Ethics Prelim Module

DATA CENTER COLLEGE OF THE PHILIPPINES OF LAOAG CITY
ETHICS
Course Title: ETHICS

No. of Units: 3 units
Course Description:
Ethics deals with principles of ethical behavior in modern society at the level of the person, society, and
in interaction with the environment and other shared resources. (CMO 20 s 2013)
Morality pertains to the standards of right and wrong that an individual originally picks up from the Page |
community. The course discusses the context and principles of ethical behavior in modern society at the level
1
of individual, society, and in interaction with the environment and other shared resources. The course also
teaches students to make moral decisions by using dominant moral frameworks and by applying a seven-step
moral reasoning model to analyze and solve moral dilemmas
The course is organized according to the three (3) main elements of the moral experience: (a) agent,
including context - cultural communal, and environmental; (b) the act, and (c) reason or framework (for the act).
This course includes the mandatory topic on taxation.
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 experiences and solve
moral dilemmas.
4. describe the elements of moral development and moral experience.
5. use ethical frameworks or principles to analyze moral experiences.
6. make sound ethical judgments based on principles, facts, and the stakeholders affected.
7. develop sensitivity to the common good.
8. 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: 3 hours every week for 18 weeks or 48 hours in a semester

Course Outline: The course is organized according to the three (3) main elements of the moral experience
agent (to include context - cultural, communal and environmental) the act, and reason or framework for the act)
Lesson 1: Introduction to Ethics (Basic Concepts) 6 hours

Lesson 2: The Moral Agent (12 hours)
Lesson 3: The Act (12 hours)
Lesson 4: Frameworks and Principles behind our Moral Disposition Frameworks (12 hours)
Lesson 5: Conclusion: Ethics through Thick and Thin, and Ethics and Religion (6 hours)
ALL EYES! Note to the Students: Class Policies

1. Activate your Critical Thinking. In this subject you will be required to think, read, write and be creative.
2. Participation and Attendance. Attendance will be check whenever we have our online class. Students are expected to be
attentive and participate actively during our online class. Your participation will be considered as one of your performance and it
will be graded. Always turn on your video icon. Mute your speaker if the teacher is discussing and unmute your speaker if you want
to answer and have questions.
3. Punctuality. Tardiness should be avoided. Feel sleepy and bored? Mag exercise at warm-up bes! Kailangang maging active and
healthy 
Regarding the submission of your course requirements, since, we are experiencing a pandemic, I UNDERSTAND EVERYONE’S
SITUATION. Submission dates and deadlines will be announced, BUT DON’T WORRY, I will give you enough time to finish them.
However, late answers will be deducted and it will be half of your score. Moreover, early submission is encouraged.
I WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT YOU CAN TELL ME YOUR QUERIES AND WEARIES. DON’T HESITATE TO APPROACH
ME.
4. Honesty. Anyone caught cheating, sharing and copying answers or by other means will automatically fail the test.
All submitted activities, worksheets, answers must be your original work. PLAGIARISM is strongly prohibited because it is a crime.
To be clear, PLAGIARISM is taking any idea or writing that is not your own, or allowing someone to make use of your idea or
writing. CITE THE REFERENCES when you take information or sentences from the books, journals and websites.
Take note that all submitted answers will be checked THOROUGHLY. Kaya, Wala po tayong lusot 
5. Attire. Please be in your decent attire whenever we have our class. Avoid wearing sleeveless and revealing clothes. To add more,
before entering the class, do your personal thing (e.g. comb your hair, apply, retouch make-up, etc.).
A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

