MAKILA A INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Municipality of Makilala
Entrepreneurship Department

DEGREE PROGRAM: BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Course Number: Philo 1
Course Title: Ethics
Credits: 3 units
Duration: Week 11 and 12
Instructor: Mrs. Czarina T. Cheribias ( Entrepreneurship Department)
Contact No.: 09055831784

GENERAL INSTRUCTION: READ THE CONTENT OF EACH MODULE CAREFULLY. THIS WILL
HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE TOPIC FOR EACH MODULE AND WILL GREATLY HELP YOU
ANSWER THE EXERCISES OR ACTIVITIES AT THE END. YOU ARE EXPECTED TO FINISH
THE MODULE WITHIN THE PERIOD ALLOTED, IF YOU HAVE AN ONLINE CONNECTION
WITH THE INSTRUCTOR. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN ONLINE CONNECTION AND RECEIVES
THE MODULE ONCE A MONTH, YOU ARE EXPECTED TO FINISH ALL YOUR EXERCISES AND
ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE MONTH. LATE SUBMISSION OF MODULES WILL NOT BE
ACCEPTED, EXCEPT UPON THE DECISION OF THE INSTRUCTOR.
-SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES AND CLARIFICATION REGARDING THE MODULE, USE
THE CONTACT INFORMATION AVAILBALE ABOVE. KINDLY REACH THE INSTRUCTOR
DURING WORKING HOURS FROM MONDAY TO FRIDAY. DO NOT FORGET TO BE
CORTEOUS WHEN ADDRESSING YOUR QUESTIONS.

Topic(s): The moral sense in us

Freuds Theory of Psychoanalysis
Kholbergs Theory of moral development
Norms of morality

II. Learning Outcome

At the end of this module you will be able to:

 1. Determine components of human mind.
2. Identify Freuds theory of psychosocial.
3. Identify Kholbergs theory of moral development.
4. Define conscience
III. Read and Learn

One of the basic questions in ethics is to determine how people develop their fundamental
concepts of good and evil. Ethics believes that man has a natural insight to morality, this
being a gift of a creator who gave man a moral sense.

Man therefore is a moral being. He knows the fundamental distinction between what is
good and what is bad, What is moral or immoral. This basic knowledge of right and wrong
is what differentiate man from animals.

The next three theories namely: that of Aquinas, Kholberg, and freud attempts to explain
the fundamental question of how people develop their concept of morality.

The synderesis of Man according to St. Thomas Aquinas,.

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). This Italian philosopher, theologian and priest are
sometimes called the Prince of Scholastics. He wrote 25 books including Summa theologica
and Summa Contrata gentiles and developed a systematic Christian theology in response
to the problem of the dichotomy of faith and reason during the medieval period.

He was invited by pope Gregory X to attend a general council in Rome in 1274 but died on
the way to the Vatican He died at the young age of 49 years old. And 49 years later he was
canonized as St Thomas Aquinas the Angelic doctor of the church.

According to Aquinas the moral sense in man is manifested and expressed in three
different ways:

1. Man is able to distinguish or to know what is good and what is bad. Of all creatures,
only man has the capacity to know the difference between a good and a bad action.

2. Man is always obliged to do good and avoid evil. In any given circumstances, man is
the only creature who feels this primary duty to do what is good and avoid what is evil.
 3. Man knows that he is accountable for his actions –good or bad. Of all creatures only
man realizes that the performance of an action entails rewards and punishments. If he
does an evil action he expects punishment.

Freuds Theory of the Id, Ego, and the Superego

Superego- in Freuds theory is the spirited or the will in Platos theory. For freud the
Superego basically reflects social rules and values of the society that govern our behavior.
The superego has elements in common with both reason and willpower. Freud equates
superego with conscience.
Example of Superego
 Sarah knew she could steal the supplies from work and no one would know about it.
However, she knew that stealing was wrong, so she decided not to take anything
even though she would probably never get caught.
 Maggie couldn't remember the answer to test question #12, even though she had
studied. Nate was the smartest kid in the class, and from where Maggie sat, she
could see his answers if she turned her head slightly. When Mrs. Archer turned her
back, Maggie almost cheated, but her conscience stopped her because she knew it
was wrong. Instead, Maggie took a guess at the answer and then turned in her
paper.

