Activity 1: Recognizing Ethical Problems

Name five events in past months, weeks, or days that can be qualified as ethical
problems. Give your reasons. You can use stories or events published in newspapers or aired
on televisions.
Please give proper acknowledgment of the source. You don’t need to get the whole story. This
activity is meant to assess whether you can recognize ethical problems. It will be graded and
categorized as a performance outcome.

Quiz 1: Keywords to remember and contrast.

1. Define ethics.
______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

2. What is the difference between ethics and morals?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

3. Differentiate ethics from aesthetics, etiquette, and technique.

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Activity 2: Analyzing Case

Last June 11, 2020, the Lucban Municipal Police Station (LMPS) posted on their
Facebook page: “Mahalin natin ang mga kababaihan at huwag nyo abusuhin ang kanilang
kabaitan. Kayo naman mga ghErlsz, wag kayo magsuot ng pagkaikli-ikling damit at pag naman
nabastos ay magsusumbong din sa amin. Isipin nyo rin!” This post became viral on the world-
wide-web. Comments on this post flooded the different social media platforms. This particular
post tells women to avoid wearing certain clothes.

You need to analyze this case. There are conflicting thoughts on the post of LMPS. Are
clothes just a matter of aesthetic? or Can clothes become an ethical problem? Explain your
answers. Explain it in 7 to 10 sentences.
Activity 1: Recalling Terms
Define the following concepts in virtue ethics:
1. Telos
2. Eudaimonia
3. Ergon
4. Arete
5. Mesotes

Activity 2 Filipino Virtues

We have lists of Filipino Virtues on the table. The word virtue is translated as birtud. While
deficiency is pagkukulang and excess is pagmamalabis. What are you going to do is to list the
pagkukulang and pagmamalabis of each birtud.

Pagmamalabis Birtud Pagkukulang

Pakikisama
Utang na loob
Hiya
Relihiyoso
Magalang sa Matanda

Activity 3: Wait or Marry? You will analyze the case using virtue ethics. You will analyze a case
about the virtue of prudence. Don't use your feelings. Analyze it well. Read the rubric so that
you will be guided in answering the case.
A piece of news broke out that Juan, a soldier was killed in an encounter with the rebels. But
the news on the death of Juan was sketchy. There are no clear details about Juan's death. The
sketchy news reached Maria, Juan's wife. Due to this, there is uncertainty on the part of
Maria. Years had passed and there is no certain news about Juan. The long years of wait
allowed Pedro to court Maria. True enough Pedro's perseverance made Maria fall in love. Pedro
had found that it is the right time to propose to marry Maria. Now if you are Maria will you give in
to Pedro's proposal or wait for the confirmation on the death of Juan? What if you already
married Pedro and Juan was alive and ready to come home, what will you do?
LET’S READ

You must read Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas. You will find it in the readings
section of the module. After reading it, you must answer the following questions:

1. What is the law?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

2. What is Eternal law?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

3. What is Divine law?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

4. What is Human law?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
NATURAL LAW

There are different kinds of law. We have seen it in the readings and you have defined it clearly.
We now turn our attention to natural law. When we talk about natural, it brings more questions
rather than answers. How might one commonly define what is “natural” or “unnatural”? Persons
are having difficulty in differentiating what is natural and unnatural. Let us test your
understanding of what is natural and what is not. We have here some list and tell us whether it
is natural or unnatural. After finishing the module we go back to your answers and test it if you
got it right.

Natural or Unnatural

eating insects

picking one’s nose (pangungulangot)

mixed martial arts (combat sports)

plastic surgery

eating raw beef

cross-dressing

IUD (intra-uterine device)

incest

male on male sex

male infidelity (pambababae)

TIME TO THINK

You need to answer this problem using the principle of utilitarianism. Limit your answer
from 10 to 15 sentences.

Tensions have been rising between the U.S. and Iraq. Now Iraq has succeeded in smuggling an
atomic bomb into New York and exploding it. First reports indicate that over a million people are
dead and more will die from radiation. You are the president of the U.S., you have enough
atomic weapons presently aimed at Iraq to destroy every city in the country. The Joint Chiefs of
Staff are awaiting your decision. Can you ethically authorize a retaliatory strike and basically
destroy Iraq?

1.
formulate the maxim (personal rule: “When I ..., I shall ...”)

2.
test for universalizability:
imagine the maxim as a
universal law, is there a self-

contradiction?

3.
conclude by articulating the duty
 What we do here is we start with zero (0). It is where we identify the action to be tested. In one
(1) we formulate the maxim and it always have the template: “When I…, I shall…”. Two (2) is
where we imagine that it is universal law and test if there is a self-contradiction. Lastly, Three (3)
conclude by articulating duty. To clarify it further let us take an example of Kant, which we read
earlier. We will try to simplify using the universalizability test.

1.
borrow money without intending to pay [false
promises]

2.
“When I need money, I shall borrow it from someone
without intending to pay it back.”

3.
Suppose everyone were obligated to follow this
maxim, as if it were a universal law: Everyone ought to
borrow money without intending to pay, when they

need money.

No one will lend money, “who are you fooling, you

ought not pay it back”, money-lending loses its
meaning, self-contradictory

What then is the resulting duty?

4.
Therefore, do not borrow money without intending to pay.

REMINDERS

1. Consistency from step 0 to 3.

2. Kant provides a maxim that has a specific formulation: When [situation], I shall [action].

3. Universalized maxim is not imagined as done by everyone, but an obligation for

everyone.

4. Test involves not consequences, but internal validity of the universalized maxim.
UNIVERSALIZABILITY TEST

You are going to perform universalizability test of the following:

1. stealing someone’s valuables

______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________

2. lying about credentials on curriculum vitae (CV)

__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________

3. refusing to give a bribe, taking a ticket

______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
 ______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

4. studying test leakage for aboard exam

______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ __
______________________________________________________________________
 ANALYZE IT

1. National Telecommunication Commission(NTC), a government regulatory office, handed

ABS-CBN company a cease and desist order stopping its broadcast. It is due to the
company's expired franchise. The company's franchise expired May 4, 2020. Many
people are saddened. ABS-CBN's top official contested the stoppage of their broadcast.
They would argue that it is wrong to hand down the order of stoppage because it will
greatly affect their eleven thousand employees (11,000). Arguments could go as far as
saying that the stoppage will be against the interest of the Filipino because of the
pandemic we are experiencing. They would even claim that it clear violation of press
freedom.

Let us analyze this. Is it unethical for NTC to issue stoppage of ABS-CBN because of
their expired franchise to operate? or it is unethical for NTC to issue stoppage of
ABSCBN because of their expired franchise but it is pandemic and greatly affects
11,000 employees?

Analyze it using Kant's Universalizability Test.

1. Test the morality of the case using Kant's Universalizability Test.

2. Explain the morality of the cases. Explain it in 5 to 7 sentences.
3. Send your questions or feedback on atmaguyon@slsu.edu.ph or on 09189510456