Instructor: STEPHANIE V. RAMBAUD
Pretest in Ethics
Let’s Check Your Ethical Behavior!
Instruction: Encircle the letter that best describes you regarding the situations in each number. There is no wrong
and correct answer.
1. You’re on a first date and things are going really well. At the end of dinner, your waiter hands you the check. After
reviewing your tab, you realize the appetizer you ordered wasn’t included on your bill. What do you do?
a. Ignore the waiter’s oversight and tip based on the total listed on the bill.
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b. Don’t say anything but leave a larger tip than you normally would.
c. Use the money you saved on the appetizer to take your date out for ice cream. 2
d. Bring the oversight to your waiter’s attention.
2. At the end of an important meeting your boss turns to you and compliments the suggestion you had for
streamlining the reporting process. The idea actually came from a coworker who shared it with you over lunch last
week. What would you do?
a. Say thank you and leave it at that.
b. Explain that you appreciate her compliment but must admit that you had some help from your coworker.
c. Shrug it off confidently saying, “There’s plenty more where that came from.”
d. Tell her that you can’t take credit because it was your coworker’s idea, but you agree it’s a great one, which is
why you brought it up in the meeting.
3. On your commute into work you notice the woman in the car driving in front of you putting on her makeup as she
drives. Several minutes later she knocks the side mirror off of a parked car and keeps going. What do you do?
a. Get the license plate number of the car in front of you and pull over to leave a note for the owner of the
damaged parked car.
b. Take a video of the car in front of you, narrating what just happened and post it to YouTube with the hope that
the owner of the damaged car will see it.
c. Pretend you didn’t see anything and continue on your route to work.
d. Get the license plate number of the car in front of you and call the non-emergency police number to report the
accident.
4. It’s lunchtime, so you head to the office kitchen to heat up your food. While you’re waiting on the microwave, you
notice an open file folder sitting on the table with what looks like a list of employees and their salaries hanging out
of it. No one else is in the room, so you have no idea who the folder belongs to. What do you do?
a. Ignore the open folder and go about your business.
b. After briefly looking at the contents of the folder (just to make sure you’re being paid competitively) you take it
to the HR Director for her to handle.
c. Take the folder with you and send out a company-wide email asking the person who left a file folder in the
third-floor kitchen to come see you to pick it up.
d. Without reading the visible pages, close the folder and wait. When its owner shows up, explain that you closed
the open folder as soon as you saw what it was but didn’t want to leave such sensitive information unattended.
5. You’ve been craving a soda all day. After digging through your desk for change, you head down to the vending
machine to get your mid-afternoon sugar fix. You insert the correct change, push the button and two sodas come
rolling down the shoot. What do you do?
a. Call the number on the vending machine to report the mistake and take the extra soda can to the receptionist,
so she can return it to the vending company when they show up to fix the issue.
b. Take the two sodas back to your office and smile at your good fortune.
c. Give the extra soda to your coworker who was complaining just the other day that that same machine had
taken her money and not given her a soda.
d. Give the extra soda to that same coworker, but tell her that you bought it specifically for her.
6. You come home to find that your roommate broke your headphones—the ones that took you two months to save
for. On your way to the electronics store the next day you run into someone selling the same headphones on the
corner. The headphones are still in their original packaging but based on the price you think they were either stolen
or counterfeit. What do you do?
a. Find a nearby ATM to get cash to buy the headphones on the corner. After all, you didn’t break them, you’ll
save nearly 80% and you won’t have to add to your debt by using a credit card.
b. Try to return the broken headphones to the store to exchange them for a new pair, claiming they never worked
in the first place.
c. Turn down the guy on the corner and his potentially shady goods. Continue to the electronics store to buy the
fully legal headphones.
d. Buy the headphones from the store. Then call the police to report the man on the corner for potentially selling
stolen or counterfeit goods and not having a vendor’s permit.

