Course Number: Ph 104

Title: Foundations of Moral Value

Department of Philosophy
School of Humanities
II Semester 2019-20
3 Units
Pre-requisite: Ph 101
Antonette Palma-Angeles
8.00-9.20 and 9.30-10.50
Tuesday and Thursday
CTC107 and CTC 202

A. Course Description:
Foundations of Moral Value (Ph 104) seeks to uncover the nature of a moral
experience, capacitate students to take control of their moral lives by habitually
making reasonable, impartial decisions and by making these principle-based. To
do this, the course will examine: a) the cultural context which defines the moral
agent’s sense of right and wrong; b) the nature of the agent and his/her moral act;
c) philosophers’ ethical theories that serve as frameworks in understanding moral
experiences; and d) moral decision- making process that the students will apply
on cases will be introduced.
The course is organized according to the three main elements of the moral
experience: the act, the agent and the reason or framework (for the act).

B. Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course, the students must be able to:
1. Differentiate between moral and non-moral problems
2. Describe what a moral experience is as it happens in different levels of
human existence
3. Explain the influence of Filipino culture on the way students look at
moral experience and the way they solve moral dilemmas
4. Use ethical principles to analyze moral experiences
5. Make sound ethical judgments based on principles, facts, and the
stakeholders affected
6. Develop sensitivity to common good
7. Understand and internalize the principles of ethical behavior in modern
society at the level of the person, society, and in interaction with the
environment and other shared resources.
Number of Hours: Three hours every week for 18 weeks, or 54 hours in a
semester course outline

C. Course Outline
Introduction: Key Concepts

This section addresses the following questions:

• What are the moral standards, and how do they differ from other rules
in our lives?
• What is moral dilemma?
• Why is freedom crucial in our ability to make moral decisions?
• What is the advantage of owning moral standards (morality and ethics)
over merely abiding by moral standards?

Readings

Rachels, James “What is Morality”, Chap 1, The Elements of Moral

Philosophy

1. Crisis of attention and the challenge of finding the coherent self

2. Moral vs. non-moral rules
3. Morality and Ethics
4. Dilemmas
5. Freedom to decide in an age of intrusion
6. The search for reason and impartiality

Part I: The Moral Agent

This section addresses the following questions:
• How does the culture shape moral behavior?
• Is culture the ultimate determinant of values, right and wrong?
• Is there a Filipino understanding of right and wrong? Why this
interpretation? What are its influences?
• How does one become a mature moral agent?
 Readings

Rachels, James, “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism”, Chap 2,The

Elements of Moral Philosophy
Kohlberg, Lawrence, The Philosophy of Moral Development: Moral Stages
and the Idea of Justice vol 1

A. Culture in moral behavior

1. Culture and its influence on moral behavior
2. Cultural relativism and why it is not tenable in ethics
3. Asian and a Filipino understanding of moral behavior? Strengths
and weaknesses?

B. The moral agent: Developing virtue as habit

1. How is a moral character developed?
a. Moral development
b. The stages of moral development
c. How do we get to the highest level, conscience-based
moral decisions?

Part II: The Act

This section addresses the following questions:
• What is the role of the feelings in moral decisions?
• How can we make reasoned and impartial decisions?
• Why is reason not enough in carrying out moral decisions?

Readings

Que, Nemesio, S.J. “Notes on Moral Deliberation”

Optional:

A. Feelings and moral decision-making

1. Feelings as instinctive and trained response to moral dilemmas
Why they can be obstacles to making the right decisions
How they can help in making the right decisions
B. Reason and impartiality as minimum requirements for mortality
1. Reason and impartiality defined
2. The 7-step moral reasoning model
Part III. The Reason/Framework

This section addresses the following questions:

• What are the overarching frameworks that dictate the way we make
our individual moral decisions?
• What is my framework in making my decisions?

Readings:

Aristotle, Book I-II, Nicomachean Ethics Trans. Martin Oswald,

Kant Immanuel, “Categorical Imperative,” in Groundwork of the

Metaphysic of Morals, Trans. H.J.Paton

A. Virtue Ethics
1. Aristotle
• Telos
• Virtue as habit
• Happiness
2. St. Tomas: Natural Law
• Natural law and its tenets
• Happiness
B. Kant and the rights theory
• Good will
• Categorical Imperative
• Concept of rights and the different kinds of rights
C. Utilitarianism
• Origins and nature of the theory
• Business’s fascination with utilitarianism
D. Justice and fairness: Promoting the common good
• The nature of the theory
Distributive justice

Conclusion: Ethics and Religion

This section addresses the following questions:

• What are the challenges to ethical behavior in today’s world?
• Is it still meaningful to search for universal values?
• How do we respond to an increasingly pluralist and individualist
globalized world?
 Readings:

Reyes, Ramon, “Relation Between Ethics and Religious Belief,”

in The Moral Dimension: Essays in Honor of Ramon Castillo Reyes (could be
replaced with another reading)

A. The challenges of pluralism and fundamentalism: The search for

universal values
1. Globalization and pluralism: New challenges to ethics
2. Challenges of filinnials

B. The religious response: The role of religion in ethics

D. Required Readings:
Aquinas, Thomas: On Law, Eternal Law and Natural Law, Summa Theologiae, vol. 28,
Blackfriars in conjunction with McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1966, pp. 5- 97.

