REFRESH:

Have you ever encountered cultural issues affecting universal values? Write your
answer on the space provided.

Yes. The best example of this is abortion. We all know that killing an innocent child is a very big sin to
law and to Our Almighty God and it affects universal values because Universal values are doing such
good deeds and knowing what is right and wrong and we know that abortion is a very bad thing to do.

LESSON 1
MAN AS A MORAL AGENT
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, the students should be able to:

1. Explain what moral agent means

 It is the ability of a person to discern right from the wrong and
to be held accountable for his or her own actions.
2. To discuss the meaning of fundamental option
 Each person makes a deep and basic choice for or against God.
Individual acts we perform may or may not be in accordance
with that fundamental choice.

INTRODUCTION:
After learning the basic concepts of morality and ethics, let us now turn our
attention to the in moral agent who is expected to develop in moral and ethical
character.
DIAGNOSTICS:
1. Can a dog be a moral agent? Why or why not?
 No, because they can discern the right from the wrong and
they can’t take the responsibility in their wrong doings.
Basically Human beings are the only one that can be moral
agent.

2. Can a robot be a moral agent? Why or why not?

 No, because it is a robot, but the one who controls the robot can be
responsible for the robots action. Robot can’t be moral agent but
the person who control or own it can be a moral agent with robots
action.

3. What must a moral agent have for him/her to be a moral agent?

 The ability to discern what is right and wrong, and the ability to
take responsibility on his or her actions if it is good or evil in a
 moral sense.

APPLICATION

1. Is a permanently insane person considered a moral agent? What

about a person with some psychological trauma, psychiatrist
illness episode, or medical condition that rendered him insane at
the time he committed the crime. Is he a moral agent?

 No, because a person with some psychological problem can’t think

properly. She or he can’t determine what is good or evil, right and
wrong. He or she can’t even handle herself on what he or she doing
when he or she had tantrums. They cannot even remember what they
have done.

2. “What if a good person who has dedicated his life to people and
God turns away from goodness and from God at the last minute
of his life. Will he go to hell?” On the contrary, here is a person
who has opted to live a life for himself disconnected from others
and from God but in the last minute of his life opts for God, will
he go to heaven? Are these likely to happen considering the
concept of fundamental option?

 You can go to heaven if you wholeheartedly repent all of your sins.

God will never turn his back on you, no matter how sinful you are
He will forgive you and He will never leave you especially in this
kind of situation. For me there’s no hell but there is a Heaven and I
do believe that we will go to heaven, we just need to repent all of
our sins and surrender ourselves to Our Almighty God.

3. If you see a bad habit begin to develop, try to nip it in the bud so that it does not become
ingrained.

 Because if you let this to develop and become greedy and aggressive it
will be hard for you to let it go but if you truly wants to change then
there are a lot of way to change yourself and to let go your bad habits.

4. If your fundamental option is yes to goodness and God, does

this mean there will never be times when you disgress or deviate
from what is good?
 There is, you can’t stay as a good one because there are a lot of trials
that will come into your life and there are also times that you can do
bad things that will opposite on your doings.
 5. God himself or a life that is good is your fundamental option. But once in a while you may
deviate from what is good despite your basic choice of goodness. Are these the venial sins
referred to by Catholic Christians? What must you do to be true to your fundamental option?

 I must repent on all of my sins, because I know that this is the best
way to do in able for me to be true to my fundamental options.

ASSESSMENT:

1. Why can’t the lower forms of animals be considered as moral

agent?
 Because they can’t think logically and rationally, and they can’t be
accountable for their actions and they could not think what is right and
wrong

2. For a person’s fundamental option either he/she chooses

between two. Who or what are these two options?
 Sin and Salvation. I know all of us are sinful person but I want salvation
even though I committed a lot of sins at the end of the day I will repent
on my own all of my sins.

3. Study the picture below.

 Yes, the salvation.

ACTIVITY: Using the pattern below, find three (3) important terms that you do not understand from
the article and find their definition. Use them in at least two (2) sentences.

TERM/WORD MEANING EXAMPLE SENTENCE

a philosophical theory or
approach which emphasizes
the existence of the individual
person as a free and
Existentialist responsible agent determining
their own development
through acts of the will.
1. justine existentialism
is the most precious gift
from Above.
2. your existentialism is
my strength.

or relating to space and time 1. I need Spatio-temporal

together (having both spatial to think more.
extension 2 Joana has Spatio-
and temporal duration) temporal when time
passed.
Spatio-temporal
 condition
the action of looking 1. the road is too busy
thoughtfully at something for a for leisurely
Contemplation long time:
contemplation of the
scenery
2. The painting looks
contemplation

DIAGNOSTICS:
Share an experience that shaped your values and moral
formation. It may be a conversation that determined your career, an
event that changed the course of your life or anything else that you
believe has determined what you have become.

What you shared is called defining moment in one’s life. What

is meant by a defining moment?

