Ethics: Foundations of Moral Values

Unit 1 – The Ethical Dimension of Human Existence

Ethics, generally speaking, is about matters such as the good

thing that we should pursue and the bad thing that we should
avoid; the right ways in which we could or should act and the
wrong ways of acting. It is about what is acceptable and
unacceptable in human behaviour. It may involve obligations
that we are expected to fulfil, prohibitions that we are required to
respect, or ideals that we are encouraged to meet. Ethics as a
subject for us to study is about determining the grounds for the
values with particular and special significance to human life.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

 identify the terms associated with ethics and its distinction; and
 express ideas about certain real-life situations that require moral
valuation .

Pre-test

Exercise 1 : What I Know About Ethics.

Directions : Fill out the shapes below with words that come into your mind
when you see the word “Ethics.”

Ethics
 Ethics: Foundations of Moral Values

Exercise 2 : Multiple Choice Test

Directions : Answer the following questions and encircle the letter of the
correct answer.

1. What word is derived from the Greek word aisthesis which means „sense‟
or „feeling‟ and refers to the judgements of personal approval or
disapproval that we make about what we see, hear, smell, or taste?

a. thesis c. aesthetics
b. anesthesis d. antithesis

2. It is a term used to refer to specific beliefs or attitudes that people have or

to describe acts that people perform.

a. morals c. ethics
b. values d. behaviours

3. This is the term used to refer to the discipline of studying and

understanding ideal human behaviours and ideal ways of thinking.

a. ethics c. behaviours
b. morals d. values

4. A study of ethics which reports how people, particularly groups, make

their moral valuations without making any judgement either for or against
these valuations. This kind of study is often the work of social scientists,
either a historian or a sociologist or anthropologist.

a. normative study of ethics

b. philosophical discussion of ethics
c. descriptive study of ethics
d. foundations of ethics

5. The study of ethics, as is often done in philosophy or moral theology, which

engages the question: What could or should be considered as the right
way of acting? In other words, it prescribes what we ought to maintain as
our standards or bases for moral valuation.

a. foundations of ethics
b. descriptive study of ethics
c. philosophical discussion of ethics
d. normative study of ethics
 Ethics: Foundations of Moral Values

6. When one is placed in a situation and confronted by the choice of what

act to perform, that person is called to make a _____________________.

a. moral issue c. moral decision

b. moral judgement d. moral dilemma

7. When one is torn between choosing one of the two goods or choosing
between the lesser of two evils, that person is said to have a ____________.

a. moral issue c. moral judgement

b. moral dilemma d. moral decision

8. When one cannot afford a certain item, but then the possibility presents
itself for that person to steal that item, that person is said to have a
_____________.

a. moral issue c. moral dilemma

b. moral decision d. moral judgement

9. When a person is an observer who makes an assessment on the actions or

behaviours of someone, that person is making a ____________.

a. moral issue c. moral judgement

b. moral dilemma d. moral decision

10. Which of the following is NOT a source of authority?

a. law c. religion
b. culture d. social media

Hi, thank you for answering the pre-test. The

answer key is found at the end of this unit.
Meanwhile, read the next section as it contains
information relevant to our topic!

Stay safe. Stay home. We Heal As One.

 Ethics: Foundations of Moral Values

Content

CLARIFICATIONS AND TERMINOLOGY

Recognizing the notions of good and bad, and right and wrong, are the
primary concern of ethics. In order to start, it would be necessary and useful to
clarify the following points.

A. KINDS OF VALUATION (Value Judgements)

Our first point of clarification is to recognize that there are instances when
we make value judgements that are not considered to be part of ethics.

For instance, I could say that this new movie I had just seen was a “good”
one because I enjoyed it, or a song I had just heard on the radio was a
“bad” one because it had an unpleasant tone, but these are NOT part of
the discussion of ethics.

There are three kinds of valuation: aesthetics, etiquette, and technique.

 Aesthetics is derived from the Greek word „aisthesis‟ which means

“sense” or “feeling” and refers to the judgements of personal
approval or disapproval that we make about what we see, hear,
smell, or taste.

For instance, I may have an opinion as to what is the “right” dip

(sawsawan) for my chicken barbecue, or I may maintain that it is
“wrong” to wear a leather vest over a Barong Tagalog, and these
are not concerns of ethics.

 Etiquette is concerned with right and wrong actions, but those

which might be considered not quite grave enough to belong to a
discussion on ethics.

For instance, we can differentiate how I may be displeased seeing

a healthy young man refuse to offer his seat on the bus to an elderly
lady, but my indignation and shock would be much greater if I were
to see a man deliberately push another one out of a moving bus.

 Technique or „technical‟, both from the Greek word „techne,‟ are

often used to refer to a proper way (or right way) of doing things.
 Ethics: Foundations of Moral Values

For instance, this could be when learning how to bake. I am told

that the right thing to do would be to mix the dry ingredients first,
such as flour or sugar before bringing in any liquids, like milk or
cream; this is the right thing to do in baking, but not one that
belongs to a discussion of ethics.

Something to think about…

One implication that can be noted is that the distinction

between what belongs to ethics and what does not is not always
so clearly defined.

Are clothes always just a matter of taste or would provocative

clothing call for some kind of moral judgement? Can we say that
a man who verbally abuses his girlfriend is simply showing bad
manners or does this behaviour deserve stronger moral
condemnation?

B. ETHICS AND MORALS

Our second point of clarification is on the use of the words “ethics” and
“morals.” We should be careful particularly on the use of the word “not”
when applied to the words “moral” or “ethical” as this can be ambiguous.

