ETHICS MIDTERMS REVIEWER

CHAPTER 1: Introduction  Immortality of the Soul

Ethics and Morals:
What is Philosophy?  Moral – derived from Latin word
 Philosophy was first coined by “mos” which means custom.
Pythagoras, a Greek philosopher.  Morals deals with what is right or
 Greek words; Philos and Sophia. wrong.
 Search for meaning or search for the  Ethics – derived from Greek word
ultimate meaning of reality. “ethikos” which means character.
 Ethics deals with what is good or bad.
Concepts of Love:
 Eros - a passionate, intense desire for Importance of Rules:
something.  Rule - instruction that tells what we
 Philia - the love that seeks the truth. are allowed to do and what we are
 Agape - paternal love of God for man. not.
 To protect human rights and freedom
Three Classifications of Men: especially the weaker members in the
1. Lovers of Pleasure society.
2. Lovers of Success  Organize relations between
3. Lovers of Wisdom individuals.
 Opportunity to achieve personal and
Philosophy and other Sciences: societal goals.
 Philosophy and Science - study nature  Regulate various social institutions to
and life. fulfill their integral roles for the
 Philosophy and History - interrelated common welfare.
fields that are dependent to each
other. Moral Principles:
 Philosophy and Mathematics - both  Do not cheat.
logical bodies of knowledge.  Be loyal.
 Philosophy and Religion - inseparable  Be patient.
fields in a sense that one justifies the  Always tell the truth.
other.  Be generous.

Importance of Philosophy: Ethical Principles:

 To develop a cultured, well-defined  Truthfulness/Honesty - basic principle
and well-rounded individual. of the natural moral law.
 To develop students’ ability to  Loyalty - thoroughgoing devotion of a
comprehend and enhance critical person to a cause.
thinking ability.  Respect - this principle rests on the
 To develop holistic view of life. unique capability of human being to
behave as rational agent.
Imperatives of Ethics:  Fairness - characterized by equity,
 Human freedom respect, justice and stewardship.
 Existence of God

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 Integrity - an obligation to all  Moral dilemma involves a decision in

individuals to be straightforward and which the person is force to choose
honest in all professional and business between two good things.
relationship.
Moral Standards:
 Are those laws or commands that Types of Moral Dilemma:
allow specifics actions to be committed
 Personal Dilemma
or those that disallow actions contrary
 Organizational Dilemma
to these norms.
 Percepts to follow based on mores or  Systematic Dilemma
traditional norms and practices that
allow actions as good in specific time Reason and Impartiality: Requisites for
and place. Morality:
 According to Immanuel Kant, “acting
Non-moral Standards: morally is the same as acting
 Refer to rules that are unrelated to rationally” this entails that reason is
moral or ethical considerations (e.g., the fundamental requirement for any
rules of etiquette, fashion standards, moral decision.
rules in games, and various house  Reasons enables us to think and reflect
rules)
over actions that we intend to do and
decide which of them to take.
Golden Rule:
 “Do not do unto others what you don’t  Impartiality is a principle of justice
want others do unto you.” holding that decisions or judgment on
something or someone should be
objective not on the basis of bias or
CHAPTER 2: Dilemma and Foundation of prejudice to favor someone
Morality irrationally. No one shall be exempted
from that same rule.
Dilemma:
 A difficult situation in which an
individual is confronted to choose CHAPTER 3: The Moral Agent and Culture
between two or more alternative
actions to resolve the problem. Moral agent - someone who is capable of
doing things rightly or wrongly.
Moral Dilemma:
 A moral dilemma is defined as any Characteristics of Moral Agent:
situation in which the person making  Moral agents have a moral
the decision experiences a conflict responsibility not to cause unjustified
between the moral rightness of a harm.
decision and the quality of the results  Moral agents are those who can be
it produces. held responsible for their actions.

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Culture: Moral Relativism:

 An aggregate of the learned beliefs,  The idea that there is no universal or
attitudes, values, norms and customs absolute set of moral principle.
of a society or group of people, shared
by them and transmitted from CHAPTER 4: Asian Moral
generation to generation within the Character/Behavior
society.
Asia possesses a distinct moral/ethical behavior
Types of Culture: that makes us unique in our culture, dealing
with socio-political-cultural difficulties and
 High Culture – linked with elite, upper
challenges.
class society, those families and
individuals with an ascribed status Asians stresses personal orientation rather than
position. task orientation; the needs of the group are
 Cultural Diversity – different cultures given priority than for the individual.
exists alongside each other.
Southeast Asian:
 Subculture – culture enjoyed by a
 In Southeast Asia which the Philippines is
small group within the society. part of, Jeffrey Hays (2013) provides a
 Popular Culture – it borrows the idea more distinct traits and characters that are
from high culture and popularizes it, mostly Buddhism and Confucianism.
making it available for the masses.  Southeast Asians don’t like confrontation
and rarely show visible signs of anger.
 Multiculturalism – similar to cultural
 Have a reputation for being a fun loving,
diversity, different ethnic groups living compassionate, gentle, and friendly.
alongside each other.
 Global Culture – key feature of Buddhism Character:
globalization.  Buddhists believe that humans want many
things and want to keep them forever,
Importance of Culture: which is impossible and creates a constant
state of desire, which in turn causes
 Culture affects perception. suffering and fear of further loss.
 Culture influences behavior.  Taught us to practice nonviolence, do good
 Culture shapes personality. deeds, present gifts to monks, and have
 Culture shapes our value and belief respect for sanctity of life.
system.
Confucian Character:
 Confucian values include love, respect for
Culture Relativism: the family, integrity, loyalty, and respect
 Is the principle of regarding the beliefs, for elder.
values, and practices of a culture from  They also give strong emphasis on
the viewpoint of the culture itself. teachers, superiors, family members, and
 The uniqueness of every culture from elders.
each other. Cardinal Virtues:

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 Benevolence in terms of sympathy for  Corruption

others (jen).  Gossiping
 Duty reflected in the shame felt after  Passivity (lack of leadership)
doing something wrong (yi).
 Manners, propriety and feelings of
deference (li).
 Wisdom, in terms of discerning right and
wrong (chih).
 Loyalty and good faith (hsin).

Filipino Character:
 Filipinos have been described as friendly,
outgoing, sensitive, easily offended, nosy,
clever, fun, loving, and hospitable.
 Education is highly valued and families
make great sacrifices to educate their
children.
 Filipinos are generally more easy-going
than other Asians. A survey conducted by
the Hong Kong-based Political and
Economic Risk Constituency (PERC) ranked
as the “easiest people in Asia to get along
with.”

Filipino Positive Values:

 Pakikipagkapwa-tao
 Strong Family Ties
 Joy and Humor
 Flexibility, Adaptability and Creativity
 Hard work and Industry
 Faith and Religiosity
 Hospitable
 Helpful to others/ Bayanihan
 Respectful
 Bravery
 Discretion and Dignity
 Honesty and Commitment
 Thriftiness

Filipino Negative Values:

 Fatalism
 Crab Mentality
 Ningas-Kugon
 Filipino Time
 Colonial Mentality
 General Disregard for Rules
 Procrastination or Mañana Habit