ETHICS: AKO AT ANG KAGANDAHANG ASAL BILANG ISANG FILIPINO

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY ?
 First coined by Pythagoras
 Etymological definition
o Philos (love) + Sophia (wisdom) = Love of wisdom
o “An unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates
 Essential Definition of PHILOSOPHY
o Search for meaning
o Search for the ultimate meaning of reality
o It is an examination of life upon which one will formulate a fundamental principle as a standard for a
more organized ideas where human life and experience is base upon
o Study that seeks to understand the mysteries of existence and reality
o Most significant task of philosophy: Evalutaion of the totality of human experience
3 CLASSIFICATIONS OF LOVE
 Eros
o Often referred to a sexual desire
o Part of love constituting a passionate, intense desire for something
 Philia
o The love that seeks the truth, whether the truth or the other, of person or of reality.
o is the love that devotes itself in attaining what is true of reality, like a lover aspiring and upon
possessing clenches it in the heart that which is so precious, the truth (Agdalpen [Link]., 2011)
 Agape
o Referes to the paternal love of God for man
o Brotherly love for all human (Moseley, 2001)
3 CLASSIFICATIONS OF MEN
 The lovers of pleasure
 The lovers of success
 The lovers of wisdom
o Most superior of all for it pertains to the human endeavor of seeking the truth for its own
sake, hence attaining wisdom
PHILOSOPHY AND OTHER SCIENCES
 Philosophy and Science
o It both seek for the fundamental truths about the universe
o These fields study nature and life
 Philosophy and History
o They are interrelated fields because History is the breeding ground of Philosophy
 Philosophy and Mathematics
o They are both logical bodies of knowledge which involve methodical and systematic
 Philosophy and religion
o These are inseperable fields in a sence that one justifies the other
IMPORTANCE OF PHILOSOPHY
 It develops students of their ability to comprehend, systematize learning and enhance their critical
thinking ability in evaluating their gained knowledge and information.
 It provides students with fundamental views in coping with the changing demands and ethical
problems.
 It will always be an important aspect of human life and an experience to develop holistic view of life that
may help one to come up with right decision, better understanding of fellow humans and that of one’s
self.
MAJOR DISCIPLINE IN PHILOSOPHY
 Logic
o The study of right and sound reasoning.
o Thinking and reasoning using empirical support and information which are reliable, valid and
objective
o It is the science of correct thinking
 Deductive Reasoning – General truth to Specific truth
 Inductive Reasoning – From a specific truth to general truth
 Epistemology
o Study of validity of knowledge
o Definition of knowledge and related concepts such as sources and criteria of knowledge
 Rational School – main source of knowledge is deductive reasoning based on self-
evident principles or actions
 Empirical School – sense-perception/experience
 Metaphysics
o It seeks to explain the fundamental concept of living
 o Greek words “meta” which means beyond and “physikon” which means nature
o It is a branch of philosophy which is concerned with the nature of ultimate reality
 Aesthetics
o It seeks to explain the fundamental concept of living
o Greek word “aesthetikos” which means one who is perceptive of things through his
sensations, feelings and intuitions
o It is concerned with the essence of perception of beauty and ugliness
 Cosmology
o The study of real things in the universe
 Theodicy
o The study of God and his nature
 Social philosophy
o The study of human and their relation to society
 Ethics
o The science of morality of human acts
o Greek word “ethos” which means character
o It is the science of correct doing
o It is the study of what is right and what is wrong in human behavior in the pursuit of beauty
and goodness of life
NOTION OF ETHICS
 Ethics from its Greek word “ethos” means a characteristic way of doing things or body of customs
 Ethics, therefore is a practical science which is meant to teach how human ought to live.

IMPERATIVE OF ETHICS
 Ethical/moral life implies imperative
 “sine qua non” of ethics for without which ethics would collapse
 Emerita Quito (2008)

1. Human Freedom
o Freedom
 is an inherent human power to act or not to act that makes them responsible for
their actions.
 Ethics in this sense will be irrelevant in the absence of human freedom
 Freedom always entails then right to choose.
o Responsibility
 an indispensableimplication in human actions
 Freedom always entails then right to [Link] humans are designed to only follow
what they are destined to obey, their actions then would not deserve any reward or
punishment
o Justice
 deserved only to humans who are free to choose their course of action
o Ethics is the science of the morality of human actions that imply responsibility on the part of the
agent only if that agent is free.
2. Existence of God
o God’s presence is a salient factor that makes sense in the study of ethics
o Without God’s existence that postulates human belief, they (humans) find no reason to do good
and avoid evil.
3. Immortality of the Soul
o If there is no life after death where the soul believed to perpetuate life beyond, then good deeds
are not rewarded nor evil doers are punished. Hence
o there is no sense at all to lead a better life, neither to make sacrifices nor to deny one’s self
from the lure of this world.
o Immortality of the soul is, indeed, a cornerstone in ethics.