Aristotle, Book I-II, Nicomachean Ethics trans. Martin Oswald, Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill
Educational Publishing, 1983.

Kant, Immanuel, "Categorical Imperative," in Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, trans.

H.J.Paton. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1964.

Kohlberg, Lawrence, The Philosophy of Moral Development: Moral Stages and the Idea of
Justice vol 1. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1981.

Licuanan, Patricia et al. "A Moral Recovery Program: Building a People—Building Nation" in
Values in Philippine Culture and Education: Philippine Philosophical Studies I, edited by
Manuel B. Dy Jr., 31-48. Washington, DC: The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy,
1994.

Que, Nemesio S., S.J, "Notes on Moral Deliberation." Introduction to course notes for Ph104:
Foundations of Moral Value. Ateneo de Manila University

Rachels, James "What is Morality", Chapter 1 and "The Challenge of Cultural Relativism",
Chapter 2 in The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill College, 2004,
pp 1-31.

Reyes, Ramon Castillo. "Relation between Ethics and Religious Belief" in Moral Dimension:
Essays in Honor of Ramon Castillo Reyes, edited by Nemesio S. Que, S.J., Oscar G. Bulaong Jr.,
and Michael Ner E. Mariano, 107-12. Quezon City, PH: Office of Research and Publications,
Loyola Schools, Ateneo de Manila University, 2003.

E. Suggested readings:
Buenaventura, Margarita. No Filter, a Collection of Monologues about Millennials by
Millennials. Summit Publishing, Inc., 2016.

Friedman, Thomas. The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization, 1st ed. New
York: Anchor Books, 2000.

Gula, R.M. Reason Informed by Faith. New York: Paulist Press, 1989.

For Kohlberg refer also to

1. http://www.usefulcharts.com/psychology/kohlberg-stages-of-moral-
development.html
2. http://www.education.com/reference/article/kohlbergs-moral-reasoning/

Palma-Angeles, Antonette. "Cultural Drivers of Corruption in Business and Governance" in

Business Ethics in Asia: Issues and Cases, edited by Oscar G. Bulaong Jr., Ike Danita Dewi, and
J. Sedfrey Santiago, Quezon City, PH: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2014.

Palma- Angeles, Antonette and Azada, Rowena, "Medicine Prices, Price Controls and the
Philippine Pharmaceutical Industry" Monograph produced by the Jose B Fernandez, Jr. Ethics
Center and Ateneo Graduate School of Business, 2011.

Werhane, Patricia H. Moral Imagination and Management Decision Making. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999.

F. Course Requirements:
1. Unannounced quizzes ( at least 4) 40%
2. Final oral exam 20%
3. Individually written up and analyzed case analysis (2)
20%
4. Group discussions (to include analysis of cases)
Teacher and group grades (forced ranking) 20%

G. Grading System
A 3.76-4.00
B+ 3.31-3.75
B 2.81-3.30
C+ 2.31-2.80
C 1.81-2.30
D 1.00-1.80
G. Class Policies:

Classroom policies to be observed are taken from the Student Guide to the
Code of Academic Integrity and the Academic Regulations stated in the
Undergraduate Student Handbook.

The following policies are highlighted:

1. Punctuality is required:
• Coming to class within 15 minutes after the bell rings is
considered tardiness; beyond 15 minutes is considered an
absence; 3 “lates” is ONE cut.
• Coming late to the oral exam will not merit an extension to
the original schedule.
2. Use of mobiles to send, receive texts and to make or receive calls in the
classroom is strictly prohibited. All phones should be turned off or put in
silent mode during the class. Students whose phones sound off during
class or are caught using their phones will be automatically thrown out of
class and given a cut.
3. We will follow the LS dress code. Students not following the code will not
be allowed to enter the classroom.
4. No make-up quizzes will be given students who are absent on the day the
surprise quiz is given.
5. Papers are to be submitted until 5.00 PM on the days there are assigned.
Late papers will not be accepted.

H. Consultation Hours:
T-Th 1.30-3.00
Philosophy Department
Email: angeles@ateneo.edu