UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

ETHICS 1
Ethics and Moral Reasoning in Everyday Life
1st Semester AY 2018-2019

COURSE GUIDE

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Ethical issues and concerns permeate our everyday lives, and we are beset with moral conflicts and even moral crises
on a global scale. This General Education (GE) course will help develop your understanding of ethics and moral
reasoning through the study of various theoretical perspectives on ethics and informed and systematic reflection on the
moral experiences that form so much of the substance of everyday life. The course locates the sources of moral
experiences within our culture, society, religion, individual experiences and our relationship with nature. Thus, it
approaches the study of ethics from the ground up, from the more concrete to the more abstract, and then back to the
concrete and urgent concerns of applied ethics in our world. At the end of the course, you should have an
understanding of why and in what sense we are considered as moral beings situated in a moral world, with an urgent
responsibility to ourselves, to others, and to the world we live in. It is hoped that the course will help provide UP
students with the moral compass that every human being needs in order to meet the difficult moral challenges of our
time.

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this course, you should be able to:

1. Explain basic ethical concepts, principles, and processes involved in ethical reasoning;
2. Identify the cultural and indigenous knowledge that underpins ethical concepts and frameworks in various
contexts;
3. Demonstrate skills and competencies in critical and reflective thinking and ethical reasoning, namely:
 identify the values that one lives by,
 describe the role that these values play in one’s life,
 evaluate the soundness of arguments used in ethical discourse, and
 generate decisions based on reasoned appraisal of moral argument; and
4. Demonstrate openness to the views of others in settling moral disagreements.
COURSE OUTLINE

I. Nature of Ethics and Moral Reasoning

Module1 - Ethics, Mores and Values
A. The nature of mores
B. Only human beings are moral
C. Necessary conditions for morality (freedom, obligation)
D. Value experience (when does a value become a moral value?)
Module 2 - Nature of Ethics and Moral Reasoning
A. Definitions, scope, and relevance of ethics
1. Ethics and the problem of how to live well
2. Ethics as rational inquiry
3. Ethical and other types of evaluation
B. Basic questions and problems of ethics
1. Norms, good and right action, virtue, and character
2. Value, duty and obligation
C. Nature of moral reasoning
1. Moral reasoning
2. Moral reasons
3. Challenges to the study of ethics and moral reasoning
II. Indigenous and Cultural Sources of Moral Valuation and Reasoning
Module 3 - Indigenous and Cultural Sources of Moral Valuation and Reasoning Part I
A. Pantayong Pananaw
1. Kahulugan at tunguhin ng pantayong pananaw
2. Papel at kahalagahan ng wika sa pagtataguyod ng pantayong pananaw

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 B. Sikolohiyang Pilipino
1. Konsepto ng Sikolohiyang Pilipino
2. “Kapwa” bilang pangunahing konsepto sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino at iba pang mga
halagahin
3. Sikolohiyang Pilipino bilang batis ng moral na halagahin at pangangatwirang moral
Module 4 - Indigenous and Cultural Sources of Moral Valuation and Reasoning Part 2
A. Pilipinohiya
1. Balangkas ng pagkataong pilipino
2. Tambalang-lapit
B. Pilosopiyang Pilipino
1. Tatlong konsepto ng pilosopiya
2. Konsepto ng pilosopiyang Pilipino
3. Pilosopiyang Pilipino bilang batis ng moral na halagahin at pangangatwirang moral
III. Normative Theories of Ethics
Module 5 - Asian Ethical Frameworks and Religious Conceptions
A. Ethics as quest for spiritual liberation
1. Hinduism
2. Buddhism
B. Ethics as a way of life
1. Daoism
2. Confucianism
D. Religious conceptions of ethics
1. Christian ethics
2. Islamic ethics
Module 6- Theories of Ultimate Good
A. Egoism
B. Altruism
C. Virtue Ethics
Module 7 - Deciding What is Right
A. Deontological/Duty Ethics
B. Teleological/Consequentialist Ethics
C. Rights-Based Ethics
D. Feminist Ethics/Ethics of Care
E. Supererogatory Ethics: actions beyond the call of duty
IV. Ethical Issues in Various Contexts
Module 8 - Bioethics
Module 9 - Environmental Ethics
Module 10 - Other Special Topics