One might say that cooking is not ethical, that is, the act of cooking does
not belong to a discussion of ethics; on the other hand, one might say
that lying is not ethical, but the meaning here is that the act of lying would
be an unethical act.

The term morals may be used to refer to specific beliefs or attitudes that
people have or to describe acts that people perform. Thus, it is sometimes
said that an individual‟s personal conduct is referred to as his morals, and
if he falls short of behaving properly, this can be described as immoral.

On the other hand, the term ethics can be spoken of as the discipline of
studying and understanding ideal human behaviour and ideal ways of
thinking. However, acceptable and unacceptable behaviours are also
generally described as ethical and unethical, respectively.

Various thinkers and writers posit a distinction between the terms “moral”
and “ethics” and they may have good reason for doing so, but there is no
consensus as to how to make that distinction. So, in this module, we will be
using the terms “ethical” and “moral” interchangeably.
 Ethics: Foundations of Moral Values

C. DESCRIPTIVE AND NORMATIVE

Our third point of clarification is to distinguish between a descriptive and a

normative study of ethics.

 Descriptive study of ethics reports how people, particularly groups,

make their moral valuations without making any judgement either
for or against these valuations. This kind of study is often the work of
the social scientist: a historian, a sociologist, or an anthropologist.

 Normative study of ethics, as is often done in philosophy or moral

theology, engages the question: What could or should be
considered as the right way of acting? In other words, a normative
discussion prescribes what we ought to maintain as our standards or
bases for moral valuation.

D. ISSUE, DECISION, JUDGEMENT, AND DILEMMA

As the final point of clarification, it may be helpful to give a distinction of

the following terms.

 Moral issue

For instance, when a person cannot afford a certain item, but then
the possibility presents itself for that person to steal that item. This is a
matter of ethics (and not just law) insofar as it involves the question
of respect for one‟s property.

 Moral decision

This happens when one is placed in a situation and confronted by

the choice of what act to perform.

 Moral judgement

This is made when a person is an observer who makes an

assessment on the actions or behaviours of someone.

 Moral dilemma

We have a moral dilemma when an individual can choose only one

from a number of possible actions, and there are compelling
ethical reasons for the various choices. For instance, a mother may
 Ethics: Foundations of Moral Values

be conflicted between wanting to feed her hungry child, and then

recognizing that it would be wrong for her to steal.

SOURCES OF AUTHORITY

Several common ways of thinking about ethics are based on the idea
that the standards of valuation are imposed by a higher authority that
commands our obedience.

A. AUTHORITY OF THE LAW

The law does not tell us what we should do; it works by constraining us
from performing acts that we should not do. To put it slightly differently,
the law cannot tell us what to pursue, only what to avoid.

B. AUTHORITY OF ONE’S RELIGION

Many of us had been brought up with one form of religious upbringing or

another, so it is very possible that there is a strong inclination in us to refer
to our religious background to back up our moral valuations.

Unlike law, religion is not simply prohibitive, but it also provides ideals to
pursue. For instance, one may be called to forgive those who sinned
against him or be charitable to those who have less.

Our religion does not only provide us with a set of commands but also a
Supreme Authority that can inspire and compel our obedience in a way
that nothing else can.

C. AUTHORITY OF ONE’S OWN CULTURE

Our exposure to different societies and cultures makes us aware that there
are ways of thinking and valuing that are different from our own, that
there is in fact a wide diversity of how different people believe it is proper
to act.

What is ethically acceptable or unacceptable is relative to, or that is to

say, dependent on one‟s culture. This position is referred to as cultural
relativism.
 Ethics: Foundations of Moral Values

Learning Activities

Activity 1 : Post it!

Directions : Answer the tasks given below. Write your answers on the post-it
notes.

1. Comment on this statement: “What I believe must be true if I feel very

strongly about it.”

2. Imagine that you are a legislator. What rules or laws that currently prohibit
certain acts or practices would you want to amend or repeal?
 Ethics: Foundations of Moral Values

Activity 2 : List it!

Directions : Read the instructions below carefully and write your answers on
the space provided.

Identify a list of (a) obligations we are expected to fulfil, (b) prohibitions we are
required to respect, and (c) ideals we are encouraged to meet.

A. Obligations I am expected to fulfil

1. ___________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________________

5. ___________________________________________________________

B. Prohibitions I am required to respect

1. ___________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________________

5. ___________________________________________________________

C. Ideals I am encouraged to meet

1. ___________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________________

5. ___________________________________________________________
 Ethics: Foundations of Moral Values

Assessment

Directions : Read each item carefully and write your answer on the space
provided.

1. Give one example, i.e. a scenario, for each kind of valuation.

Aesthetics

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Etiquette

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Technique

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
 Ethics: Foundations of Moral Values

2. What are some of the distinctions between „ethics‟ and „morals‟? Use the
Venn diagram below to show your answer. In the middle, give one reason
why these terms are used interchangeably.

ethics morals

3. Think of a common Filipino value and discuss its strengths and weaknesses
below.

Hi, thank you for completing the entire task. If

you have encountered problems in any of these
tasks, please message me through our group
chat, google classroom, email, or text.

Stay safe. Stay home. We Heal As One.

 Ethics: Foundations of Moral Values

ANSWER KEY

Pre-test | Exercise No. 2

1. c
2. a
3. a
4. c
5. d
6. c
7. b
8. a
9. c
10. d