7. You’re planning a surprise birthday party at work for your supervisor and have invited your whole team. After
sending out an email to your team members asking them to chip in for a card, decorations and a cake, you’ve
only received enough to cover the cost of the cake. What do you do?
a. Spend time after lunch every day leading up to the party making decorations and a card out of office
materials from the printing room.
b. Front the money to buy the card and the decorations, and then send out another email after the party asking
your coworkers to reimburse you for it.
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c. Decide to cancel the party since no one seems that interested but keep the money they’ve already
contributed for the next team member’s birthday. 3
d. Forget the card and decorations and just get the cake, since that’s all the money everyone chipped in will
cover.
8. Standing in line at a café you notice the man in front of you drop a $5 bill out of his wallet and onto the floor. After
looking around it seems like no one else, including the man in front of you, saw the bill fall. What do you do?
a. Consider it karma for the $10 you lost last month on the subway, pick it up when you get to the counter and
use it to pay for your latte.
b. Tap the man on the shoulder and tell him that he accidentally dropped some money.
c. Pick up the $5 bill and put it in the tip jar when you reach the counter. After all, that guy was really rude to the
barista and didn’t even tip him.
d. Leave the bill on the floor and say nothing, figuring either the guy will come back for it or someone who needs
it more will find it.
9. You’ve been working as a personal financial planner (PFP) for the past decade. One day you hear that one of
your longest running client couples have gotten a divorce. After their divorce, but before you knew about it, you’d
done some work at the husband’s request. Several months later his ex-wife reaches out wanting you to continue
to be her PFP as well. What do you do?
a. Set up a conference call between yourself and the former couple to let them know about the conflict of
interest and ask them to choose who will stay with you and who will find a new financial planner.
b. Take on the ex-wife and ex-husband as separate clients. After all, you’ve worked with both of them for years
—and they’re both fine with it.
c. Explain the entire situation to the ex-wife, letting her know it would be a conflict of interest for you to work for
both she and her ex-husband. Then recommend a friend who you think would be a great CPA for her needs.
d. Explain the conflict of interest to both parties and excuse yourself from working with either of them to ensure
fairness.
10. Then offer each of them the contact information for several other qualified financial planners. On your way to grab
a cup of coffee from the office kitchen you over hear one of your supervisor’s peers making a sexist joke about
one of the females who works in the cube right next to yours. What do you do?
a. Report the incident to your supervisor so that you can remain anonymous, considering that the person you
are reporting is senior to you.
b. Nothing. They didn’t see you so you can pretend like it never happened.
c. Walk up and confront the supervisor, explaining that his joke was inappropriate, and he shouldn’t tell jokes
like that because someone else who might take even more offense could overhear him next time.
d. Walk up and join in the conversation. Even though you don’t agree with what he said, you don’t want to make
a big deal about it and it’s good always a good idea to make friends with people who hold positions senior to
yours.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
1. define Ethics.
2. give the importance of Ethics to your course.
3. differentiate between moral and non-moral standards.
4. recognize and recall a moral experience.
5. detect a moral dilemma.
6. identify the three levels of moral dilemmas. Page |
7. explain why only human beings can be ethical. 4
Lesson 1: Introduction to Ethics (Basic Concepts) 6 hours
A. INTRODUCTION
 Etymological Meaning of Ethics
 “Ethics” is derived from the Greek word Ethos which means custom or particular behavior.
 What Different Sources Mention About Ethics?

 According to Panizo, A. (1964), Ethics is the study of the moral behavior or conduct of man as
viewed from ultimate principles insofar as these principles are known by human reason. Ethics is a
philosophical science dealing with the morality of the human acts.
 Ethics deals with principles of ethical behavior in modern society at the level of the person, society
and in interaction with the environment and other shared resources. (CMO 20 s 2013)
 Importance of Ethics According to Panizo, A. (1964)

1. Ethics’ importance is derived from the significance of its material and formal objects.
2. There is nothing more important to the individual person than the acquisition of the ultimate purpose of
life, and the way to it is shown by Ethics.
3. Life in society is only possible by practicing the moral principles regulating human relations.
Activity 1: Importance of Ethics

In 3-5 sentences, Explain the importance of ethics to you and to your course. You can
write your answer on a sheet of paper or you can type your answer in Microsoft Word (Font: Arial,
Font Size: 11, Align Text: Justify, Line Spacing: 1.15) and it will be send thru Google Classroom (the
code will be provided), Messenger (my messenger will be provided) and School’s Drop off Points.
B. MORAL STANDARDS vs. NON-MORAL STANDARDS

 Differentiating Moral Standards From Non-Moral Standards
Moral Standards involve the rules people have about the kinds of actions they believe are morally
right and wrong, as well as the values they place on the kinds of objects they believe are morally
good and morally bad. Some ethicists equate moral standards with moral values and moral
principles. (Mañebog, J, 2013)
Six Characteristics of Moral Standards

1. Moral standards involve serious wrongs or significant benefits.
Moral standards deal with matters which can seriously impact, that is, injure or benefit
human beings.
2. Moral standards ought to be preferred to other values.
Moral standards have overriding character or hegemonic authority. If a moral standard
states that a person has the moral obligation to do something, then he/she is supposed to do
that even if it conflicts with other non-moral standards, and even with self-interest.
3. Moral standards are not established by authority figures.
Moral standards are not invented, formed, or generated by authoritative bodies or persons
such as nations’ legislative bodies. Ideally instead, these values ought to be considered in the
process of making laws. In principle therefore, moral standards cannot be changed nor nullified
by the decisions of particular authoritative body. One thing about these standards, nonetheless,
is that its validity lies on the soundness or adequacy of the reasons that are considered to
support and justify them.
4. Moral standards have the trait of universalizability.
Simply put, it means that everyone should live up to moral standards. To be more accurate,
however, it entails that moral principles must apply to all who are in the relevantly similar
situation. If one judges that act A is morally right for a certain person P, then it is morally right for
anybody relevantly similar to P.