STUDY SCHEDULE

The table below shows in which weeks and sessions specific modules will be taken up. There are usually two sessions
per week. The third column shows the learning activities for each module. Note that you are expected to go through
the module study guide and study the required readings for each topic BEFORE the class session where the
readings will be taken up through a class discussion or other learning activities. Specific dates for specific activities,
including the long exams, will be set by your teacher.

Week and Session

Module/Topic Learning Activity
Number

Course Overview
Week 1 Before the class session: Independent study of the
Module 1: Ethics, Mores, and Value
module study guide and required readings
Module 2: In-class: Lecture-discussion
Week 2 Sessions 1-2
Nature of Ethics Assessment: Quiz
Week 3 Session 1
Nature of Moral Reasoning

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 Before the class session: Independent study of the
Module 3: module study guide and required readings
Week 3 Session 2
Pantayong Pananaw In-class: Lecture-discussion
Week 4 Sessions 1-2
Sikolohiyang Pilipino Assessment: Documentary analysis or video ad
analysis

Before the class session: Independent study of the

module study guide and required readings
Week 5 Sessions 1-2 Module 4: Pilipinolohiya
In-class: Lecture-discussion
Week 6 Session 1 Pilosopiyang Pilipino
Assessment: Short interview, group vlog or
reflection paper

Before the class session: Independent study of the

Week 6 Session 2
Module 5: Asian Ethical Frameworks module study guide and required readings
Week 7 Sessions 1-2
and Religious Conceptions in Ethics In-class: Lecture-discussion
Week 8 Session 1
Assessment: Analysis paper

Week 8 Session 2 FIRST LONG EXAM

Before the class session: Independent study of the
Module 6: Altruism and Egoism module study guide and required readings
Week 9-10
Virtue Ethics In-class: Lecture-discussion
Assessment: Vlog or reflection paper
Before the class session: Independent study of the
Week 11 – 12
Module 7: Deciding What is Right module study guide and required readings
Week 13 Session 1
In-class: Classroom debate

Week 13 Session 2 SECOND LONG EXAM

Week 14 Module 8: Bioethics Before the class session: Independent study of the
module study guide and required readings
Week 15 Module 9: Environmental Ethics In-class: Lecture-discussion
Assessment: Small group discussion (with output)
Module 10: Other Special Topics or case analysis
Week 16
FINAL REQUIREMENT

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING

The actual percentage to be given each of the following requirements will be decided by your teacher.

1. Class Participation 10-20% of the final grade

2. Module Summative Assessments 30-40% of the final grade
3. First Long Exam 10-20% of the final grade
4. Second Long Exam 10-20% of the final grade
5. Final Requirement 10-20% of the final grade

5.00 4.00 3.00 2.75 2.50 2.25 2.00 1.75 1.50 1.25 1.00
x<54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85-89 90-94 95-97 98-100

The module summative assessments are indicated in the study schedule table above. Detailed guidelines for
each activity are included in the module study guides and/or will be provided by your teacher.
The first long exam will cover Modules 1-5, while the second long exam will cover Modules 6-7.
The final course requirement will require you to integrate what you have learned from the course in the form
of a paper and/or presentation. Detailed guidelines will provided by your teacher.

COURSE MATERIALS

The learning materials for each module consist of required readings and a module study guide. These will be accessible
to you via the ETHICS 1 course site on your campus’s virtual learning environment (VLE). The required readings
are listed below alphabetically by the surname of the author. The sequence in which the readings will be discussed in
class is indicated in the module study guide.