ETHICS AND MORALS

ETHICS AND MORALITY ARE SET OF RULES THAT GOVERN HUMAN ACTIONS TO ENSURE MUTUAL
RESPECT AND COOPERATION

DEFINITION OF MORALS
 Moral is derived from a Latin word “mos” which means custom.
 Morals are the customs established by group of individuals whereas ethics defines the character of an
individual.
 While morals are concerned with principles of right and wrong
 Morals refer to the social, cultural and religious beliefs or values practiced overtime by an individual or
group which direct people to do what is customarily allowable as right or refrain from those that society
prohibits as “taboo” or wrong
  the rules and standards made by the society or culture which is to be followed by us while deciding what is
right.
 Some moral principles are here to be examined:
o Do not cheat
o Be loyal
o Be patient
o Always tell the truth
o Be generous
 With these, morals refer to the beliefs of what is not objectively right, but what is
considered right for every situation, so it can be said that what is morally correct
may not be objectively correct.
DEFINITION OF ETHICS
 Ethics is derived from Greek word “ethikos” which means character
 ethics is related to right and wrong conduct of an individual in a particular situation
 a branch of philosophy that deals with the principles of conduct of an individual or group.
 It works as a guiding principle as to decide what action to take either the good or the bad.
RULES

 Rules are instructions that tell what we are allowed to do and what we are not allowed to do.
 Rules are imperative statements to govern human conduct in addressing specific and peculiar
situations to sustain orderly and healthy human relation.

IMPORTANCE OF RULES

WE NEED RULES TO ACHIEVE THE COMMON GOOD

a) Rules organize relations between individuals;

b) Rules make it clear what is right to do/follow in a society and what are wrong to refrain from;
c) Rules provide opportunity to achieve personal and societal goals;
d) Rules regulate various social institutions to fulfil their integral roles for the common welfare.

SOME ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

 TRUTHFULNESS/HONESTY
o is among the basic principles of the natural moral law
o truthfulness leads us to humility, to remorse for that imperfection and the wrongs we all have
certainly committed.
 LOYALTY
o “the willing and practical and thorough going devotion of a person to a cause.”
o The principle of loyalty promotes the realization of an agreement by directing behaviour so that
the other party’s reasonable expectation will be met.
 RESPECT
o human beings have intrinsic and unconditional moral worth and should always be treated as if
there is nothing of greater value than they are
 FAIRNESS
o characterized by equity, respect, justice and stewardship of the shared world
 INTEGRITY
o imposes an obligation on all individuals to be straightforward and honest in all professional and
business relationships
o Integrity also implies fair dealing and truthfulness.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MORALS AND ETHICS

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MORALS AND ETHICS

MORAL ETHICS
Moral deals with what is “right or wrong.” Ethics deals with what is “good or evil.”
Morals are general guidelines framed by the society e.g. ethics is a response to a particular situation, e.g. is it
we should speak truth ethical to state the truth in a particular situation
The term “moral” derived from a Latin word “mos” ethics is originated from Greek word “ethikos”which
which refers to customs and the customs are refers to character and character is an attribute
determined by group of individuals or some authority.
Morals are dictated by society, culture or religion Ethics is chosen by the person himself who governs his
life under the dictate of right reason.
Morals are concerned with principles of right and wrong ethics stresses on good and evil conduct.
As moral are framed and designed by the group, there the people are free to think and choose the principles of
is no option to think and choose; the individual can his life in ethics.
either accept or reject the norm
 Morals may vary from society to society and culture to this remains same regardless of any culture, religion or
culture. society
Morals do not have applicability to business Ethics is widely applicable in the business known as
business ethics.
Morals are expressed in the form of statements the principles of Ethics are translated into an explicit
action

MORALITY
 Morality is a judgment that can be attributed to a certain behavior which follows from an execution of a
decision based on certain philosophical principles.
MORAL STANDARD
 set of norms in society in accord to moral principles that supposed to determine about the kind of actions
people believe are morally right and deter them from doing what is considered as wrong.
 laws or commands that allow specific actions to be committed or those that disallow actions contrary to
these norms.
NON MORAL STANDARD
 rules that are unrelated to moral or ethical considerations.
 not necessarily linked to morality or by nature lack ethical sense.
 EXAMPLES OF NON-MORAL STANDARDS
o Rules of etiquette
o Fashion standards
o Rules in games
o House rules
o Religious rules, traditions, legal statutes (laws and ordinances) are considered non-moral
standards.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MORAL STANDARDS
1. Moral standards involve serious wrongs or significant benefits
a. Moral standards have serious impacts. They can necessarily affect one’s life or
wellbeing.
2. Most standards ought to be preferred to other values
a. Moral standards have overriding character or hegemonic authority.
b. It means that people have to do such moral standards even if it conflicts with non-moral
standards, and even with self-interest.
3. Moral standards are not established by authority figures
a. Moral standards follow the principle which states that “nobody made them, therefore
nobody can destroy them.”
4. Moral standards are universal
a. Moral standards are true to anybody.
b. This is reflected in the Principle of Justice which states that “It cannot be right for A to
treat B in a manner in which it would be wrong for B to treat A, merely on the
ground that they are two different individuals, and without there being any
difference between the natures or circumstances of the two which can be stated as a
reasonable ground for difference of treatment.”
5. Moral standards are based on impartial considerations
a. The term impartiality pertains to being free of bias or prejudice. Moral standards usually
consider the interest of all concerned parties.
6. Moral standards are associated with special emotions and vocabulary
a. Moral standards are prescriptive: they are generally put forth as injunctions or imperatives.
b. Guilt is the product of violating a moral standard. Non-compliance to non-moral standards
brings not as much guilt to an individual.