Ego- is the rational self or the conscious self. In freuds theory it is also known as the
reality-principle desires of the id and at the same time the ego is pressured by the reality
forces of the environment and the moral dictates of ones upbringing .- the superego
Examples of ego

 Sally was thirsty. However, she knew that her server would be back soon to refill
her water glass, so she waited until then to get a drink, even though she really just
wanted to drink from Mr. Smith's glass.

 In line at the salad bar, Amy really wanted to shove a handful of croutons into her
mouth. However, since her boss was there, she decided to wait another minute or
two until she sat down to eat.
  Mary really wanted to borrow her mom's necklace, but knew her mom would be
angry if she took it without asking, so she asked her mom if she could wear it.

 Hillary was so sweaty after her workout that she wanted to change her clothes right
there by the car. However, she knew the other people around her would not
approve, so she waited until she was in the restroom to change.

Id is the irrational part in us or the unconscious instincts. According to Freud, we are born
with the id which is also known as the pleasure-principle in each of us. The id being
irrational does not know the meaning of postponement. When the id wants something, it
craves for the instant satisfaction.
Example of Id
 Sally was thirsty. Rather than waiting for the server to refill her glass of water, she
reached across the table and drank from Mr. Smith's water glass, much to his
surprise.
 A hungry baby cried until he was fed.
 A toddler who wanted another helping of dessert whined incessantly until she was
given another serving
 In line at the salad bar, Amy was so hungry that she shoved a handful of croutons in
her mouth as she waited for the line to move.
 Bart was stuck in traffic. He just wanted his vehicle to move! Enraged at the
situation, Bart pulled his car onto the shoulder and sped forward, not caring that he
was clipping people's side mirrors as he tried to get ahead of the cars in front of him.

The id, ego and superego work together to create human behavior. The id creates the
demands, the ego adds the needs of reality, and the superego adds morality to the
action which is taken.

Kohlbergs Theory of Moral Development

Lawrence Kohlberg was born in Bronxville, New York on October 25,1927 after high school
he enlisted and became an engineer on a freighter. He taught at the University of Chicago in
1962 then moved to Harvard University as professor of Education and Social Psychology in
1968.

He is well known for his theory of Moral Development. Through his research which was
concluded at Harvard center for Moral Education in the 1950, Kohlberg believed that
people progressed in their moral reasoning through a series of stages.

Kohlbergs Classification of the persons Moral Development

Level STAGE SOCIAL

ORIENTATION

Pre conventional 1 obedience and punishment

2 Individualism, instrumentalism
and
exchange Conventional 3 Good boy/Girl image

4 Law and order

Post Conventional 5 Social Contract /rights

6 Principles conscience

7 Transcendental morality

1. Pre-conventional- This behavior is generally found in young children and older children.

There are two stages in this level: 1) reaction to punishment and 2) desire for the right
behavior that will satisfy the person’s self-interest.

Stage 1 explains the concept of being good by following commands and authority and
avoiding being punished.

Stage 2 is a stage of individual instrumental Purpose and Exchange. This means fair deals
for concrete exchange. This is characterized by a view that right behavior means acting in
ones own best interest.

Stage 2 also promotes the Il scratch your back you scratch my back type of mentality.
2. Conventional- this level is generally found in an idea of civilized society. The first stage of
this level (stage 3 )Is the stage of mutual interpersonal expectations relationship and conformity.
This characterized by an attitude which seeks to do what will gain the approval of others,
commonly referred to as Putting oneself in the other persons shoes.