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Module 1
Boyce, William and Larry Cyril Jensen. Moral Reasoning: A Psychological and Philosophical Integration (Lincoln: University of
Nebraska Press, 1978), pp. 5-17.
Dupre, Ben. 50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need to Know (London: Quercus Publishing Plc,2007) pp. 64-75.
Grassian, Victor. Moral Reasoning: Ethical Theory and Some Contemporary Moral Problems, 2nd ed. (New Jersey: Prentice Hall,
1992) Chapters 3-5, pp. 11-47.
Mothershead, John L. Ethics: Modern Conception of the Principles of Right (NewYork: Henry Holt and Co., 1955), Chapters 1, pp.
21-35.
Purtilo, Ruth. Ethical Dimensions in the Health Professions, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co., 1993), Chapters 1, pp. 15-
34.
Sartre, John Paul. “Existentialism is a Humanism,” in Alburey Castell and Donald Borchert. An Introduction to Modern Philosophy:
Examining the Human Condition, 4th ed. (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1985) p. 84, pp. 80-102.
Sumner, William, “Folkways”, in Johnson, Oliver, ed. Ethics: Selections from Classical and Contemporary Writers (New York:
Holt Rinehart and Winston, 1965), pp. 289-310
______, “The Case for Ethical Relativism” in Klemke, Kline & Hollinger, eds. Philosophy: The Basic Issues (New York: St.
Martin’s Press, 1982), pp. 496-511

Module 2
Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics, trans. T. Irwin. (Indiana: Hackett Publishing Co., 1999) (Excerpt only: 1111b5-1113a10 [pp. 33-
36])
Audi, Robert. “Reasons, Practical Reason and Practical Reasoning.” Ratio Volume XVII, no. 2 (2004): 119-149 (Excerpt only: pp.
119-122).
Blackburn, Simon. “Seven Threats to Ethics”. In Being Good: An Introduction to Ethics. Oxford: OUP, 2001 (Excerpt only: pp. 37-
43)
Cooper, John. “Plato and the Dialogue Form” and “Reading Plato” in Plato: Complete Works. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing
Company, Inc., 1997, pp. xvii-xxv. (As companion to Ring of Gyges excerpt)
Harman, Gilbert, Kelby Mason & Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. “Moral Reasoning.” In The Moral Psychology Handbook, edited. J.
Doris, pp. 206-245. NY: OUP: 2010 (Excerpt only: pp. 213-217 and 238-241).
Korsgaard, Christine. “Excellence and obligation: a very concise history of western metaphysics 387 BC to 1887 AD.” In The
Sources of Normativity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996, pp. 1-5.
Plato. “The Ring of Gyges.” In The Republic, Bk II, 357A – 367E. In The Republic, Bk II, 357A – 367E. Translated by G.M.A.
Grube, rev. C.D.C. Reeve. In Cooper, John (ed). Plato: Complete Works. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.,
1997, pp. 998-1007.
Rachels, James. “The Challenges of Cultural Relativism” (pp. 16-31); “Subjectivism in Ethics” (pp. 32-47); “Does Morality Depend
on Religion?” (pp. 48-62). In The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 4th edition. NY: McGraw-Hill, 2003. (Note: The
teacher need not require the students to read the entirety of the chapters, only the pertinent parts of them)
Russell, Bertrand. “The Value of Philosophy.” In The Problems of Philosophy. 2nd Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998,
pp. 89-94.
Williams, Bernard. “Socrates’ Question.” In Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy. London: Fontana Press/Collins, 1985, pp. 1-21.

Module 3
Enriquez, Virgilio. 1976. “Sikolohiyang Pilipino: Perspektibo at Direksyon” sa Pe-Pua, R., ed.1989. Sikolohiyang Pilipino : Teorya,
Metodo at Gamit. Quezon City : UP Press, p. 5-21.
Enriquez, Virgilio. 1992. “ The Filipinization of Personality Theory” sa From Colonial to Liberation Psychology The Philippine
Experience. Quezon City : UP Press, pp. 69-95.
Salazar, Zeus A. 1997. “Ang Pantayong Pananaw Bilang Diskursong Pangkabihasnan” sa Pantayong Pananaw: Ugat at Kabuluhan:
Pambungad sa Pag-aaral ng Bagong Kasaysayan nina Atoy Navarro, Mary Jane Rodriguez at Vicente Villan, mga
patnugot, Mandaluyong City: Palimbagang Kalawakan, p. 79-125.