5. Moral standards are based on impartial considerations.

Moral standard does not evaluate standards on the basis of the interests of a certain person
or group, but one that goes beyond personal interests to a universal standpoint in which each
person’s interests are impartially counted as equal.
Impartiality is usually depicted as being free of bias or prejudice. Impartiality in morality
requires that we give equal and/or adequate consideration to the interests of all concerned
parties.
6. Moral standards are associated with special emotions and vocabulary. Page |
These moral standards are generally put forth as injunction or imperatives (such as, ‘Do not 5
kill,’ ‘Do no unnecessary harm,’ and ‘Love your neighbor’). These principles are proposed for
use, to advise, and to influence to action. Retroactively, this feature is used to evaluate
behavior, to assign praise and blame, and to produce feelings of satisfaction or of guilt.
If a person violates a moral standard by telling a lie even to fulfill a special purpose, it is not
surprising if he/she starts feeling guilty or being ashamed of his behavior afterwards. On the
contrary, no much guilt is felt if one goes against the current fashion trend (e.g. refusing to wear
tattered jeans). (Mañebog, J, 2013)
Non-Moral Standards
 It refers to rules that are unrelated to moral or ethical considerations. Either these standards
are not necessarily linked to morality or by nature lack ethical sense. Basic examples of
non-moral standards include rules of etiquette, fashion standards, rules in games, and
various house rules. (Mañebog, J, 2013)
 It involves your wants, preference and taste.
Activity 2:
1. Give 10 moral standards that you personally believe in.
2. Give 10 non-moral standards that you constantly do.
You can write your answer on a sheet of paper or you can type your answer in Microsoft Word
(Font: Arial, Font Size: 11, Align Text: Justify, Line Spacing: 1.15) and it will be send thru Google
Classroom (the code will be provided), Messenger (my messenger will be provided) and School’s Drop
off Points.
DILEMMAS
 What are Dilemmas?
A dilemma is a situation where a person is forced to choose between two or more conflicting
options, neither of which is acceptable.
 Moral Dilemma
 It is when dilemmas involve human actions that have moral implications.
 These are situations where persons who are called moral agents in ethics, are forced to choose
between two or more conflicting options, neither of which resolves the situation in a morally
acceptable manner.
Example Scenarios:
Scenario 1: Telling a Secret
Your friend tells you that they committed a crime. They explain that they are having trouble
sleeping at night and feel you are the only one they can trust with their confession. A few days
later, you read in the paper that someone has been arrested for your friend’s crime. Do you:
 Go to the police and tell them what you know?
 Encourage your friend to confess and warn him if he does not do so, you will tell?
 Say nothing because you will not betray a friend’s confidence?
Scenario 2: A Difficult Choice

You and your family love the beach and decide to spend a weekend at an isolated beach
cabin. Your teenage daughter often gets bored on your getaways, so you make plans to take
your niece along. As soon as you arrive, a storm is looming on the horizon and the water looks
rough. You tell the girls they can get ready to swim, but to come back and help unload the car.
They are so excited, they do not pay attention to the last part of what you say and run down to
the beach to swim. You do not realize they have done so until you hear your daughter scream.
You realize they are both caught in a strong current and might be swept out to sea. You are a
good swimmer and know you can save one of them. You have a difficult choice to make. Do
you:

 Save your niece first as she is a poor swimmer and will not be able to last as long as
your daughter?
 Save your daughter first, because, although she is a strong swimmer and may be able to
last long enough for you to come back after saving your niece, you cannot stand the idea of
losing her?
C. THREE LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMAS (Individual, Organizational and Structural) Page |

 The Three Levels of Moral Dilemma 6
Individual- Judgment is based on self-chosen principles, and moral reasoning is based on
individual rights and justice.
Example: The most common ethical dilemma is involved when you are taking someone to hospital
for an emergency treatment by car. The law states that speeding and running red lights is illegal.
However, this person might die if not treated quickly and they are in your car.
Organizational (i.e., business, medical and public sector)
The organizing dilemma is a puzzle posed by the dual necessities of social organization and
member self-interest.
Depending on members' definitions of self, the organizing dilemma may exist between personal
interests and organizational welfare, or between group interests and organizational well-being.
Example: Sexually harassing female employees in an organization is an unethical behavior in the
work place (Andrews, 2014).
Structural (i.e., network of institutions and operative theoretical paradigms, e.g., universal
health care)
A structural dilemma is a conflict of perspective of sectors, groups and institutions that may be
affected by the decisions.
Examples of Structural Level:

1. Differentiation Vs. Integration
The tension between allocating work and coordinating sundry efforts creates a classic dilemma.
The more complex a role structure, the harder it is to focused, tightly coupled enterprise.
2. Gap Versus Overlap

If key responsibilities are not clearly assigned, important task fall through the cracks.
Roles and activities can overlap, creating effort, wasted effort and unintended redundancy.
An overlap occurs where two or more areas intersect each other, creating a region covered
by mul tiple areas.
A gap occurs where two or more areas fail to meet at a boundary.
3. Lack of Clarity Vs. Lack of Creativity

If employees are unclear about of what they are supposed to be doing, they often shape their
role around personal preferences instead of organizational goals, frequently leading to problems.
4. Excessive Autonomy Vs. Excessive Interdependence

If the efforts of individuals or group are too autonomous, people often feel isolated and
unsupported.
o With any dilemma, there are basic steps you can take to resolve it:
1. Name the dilemma for yourself. Identify the dilemma you face.
2. Identify the interests you want to meet
3. Identify the assumptions embedded in the dilemma that keep the needs from being met.
4. Describe the dilemma to others
o How do you overcome dilemma?

The biggest challenge of ethical dilemma is that it does not offer an obvious solution that
would comply with ethical norms. Throughout the history of humanity, people always faced
ethical dilemmas, and philosophers aimed and worked to find solutions to the problems.
By far, the following approaches to solve an ethical dilemma were deduced:

 Refute the paradox (dilemma): The situation must be carefully analyzed. In some
cases, the existence of the dilemma can be logically refuted.

 Value theory approach: Choose the alternative that offers the greater good and the
lesser evil.
 Find alternative solutions: In some cases, the problem can be reconsidered, and the
new alternative solutions may arise.
ACTIVITY 3 (ASSIGNMENT): Let's hear something from you. Recall and share a moral dilemma
experience in detail. What did you do? How hard is it for you to choose? Explain it clearly. If you
don’t have any experience about it, think of a situation. Note, it must be your original work. Page |
You can write your answer on a sheet of paper or you can type your answer in Microsoft Word 7
Classroom (the code will be provided), Messenger (my messenger will be provided) and School’s Drop
off Points.

ACTIVITY 4. CASE ANALYSIS

1. A group of people are inside a cave near the sea. The tour guide says it is time to leave because the
tide is rising. At high tide, the cave fills up with water. A fat man leaves the cave first, but there is a
problem. He gets stuck in the hole that leads to the outside. He can’t move. There is no other way out
of the cave. In a short time, the tide will come in and the cave will fill up with water. Everybody will die
except for the fat man. A 911 team arrives and says there are only two choices: use dynamite to make
a bigger hole or wait. If they use dynamite, the fat man will die but the others will be saved. If they do
nothing, the fat man can be saved, but the others will die. What should the rescuers do? Page |
Dilemma (What is 8
the problem?)
Issues (What are

the choices the
characters could
make?)
Resolution (What
choice does the
character/s make?)
Consequences
(What happens as
a result of the
choice that is
made?)
Moral (What lesson

has he/she
learned?)

Dilemma (What is
the problem?)
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9
Issues (What are
the choices the
characters could
make?)
Resolution (What
choice does the
character/s make?)
Consequences
(What happens as
a result of the
choice that is
made?)
Moral (What lesson

has he/she
learned?)
2. You have witnessed a moral dilemma in your workplace and you are the manager of the hotel. One of
your best employees, a trusted, hardworking, dedicated and patient one, has an argument with one of
the customers and this client is a VIP. They are arguing about the mistake of the employee. Here, the
employee accidentally dropped a glass of juice while he is serving the VIP and the glass was broken
that made the customer wounded. The employee calls for help and medics. Later on, he also asks for
forgiveness and even kneels down to the guest. But still, the VIP is mad to the employee. She wants
that employee to be fired because of the neglect of duty. Knowing each of their status, what will you do
as the manager? Will you grant the VIP’s request? because as the saying says, customer is always
right.
D. FREEDOM AS FOUNDATION FOR MORAL ACTS

 Only Human Beings Can Be Ethical

Human beings possess some traits that make it possible for them to be moral:
1. Only human beings are rational, autonomous, and self-conscious.