Stage 3 is also a good boy and good girl orientation. This implies that a good or bad behavior of the
person depends on his/her conformity or non conformity with the norms of the community or
environment. The concern is "What will people think of me?" and the desire is for group approval.
Right action is one that would please or impress others. This often involves self-sacrifice but it
provides the psychological pleasure of 'approval of others.' Actions are also judged in relation to
their intention.

Stage 4 on the other hand is the stage(law and order) of social System and conscience Maintenance
wherein one is oriented to abiding by the law and responding to the obligation of duty.

In this context, the good or the bad behavior is dependent on the persons conformity or non
conformity with the laws created by the state of government.

3. Post-conventional- this third level of moral thinking is one that Kohlberg felt is not reached by
the majority of adults.

Stage 5 the child/individual becomes aware that while rules/laws might exist for the good of the
greatest number there are times when they will work against the interest of particular individual.

The concern is social utility as agreed upon.  While rules are needed to maintain social order,
they should not be blindly obeyed but should be set up (even changed) by social contract for
the greater good of society. Right action is one that protects the rights of the individual
according to rules agreed upon by the whole society.

This means that people at this stage realize that there are fundamentals concepts of right and
wrong but the application of which is confined to their culture and environment. Each person
moral right must be protected.

The last stage (stage 6) is the stage of universal ethical principles. It is based on the respect for
universal principles and the demands of individual conscience. E;g equality, dignity and respect

Example: Heinz should steal the drug because everyone has the right to life regardless of the
law against stealing. Should Heinz be caught and prosecuted for stealing then the law (against
stealing) needs to be reinterpreted because a person's life is at stake.
 The last stage of Kohlberg stages of moral development id called transcendental Morality.
Believes that people can transcend their concepts of good and evil, by integrating them with
their religious conviction. Thus, murder is evil because it is against the divine law, eg 10
commandments

2 Ethical system

There are two general categories under which ethical theories are classified:

1. Atheistic Ethics- assumes that only matter exist and man is responsible only to himself since
there is no GOD who creates and rules the universe

Atheistic theories propose the following principles:

Matter is the only reality.
Man is matter and does not have spiritual dimension
Man is free and must exercise his freedom to promote the welfare of society
There is no life after death
Man is accountable only to the state.

2. . Theistic Ethics- assumes that God is the Supreme Lawgiver. Everything must conform to
Gods eternal plan creation. Man is accountable for his actions and deserves either a reward
or punishment in this life or in the next. Theistic theories postulate the following truths:

God is the Supreme Creator and Lawgiver

Man is free and must use his freedom to promote his personal and social interest along with his
fellowmen.

Man has an immortal soul which cannot die.

Man is accountable for his actions both good and evil.

Norms of Morality

It is an authoritative standards to which a human act must conform to be morally good.

There are criteria to be considered:

It must not be subject to change.

2. It must be universal

3. It must be accessible to all.

4. It must be apply to all conditions of life.

5. It must be a single standard.

LAW

The highest norm of morality is the eternal law. The eternal is the objective and universal law
whereby GOD orders, directs governs the entire universe and the way of human community
according to the plan of his divine wisdom and love.

Man is not only a participant and sharer of the eternal law but also a subject of natural law.
Natural law deals with questions of how human beings ought to behave and how they should
treat each other.

CONSCIENCE

Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of man. There he is alone with GOD whose
echoes in his depths.

Dimension of conscience

• Syndereses- is the basic tendency or capacity within us to know and to .do the good.

• Moral Science- is the force of conscience. It empowers us to search out the objective moral
values in each specific situation in order to discover the right thing to do.

• Conscience- the specific judgement of the good which I must do in this particular situation.

KINDS OF CONSCIENCE

1. Antecedent- If the judgement on the morality of an action is passed before the action is
realized. Either command or forbid counsel or permit the performance of an act.

2. Consequent- if it evaluates the act already performed.

a Right- if the act conforms to the object norms of morality.

b Erroneous- If the act does not conform to the object norms of morality.

1. Vincible-The error can be corrected with some good will and thus, culpable.
 2. Invincible- The moral agent is not aware of any errors and thus, inculpable.