Module 4
Covar, Prospero R. 1993. “Kaalamang Bayang D, Retrieved on 30 June 2018. alumat ng Pagkataong Pilipino” sa Diliman Review, v.
41, no. 1, p. 5-11.
Bonifacio, Armando. n.d. Three Concepts of Philosophy in http://docshare.tips/three-concepts-of-
philosophy_58bab092b6d87f616d8b4836.html
Mabaquiao, N. 1998.“Pilosopiyang Pilipino: Isang Pagsusuri” . Philippine Social Science Review. Vol 55 (1-4) pp. 203-215 in
https://www.academia.edu/3420141/Pilosopiyang_Pilipino_Isang_Pagsusuri

Module 5
(Trans.) Eknath Eastwaran. “Chapter 1: The War Within; Chapter 2: Self-Realization”. The Bhagavad Gita. Canada: Nilgiri Press,
2007. http://library1.org/_ads/8B7A20960F8B81D3BAF6A2E64E24FF37
Thich Nhat Hanh. “Chapter 22: Turning the Wheel of Dharma”. Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha.
Berkeley, California: Parallax Press, 1991. Translated by Mobi Ho.
https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/Thich%20Nhat%20Hanh%20-%20Old%20Path%20White%20Clouds.pdf
(Trans.) Lynn, Richard John. “1 - 81”. The Classic of the Way and Virtue: A New Translation of the Tao Te Ching of Lao Zi as
Interpreted by Wang Bi. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999. https://terebess.hu/english/tao/Lynn.html
(Trans.) Edward Slingerland. “Books 1-2; 4; 12; 14”. Confucius: Analects (with selections from traditional
commentaries).Indianapolis / Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.,
2003.http://library1.org/_ads/B5974BA04AFC49FD5E95010317CE783B
(Ed) Zaine Ridling. Luke 6: 27-42 “The love of enemies” and “On Judging Others” andLuke 10: 25-37 “A Lawyer’s Question” and
“The Parable of the Good Samaritan”. The Bible. New Revised Standard Version. USA: Division of Christian Education

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 of the National Council of the Churches of Christ, 1989. http://www.allsaintstupelo.com/Bible_NRSV.pdf
Bukhārī, Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-. “Book 2: Belief”. Ṣaḥiḥ al-Bukhārī: The Translation of the Meanings of Ṣaḥiḥ al-Bukhārī
(Arabic and English). 9 Vols. Translated by M. M. Khan. 3d rev. ed. Chicago, 1979. https://www.sahih-
bukhari.com/Pages/Bukhari_1_02.php

Module 6
Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics (Books I, II and X). Edited by Lesley Brown. Translated by David Ross. New York: Oxford
University Press, Inc., 2009.
Hospers, John. 1997 “Theories of Conduct” in Introduction to Philosophical Analysis.New Jersey: Prentice Hall, pp. 257-260.
Rand, Ayn. 1964. The Virtue of Selfishness: A new Concept of Egoism in Chaffee, John. 2013. The Philosopher’s Way. USA:
Pearson, pp. 457-459.
Rosenstand, Nina. 2009.“Myself or Others?” in The Moral of the Story An Introduction to Ethics, 6th ed. New York: McGraw Hill,
pp. 163-166.