The qualities of rationality, autonomy, and self-consciousness are believed to confer a full and
equal moral status to those that possess them as these beings are the only ones capable of achieving
certain values and goods.
For instance, in order to attain the kind of dignity and self-respect that human beings have, a Page |
being must be able to conceive of itself as one among many, and must be able to consciously 10
select his actions rather than be led by blind instinct.
2. Only human beings can act morally or immorally.
Strictly speaking, an animal which devours another animal cannot be said to be immoral. In
the same manner, no matter how good an animal’s action seems to be, it cannot be technically
said to be moral.
This is important in Ethics because only beings that can act morally can be required to sacrifice
their interests for the sake of others. Not able to truly act morally, animals could not really sacrifice their
own good for the sake of others, but would even pursue their good at the expense of others.
3. Only human beings are part of the moral community.
The so-called moral community is not defined in terms of the intrinsic properties that beings
have, but rather in terms of the essential social relations that exists between or among beings.
Distinctively, only human beings can possess or practice values such as love, honor, social
relationships, forgiveness, compassion, and altruism. Moreover, only human beings can
communicate with each other in truly meaningful ways, can engage in economic, political, and
familial relationships with each other, and can also form deep personal relationships with each
other.
These kinds of relationships require the members of such relationships to extend
real concern to other members of these relationships in order for the relationships to continue. Another
thing human beings have that no animal has is the ability to participate in a collective cognition.
That is, we, as individuals, are able to draw on the collective knowledge of humanity in a way no animal
can.
 Freedom as a Foundation of Morality

As explained above, one of the reasons animals cannot be truly ethical is that they are not really
autonomous or free. Likewise, a robot, no matter how beneficial its functions may be, cannot be said to
be moral, for it has no freedom or choice but to work according to what is commanded based on its
built-in program.
Basically, morality is a question of choice. Morality, practically, is choosing ethical codes, values, or standards to guide us in our daily lives.
Philosophically, choosing is impossible without freedom.
Morality requires and allows choice, which means the right to choose even differently from our
fellows. In their daily lives, people make the choice to give to charities, donate time and money to
schools, mentor and children, open businesses, or protest against animal cruelty.
Everyone who wishes to function morally or rationally in a society has to make choices virtually
every minute of the day.
 Philosophical Insights on Freedom

1. Freedom is a Gift
According to Gabriel Marcel, freedom is the ability to act significantly. Free acts are significant
because they help to make us who we are as human beings. Freedom is not merely the ability to
make arbitrary choices because we are not free if everything that we can choose to do is
insignificant in the first place. Freedom is the ability to make significant choices and, according to
Marcel, it is gift given to us by God.
2. Freedom is Complementary to Reason
One of Aristotle’s ethical doctrines asserted that freedom and reason are complementary. In
Aristotle’s view, the human person as a moral agent must exercise practical rationality in order to
determine how to pursue his or her ultimate end. Self- direction, rather than bare spontaneity, is the
crucial characteristic of the free person. Aristotle considered freedom and reason as necessary
faculties for consciously making sense of things (events, occurrences, phenomena, situations).
3. Freedom is Absolute
Existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Satre’s concept of freedom is not the freedom to do
something or anything. In Sartre’s view, the human person is “absolutely free”. Freedom sets the
human person apart from other creatures. You might say “But what about animal freedom?
Animals- unless caged- are also free. Animals just roam around, eat when they need to, and sleep
where they want. Animals are not tied down with responsibilities like humans.”
4. Freedom Demands Responsibility