 When I stopped going to school because I prioritize my friends

over studies I am in Old curriculum before but now I am in new
curriculum because of the changes happen, they implemented K
to 12 and it has a big impact to my life. When I didn’t stopped
before maybe I already graduated from college right now but
then I chose to stop.

APPLICATION:
1. Illustrate this with a diagram. Do you agree
with this?
Watch your thought;
They become your words.
Watch your words;
They become your actions.
Watch your actions;
They become your habits.
Watch your habits;
They become your character.
Watch your character;
They become your destiny. – Lao-Tzu

 Yes I agree with this. Because it is hard to a person when he keep his
or her thoughts inside so they need to burst it out and it became your
words and words that turn into action and as time goes time it will be
 your habits, it define you as a person.
.

2. Show the relationship of individual acts and moral character

by means of a mathematical formula. E.g. individual moral act
+ individual moral act + individual moral act = moral
character. Improve on the given formula.

 Individual moral act + moral act = ethical

3. Based on the narration of St. Paul’s and St. Augustine’s

conversion, can we say one’s defining moment is one’s moment of
conversion?
 Yes

REFLECTION:
What was a defining moment in your life? What do you do to form
your moral character?
 When I stopped going to school because I prioritize my friends over
studies I am in Old curriculum before but now I am in new curriculum
because of the changes happen, they implemented K to 12 and it has
a big impact to my life. When I didn’t stopped before maybe I already
graduated from college right now but then I chose to stop. I form my
moral character when I realized that wasting my time is also
wasting my parent’s effort to earn money just for me.

DIAGNOSTICS:
1. Answer this question:
What makes you come to school everyday? Check that/those which
applies/apply to you
__/__ Teachers tell me so (school policy)
__/__ I am afraid to be dropped and fail.
__/__ To show to my parents and teachers that I am a good student.
___/_ I promised my parents never to be absent
__/__ It is the right thing to do; school rules say so.
___/_ I want to become a professional.

2. Among the reasons given, what do you think is the best reason
for coming to school everyday and why.
 I am afraid to dropped and fail. Because If I failed I think I waste
my parent’s effort, my fight in this battle is also their fight. They
give everything I want and I need so I must give their kindness
in return and that is Diploma not failure.

3. What are very adequate reasons? What are not very adequate
 reasons?

 I am afraid to be dropped and fail, to show to my parents and teacher

that I am a good students and I want to become a professional those
are adequate reasons, and for inadequate reasons are I promise to my
parents never to be absent, and teacher tell me so.

APPLICATION:
1. The Heinz dilemma
Should Heinz have broken into the laboratory to steal the
drug for his wife? Why or why not?
 He should steal the medicine because he will be
much happier if he saves his wife, even if he will
have to serve a prison sentence.
 That is what we called TRUE LOVE even if it means your life you will do
everything for your wife. You will take a risk even if it is bad or criminal
you will sacrifice everything just to save your love ones. Heinz did an
awful things but it doesn’t mean that it is his fault, it is also a doctor’s
fault because he prioritize money over the lives of a patient. I know
that stealing is a sin and your breaking the law but his wife is dying
and he has no one left to get money, but no matter how hard the
situation there are always a solution but the solution he did is a bad
thin.

2. Give reasons why students cheat/don’t cheat. Classify the

given reasons based on Kohlberg’s six stages.
 They cheat because they wanted to keep their parents
expectation, they also cheat because they have lack of
confidence and they don’t trust their selves. They don’t cheat
because it is a sin and it is one of the rule of your school, for you
to be able a good students you must abide the rules and
regulations of your school.
3. Longitudinal data on studies of Kohlberg’s theory shows a
relation of the stages to age, although a few people ever attain
the two highest stages. Only 10-15% are capable of the kind of
abstract thinking necessary for stage 5 or 6 (post-conventional
morality). That is to say, most people take their moral views
from those around them and only a minority think through
ethical principles for themselves. What should be done in
values education/character education classes to help students
advance in their moral development and reach the 2 highest
stages?

4. Which level of Kohlberg’s moral development did the Greatest

Teacher, Jesus Christ, reach? Explain your answer.
 Stage 5. Social contract orientation - The child/individual becomes
aware that while rules/laws might exist for the good of the greatest
number, there are times when they will work against the interest of
particular individuals. In this level, individuals reason out that values,
rights and principles transcent the law.

5. Acting in accordance with the dictates of your conscience is in

which developmental stage of Kohlberg?
 Stage 6. Universal, ethical, principle orientation. Individuals at this
stage have developed their own set of moral guidelines which may or
may not fit the law. They have developed moral judgments that are
based on universal human rights.
MORAL DEVELOPMENT

EXAMPLES DEFINITION ON OWN WORDS

 Abolishment of the death  Focuses on understanding the

penalty morality
 Abolishment of slavery  It is the process which a human
 Universal declaration of human gain his or her belief
rights.  Knowing what is right and
wrong.

CHARACTERISTICS FACTS
 Accountable for your action
 Determining what is right and
wrong
 Developing your action.
 It is the theory by Kohlberg
 It has 3 stages
Conventional
Pre conventional
And Post Conventional
 It has 6 levels