Perplexed- When confronted with two alternative precepts the agent is afraid of choosing any
of the alternatives. If the decision can be delayed postpone action to obtain information, if not
choose the lesser evil.

Lax- Without sufficient evidence, the person is inclined to judge a thing to be lawful when in
reality it is unlawful, slightly evil when actually it is gravely evil.

Scrupulous- when a person is in constant fear of doing wrong when there is none. It means
careful to do things properly and carefully,

Certain- when judgement is passed with no fear whatsoever of being in error. Without any
doubt that an action is good or bad.

Doubtful- when practical reason cannot definitely decide whether the action to be done is good
or evil. You cannot choose between good or bad choice

Determinants of Morality -are certain factors which contribute to the goodness or evilness of a
concrete individual.

• Object- can be a things, an external act, or an internal act to which the will is primarily
directed. The object maybe intrinsically good ,intrinsically evil or morally indifferent.

• End-

a. The end of the agent makes a morally indifferent act good or evil.

b. A good act becomes more good when performed with a good intention

c. A good act becomes evil when performed with an evil.

d. An evil can never become good when performed with a good intention.

IV. Evaluation

Part 1. Multiple Choice

Write the letter of the correct answer

1. It refers to moral principles common to most human culture and deals with questions of how
human beings ought to behave and how they should treat each other?
 a. Law of nature c. natural law
b. Moral law d. divine law

2. It is the basic tendency or capacity within us to know and to do good?

a. Syndereses c. conscience
c. concupiscence d. antecedent
3. Which of the following Kohlberg’s stages of moral development refers to the child/individual
becomes aware that while rules/laws might exist for the good of the greatest number there are
times when they will work against the interest of particular individual.
a. social contract and individual rights c. good boy/girl image
b. law and order d. universal principle
4. Which of the following Kohlberg’s social orientation of moral development refers to children
account for individual points of view and promotes the I scratch your back you scratch my back
mentality?
a. individualism, instrumentalism and exchange c. social Contract /rights
b. obedience and punishment d. universal ethical principle
5. Which of the following stages of moral development which refers to the desire is for group
approval and action is one that would please or impress others?
a.
a. pre conventional c. post conventional
b.conventional d. universal principles
6. An employee who thinks that the only reason not to steal money from the employer is the
certainty of getting caught and get fired. This situation pertains to what stages of moral
development?
a conventional c.All of the above
b. post conventional
d. pre conventional
7. The Child is asked by his parents to do a chore. The child asks what’s in it for me? and the parents
offer the child an incentive by giving him an allowance. This situation pertains to what stages of
moral development?\
a. pre conventional c. post conventional
b. conventional d. none of the above
8. Which of the following theory of Sigmund Freud is the component of personality that reflects social
rules and values of the society and an element in common both reason and willpower?
a. Id c. superego
b. ego d. conventional
9. The man who chooses to steal in the bank to help the poor people of his town is an example of what
stages of Kohlberg’s moral development?
a. Conventional c. post conventional
b. Pre comventional d. law and order
c.
10 It explains that the right behavior consist of performance of duty, respect for authority and
maintaining social order
a. Law and order d. Individualism,
b. universal ethical principles instrumentalism, and
c. social contract/rights exchange
Part II. True or False.
Write T if the statement is True and Write F if is False

1. ___________Ethics believes that man has a natural insight to morality, this being a gift
of a creator who gave man a moral sense.
2. _________ Aquinas, Kholberg, and Plato attempts to explain the fundamental
question of how people develop their concept of morality.

3. __ ______ Man is always obliged to do good and avoid evil.

4. __________Invincible is the error that can be corrected with some good will and thus, culpable

5. __ ___________Perplexed is without sufficient evidence, the person is inclined to judge a thing

to be lawful when in reality it is unlawful, slightly evil when actually it is gravely evil.

Part III. Essay

1. Give the 3 Freuds Theory of Psychoanalysis and give examples in each theory and
relate it into business. 10 points