According to Sartre, even though individuals must make their own choices because they are
free, these choices (though freely made) also have consequences to it. These consequences to
freedom are something that the person must endure. Therefore, it can be said that in Sartre’s
concept, responsibility follows freedom.
Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu also discussed freedom and responsibility. Lao Tzu advocated
that a person can and should choose to act, but his or her actions should be that which would result
in harmony. Lao Tzu’s idea was that in any society, the exercise of one’s freedom is not absolute.
The person is free to do anything; but it is not without consequence of one’s actions. Responsibility, Page |
as a moral quality serves as voluntary check and balance of one’s freedom. Without proper balance 11
limitless freedom is a dangerous as an extremely controlling social group. Great social injustices
have resulted from such radical mindsets.
ACTIVITY 5. Considering moral acts, to you, WHAT IS FREEDOM? EXPRESS THRU ILLUSTRATING.
Criteria for Grading: Originality 15 %, Relevance to the Theme 15 %, Creativity 10 %, Meaning of
Freedom 10% = 50% or 50 points
You can create your work using bond paper. Below your illustration, write and complete the
following:
Base on my illustration, to me, Freedom is
_____________________________________________________________________________________.
Then, take a picture with your work and send it thru Google Classroom (the code will be provided),
Messenger (my messenger will be provided) and School’s Drop off Points.
References
BOOK:
Bulaong, Oscar G.et al 2018 Ethics Foundations of Moral Valuation. Rex Bookstore Inc. Nicanor Reyes St.
Recto Ave. Manila, Philippines
De Guzman, J.M. et al 2017 Principles of Ethical Behavior in Modern Society. Mutya Publishing House Inc.
Potrero, Malabon
Gallinero, Winston B. et al 2018 Ethics. Mutya Publishing House Inc. Pateros Malabon City
Pasco, Marc Oliver D. et al 2018. Ethics. C&E Publishing Inc. Quezon City, Philippines
Panizo, A. 1964. Etymological Meaning of Ethics
Panizo, A. 1964.. Definition of Ethics
INTERNET REFERENCES:
Plato on Justice http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic
Mañebog, J, 2013. Moral vs. Non-Moral Standards. Retrieved from https://ourhappyschool.com/node/824
Three Levels of Moral Dilemma. http://www.coursehero.com/file/50536034/Three-levels-of-moral-

dilemmadocx/
Learning Objectives
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
1. articulate what culture means.

2. recognize the differences in moral behavior of different cultures.

3. evaluate the strength and weaknesses of cultural relativism.
4. analyze crucial qualities of the Filipino moral identity in their own moral experience.
5. identify and explain why universal values are necessary for human survival.
6. recall defining moments in their moral formation.
7. identify and articulate each stage of moral development.
Lesson 2: The Moral Agent (12 hours) Page |

A. Culture In Moral Behavior 12
 Culture and its Role in Moral Behavior
Culture
 Popular Definitions:
 refers to the “first things in life”: good taste, appreciation of fine arts, music and literature
 an example of culture is when a person who eats the proper foods at the proper places with
the proper utensils and using the proper manners in “cultured”
 Sociological Definitions:
 a complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals and customs and any
other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society (Taylor, E.)
 man’s social heritage which has been transmitted from ones generation to another
 any piece or pattern of behavior, any attitude, value, or belief, any skill that human beings
learn as a member of a human group, plus the use or manufacture of any material item that
is derived from these human abilities.
 an organization of phenomena that is dependent upon symbols, phenomena which include
acts (pattern of behavior); objects (tools and things made by man; ideas (beliefs,
knowledge) and sentiments (attitudes, values). (White, L.)
 culture is also civilization- a relatively advanced, complex high degree of cultural
development in which people have evolved a sophisticated system of written
communication, complicated agricultural or industrial development and a political
organization beyond the kinship stage
Characteristics of Culture
1. Culture is learned.
2. Culture is transmitted.
3. Culture is social.
4. Culture is ideational/normative
5. Culture is adaptive.
6. Culture is integrative.
Components of Culture
1. Material Culture (Artifacts)
 Physical objects of culture that man creates and uses such as machines, tools, books,
clothing, and so on. They range from the prehistoric stone tools of primitive man to the more
advanced and complex implements and machinery of modern man.
2. Normative Culture (Social Norms)
 All norms and expectations for behavior: social rules, guides and standards of conduct
which tell us what is proper or improper, appropriate or inappropriate, right or wrong.
 Social norms include folkways, mores, taboos, laws, fads, fashions and crazes.
 Folkways are customs; norms which can be broken without serious consequence. For
Mores are almost equivalent to morals or sacred always and breaking them has serious
effects.
 Taboo, a type of norms that evokes even more intense feelings and greater compulsion to
comply than mores. Tabooed behavior is considered terrible and loathsome, and taboo
violators are likely to be considered crazy.
 Laws are normalized social norms enacted by people which have been vested with political
powers as some kind of legislators and which are enforced through the machinery of the
state by a person or organization whose role or function is so defined.
 Fashions, fads and crazes are short-lived social norms which demand compliance at the
time they operate. They include modification in the style of dresses, bags, shoes, and hair,
style of houses, furniture, cans, and gadget and so on.
3. Cognitive Culture
 It includes knowledge ideas, attitudes, values and beliefs.

