Ailene F.

Quinto

BSMA-lll

Explain/ answer the following:

1. Culture and its role in human behavior?

Our behavior had been affected by culture in a variety of ways. This is because culture is
the people’s way of life. Culture refers to the values, morals, and social ethics that exist in our
society. Culture is described as a method of living that includes people's beliefs, practices,
traditions, values, and language.
It also encompasses a person's whole way of life, from how they dress to how they eat,
as well as their beliefs, vocabulary, norms, and values. People see the world through the lens of
their own culture, and as a result, they respond accordingly to their culture. To address the
question, what is the role of culture in human behavior, we must first recognize that culture
affects and impacts lives in several ways. For example, students from various cultural
backgrounds can respond to their teacher in ways that are inappropriate in a school setting,
even if it is reasonable based on where they came from.
The type of culture into which a person is born affects and influences what that person
believes as well as how they behave. For example, a person growing up in a “tight” culture,
where rules are strongly enforced, does not support individualistic thought or behavior. This
type of culture believes that a person’s first obligation is to society. And, they must sacrifice
their needs for the greater good. However, persons who are raised in a “loose” culture have
more latitude in how they behave and what they believe. These cultures are based on the belief
that a person’s life belongs to that person. This type of culture is normally found in western
societies like USA.
2. How does culture shape moral behavior?
I think culture has the greatest influence on our definition of morality or what we
consider to be moral or immoral. Take for example, Slavery: the possession of slaves throughout
most of history was considered to be perfectly normal. Either in certain cultures a person was
born into slavery (by social cast, ethnic origin, or skin color), or under certain conditions that
could deteriorate into slavery such as financial loss, outcome of wars, etc. In such circumstances,
owning slaves and treating them according to the norms of the time was considered perfectly
moral. In other words, it was perfectly moral to physically abuse your human slave because "it"
was just a slave. Tormentors would simply say: "it" is not like us, so what we do is perfectly
moral."
Culture does, without a doubt, play a major role in influencing moral behavior and even
extends to social norms. Consistent exposure to culture, can influence and modify our
conceptions of what should be considered morally acceptable.
Culture is an individualistic, man-made idea of collective identity that is completely open
to subjectivity. The fact that there are so many different "cultures" is a proof of this. The
subjectivity case for culture can be extended to morality as well. Although we can hold similar
moral values, what is considered morally acceptable/repugnant varies from person to person.
This is where culture plays a role in some of our morality.
3. Why should culture not be the ultimate determinant of values?
Culture changes overtime, adjusting to the scale of morality of each generation. At every
place there is a diverse array of people belonging to many different nationalities that in turn
constitute different cultures. Each culture holds various beliefs, and sometimes those beliefs are
contrasting. However, no matter how varied they are, none of this culture is righter than the
other. Culture for most of the time was considered an important factor that shapes our values
however we should remember that culture should not be the ULTIMATE determinant of values
because sometimes culture can go wrong. When the beliefs contrast with universal ethical
morals and values, culture can be incorrect. Just think of Nazi Germany: The Holocaust was
legal; the death camps were legal. Opposing the persecution of Jews, Gypsies, communists, gays
and so on was a state crime. That’s why I think that culture shouldn’t be the ultimate
determinant of values as some cultures can be very unfair and cruel to a part of humanity.
4. Is there a Filipino understanding of right and wrong? Why this interpretation? What are its
influences?

There is indeed a Filipino understanding of right and wrong that is outside of any
religion's influence. For instance, there is a Filipino version of "karma". Karma refers to the fact
that our decisions have long-term consequences for us. Think about it, any action we take will
set off a chain of events that will continue to pass through everyone until it hits us again.

Filipinos in particular believes in two types of karma: the good karma and the bad
karma. They know that if they did something right, it will return to them rightfully, meaning,
they could expect positive things to happen to them. Meanwhile, if they do anything wrong,
they will suffer the consequences. People would treat them differently because of their previous
action and this will decide if their acts are correct or incorrect. The Filipinos' understanding of
right and wrong are influenced by various cultures and religions.

Many people believe that karma isn't all bad. It’s just that the law of karma encourages
us to make positive changes in our lives. It teaches us to avoid acts that cause misery for
ourselves and others, and to achieve greater happiness now and in the future.

5. What is cultural relativism? Why is it not tenable in ethics?

Cultural relativism is the ability to understand a culture on its own terms and not to
make judgments using the standards of one’s own culture. The aim of this is to increase
awareness and understanding of cultural practices that are not commonly found in one's own
culture. When viewed through the lens of cultural relativism, it is possible to conclude that no
culture is superior than another when compared to the structures of morality, politics, laws, etc.
It is an idea that cultural norms and values derive their meaning within a particular social
context. This is also based on the premise that there is no absolute definition of good or bad,
therefore every decision and judgment of what is right and wrong in each society is made on an
individual basis. Cultural relativism also implies that every ethical viewpoint is influenced by the
experience of each person within their particular culture. Moreover, in a more holistic
understanding, cultural relativism seeks to foster acceptance of cultural practices that are
different to other culture, such as eating insects, genital cutting etc.
 However cultural relativism is not tenable in ethics because many ethicists believe that
the concept of cultural relativism threatens the discipline of ethics. If values are related to a
given culture, then this must mean that there are no universal moral standards by which the
behavior of people can be judged. Therefore, if there is no observable control transcending all
cultures, no eternal book of rules, then right and wrong are a matter of opinion and everything
we do is acceptable. As a result, we cannot pass judgement on what other people do. If all
morality is relative to culture, then what moral objection could one make to the Nazi holocaust,
or to a militaristic nation's causing nuclear devastation on other nation. This all became the
reason why cultural relativism is not tenable in ethics.

6. Are there an Asian and a Filipino understanding of moral behavior strengths and weaknesses?

There is indeed an Asian and Filipino understanding of moral behavior, this could be
seen from the values and practices they exhibit. For instance, some of the values and practices
common among Asian peoples are respect for elders, respect for the collective interest, being
helpful to others and respect for the environment. In particular Filipinos as Asians are
collectivists who identify what is good and bad through their relationship with their families,
regional affiliations, and peer groups. Family basically determines moral behaviors and what
good Filipino is. The self-concept as moral person and moral standards are strongly tied with the
family’s interrelationship with others. Even if there are many ethnic groups with distinct culture
in the Philippines that Filipino culture may seem arbitrary, there are still selected popular
Filipino moral values or standards that embodies the local ethnic values. They have both
strengths and weaknesses. For example, the following values I would mention could become our
strength and weaknesses at the same time. Filipinos are known to be Family oriented, meaning
we have a deep connection and relationship with our families; however, this value could
prevent us from reaching out beyond the family to the larger community and our nation.
Filipinos are also known as cheerful and have a fun-loving approach to life and its ups and
downs. However, the downside of this value is that sometimes, we can’t take things with humor
at all times for serious problems need serious analysis. Another value is that Filipinos have the
ability to empathized and show concern with others (pakikipagkapwa-tao), however this value
would sometimes make us envious of others. This are just some of the Filipino values and
behavior that could be our strength and weakness at the same time. We must always remember
that these Filipino values certainly influence our perception on how we see things as moral or
immoral.