure
◦ Professional code of ethics
◦ Sometimes unwritten and are part of common understanding in a profession
Characteristics of Moral Standard
1. Moral standards involve serious wrongs or significant benefits
2. Moral standards ought to be preferred to other values
3. Moral Standards are not established by authority figures
4. Moral Standards have a trait of universality
5. Moral standards are based on impartial considerations
6. Moral standards are associated with special emotions and
vocabulary
Moral Dilemma
◦ A conflict in which you have to choose between two or more actions and have moral reasons
for choosing each action
◦ The moral agent has the reasons to do each of the actions but doing both is not possible
◦ The agent condemned moral failure, no matter his/her course of action

◦ A moral dilemma is a situation where:

1. You are presented with two or more actions, all of which you have the ability to perform
2. There are moral reasons for you to choose each actions
3. You cannot perform all the actions and have to choose which to perform
Seatwork
◦ 1. What are the differences between moral and non-moral standards? Cite examples by writing it down
on the space provided for each column

Moral Standards Non Moral Standards

◦ 2. As a student of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy, What morals dilemmas have you
encountered? Cite an example and how you acted on it, justify your actions