Module 7
Bentham, Jeremy. 1789. An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. pp.6-9;22-23 (available
athttp://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/bentham1780.pdf)
Ellington, James Wesley. 1993. Immanuel Kant: Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, 3rd Ed. Hacket Publishing House,
Inc. Cambridge. (Sections 1 and 2)
Mill, John Stuart. 1861. Utilitarianism. pp.4-17 (available at http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/mill1863.pdf)
Graham, Gordon. 2011. “Utilitarianism” In Theories of Ethics. An Introduction to Moral Philosophy with a Selection of Classical
Readings. Routledge. New York. pp. 97-103
Gilligan, Carol. 1982. “Woman’s Place In Man’s Life Cycle” In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s
Development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. pp 5-23
Held, Virginia. 2006. “The Ethics of Care” In The Oxford Handbook of Ethical Theory. edited by David Copp. Oxford University
Press, Inc. pp. 537-561.
Jaggar, Alison. Feminist Ethics. pp. 528-539
Noddings, Nel. 1984. “Why Care About Caring?” In Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education. University of
California Press. pp 7-29
Tong, Rosemarie. “The Roots of Care-Focused Feminism: Carol Gilligan and Nel Noddings” in Feminist Thought. Westview Press.
USA. pp. 152-163
The Story of Human Rights: The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights retrieved from
www.YouthforHumanRights.org
Urmson J. O. 1958.“Saints and Heroes”.In A. I. Melden (ed.). Essays in Moral Philosophy. University of Washington Press.

Module 8
Alora, Angeles Tan. Bioethics for Students (Manila: UST Publishing, 2006)
Beauchamp, Tom L. and Leroy Walter. eds. Contemporary Issues in Bioethics, 4th ed. (California: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1994)
Corey, G., Corey M. & Callanan P. Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions, 3rd ed. (California: Brooks/Cole Publishing, 1988)
De Castro, Leonardo D. Pagkatao at Teknolohiya: Mga Isyung Etika sa Makabagong Medisina (Diliman: U.P. Sentro ng Wikang
Filipino, 1998)
Mason, H. E. Moral Dilemmas and Moral Theory (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996)
Purtilo, Ruth. Ethical Dimensions in the Health Professions, 3rd ed. (Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co., 1999)
Veatch, Robert. Basics of Bioethics (Singapore: Pearson Education, Inc. 2003)

Module 9
Gurrier, Yvonne, et al. Values and the Environment (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1995)
Low, Nicholas., ed. Global Ethics and Environment (London:Routledge, 1999)
Newton, Lisa and Catherine Dillingham. Watersheds: Classic Cases in Environmental Ethics (Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Co.,
1994)
Sterba, James P., ed. Earth Ethics: Environmental Ethics, Animal Rights and Practical Applications (NewJersey: Prentice Hall,
1995)
“Deep Ecology,” by Bill Devall and George Sessions,pp. 157-165.
“The Case for Animal Rights” by Tom Regan, pp. 64-72.
“The Power and Promise of Ecological Feminism,” by Karen Warren, pp. 231-241.
“A Global Marshall Plan,” by Albert Gore, pp. 382-393.
“Environmental Problems and Future Generations,” by Norton Bryan, pp. 129-137.
Wenz, Peter. “Ecology and Morality” in Mackinnon, Barbara. Ethics Theory and Contemporary Issues (Belmont: Wadsworth
Publishing Co., 1995) pp. 356-361.
Zimmerman, Michael et al, eds. Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology (New Jersey: Prentice Hall,
1993)
“What is Social Ecology” by Murray Bookchin, pp. 245-259
“The Land Ethic,” by Aldo Leopold, pp. 95-109.
“Animal Liberation,” by Peter Singer, pp. 22-32
“The Conceptual Foundations of the Land Ethic,” by J. Baird Callicott, pp. 110-134.
“On Being Morally Considerable,” by Kenneth Goodpaster, pp. 49-65.
Rolston, Holmes III. “Challenges in Environmental Ethics,” by Holmes Rolston III, pp.
135-158.
“Deep Ecology” by George Sessions, pp. 159-165
“The Ethics of Respect for Nature,” by Paul Taylor, pp. 66-83.

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