 It is the non-material aspects of culture and embodies man’s conception of his physical,
social and cultural world.
Functions of Culture
1. It distinguishes man from animals.
2. It sets pre-conditioning factors for the development of man’s personality.
3. It is a tool for analyzing human behavior.
4. It provides knowledge which enables man to survive physically and socially. Page |
13
Moral Behavior
To act according to ones moral values and standards. Children demonstrate prosocial and
moral behavior when they share, help, co-operate, communicate, sympathize or in otherwise they
demonstrate ability to care about others. (Talwar, V., 2011)
Roles of Culture on How It Defines our Moral Behavior

1. Culture plays a vital role in shaping the society and the country. A good culture makes it
easy and natural to progress, a collective progressive behaviour is a boon to a country. For
most of the people the behaviour is just built automatically through experiences and events they
experienced.(Tomar, S. 2017)
2. Culture influences our perception of what is right and wrong.
3. Culture gives unity to the people in the society.
Activity 1: Reflection (LABEL IT AS “ACTIVITY 1: HOW DOES COMMUNITY INFLUENCES

MY BEHAVIOR”)
 How do you think your community influences your behavior?
 With your behavior, how will it help you in your course and to achieve your goals?
You can write your answer on a sheet of paper or you can type your answer in Microsoft Word
Classroom (the code will be provided), Messenger (my messenger will be provided) and School’s
Drop off Points.
 Cultural Relativism
 Cultural Relativity is the idea that the culture of people should be understood properly only in
and on its own terms. The principle of cultural relativity can be stated as, “Don’t judge one
culture on the basis of the terms of another culture.” Failure to adhere to this principle results in
ethnocentrism.
 The concept of cultural relativism also means that any opinion on ethics is subject to the
perspective of each person within their particular culture. Overall, there is no right or wrong
ethical system. In a holistic understanding of the term cultural relativism, it tries to promote the
understanding of cultural practices that are unfamiliar to other cultures such as eating insects,
genocides or genital cutting.
There are two different categories of cultural relativism:

Absolute: Everything that happens within a culture must and should not be questioned by
outsiders. The extreme example of absolute cultural relativism would be the Nazi party’s point of
view justifying the Holocaust.
Critical: Creates questions about cultural practices in terms of who is accepting them and why.
Critical cultural relativism also recognizes power relationships.
Strength Weaknesses
Promotes equality among cultures Right and wrong is relative-no standard basis
to say an act is right or wrong
Promotes respect Nobody can criticized the not good or bad
cultural practices of other cultures
Preserves human cultures Promotes individualism
Promotes appreciation to one’s culture Perceptions become truths
Promote cooperation and Creates chaos
collaboration
 The Filipino Way

Philippine Cultural Values

Value
1. It is an idea shared by the people in a society about what is good and bad, right and wrong,
desirable and undesirable.
2. It is a person’s values which define what is most important to him. They influence his behavior
and they are the criteria by which norms themselves are judged.
The Philippine Value System Page |
1. Philippine value orientations are still predominantly those of a traditionally rural society: 14
personalism, non-rationalism, particularism. Harmony with nature and with people is more
important than mastery.
 Personalism attaches great importance on the warmth and closeness of reciprocal ties,
loyalty to persons, family and kinship obligations and smoothness of interpersonal relations.
 Non-rationalism involves uncritical acceptance, reverence and protection of tradition or
rituals. There is a resistance to scientific methods, an unswerving loyalty to the group and
unquestioning obedience to authority.
 When a man’s concern is centered on sub-groups comprising his relatives, friends,
colleagues, associates, religious affiliates or members of his ethnic or regional group in the
larger society to which he belongs, he is particularistic.
2. The aims, goals and aspirations of Filipinos in general converge around the following value-
themes arrange in the order of importance.
a. Social acceptance is enjoyed when one is taken by one’s feelings for what he is or believes
he is and is treated in accordance with his status. It is the desire to be accepted as a person
by the significant others.
b. Smooth Interpersonal Relations (SIR) implies the art of getting along, the avoidance of
disagreement and outward signs of conflict, the ability to keep silent when in opposition, to
remain age usable even under difficult circumstances and to be sensitive and sympathetic to
what people feel or think. SIR is maintained by euphemism, pakikisama and the use of a go-
between.
 Euphemism is the use of oblique language, the indirectness of his answers, his
inability to say no, his silence when he disagrees, and his tendency toward overt
approach especially infront of persons in authority.
 Pakikisama is good public relations or the avoidance of open disagreement or
conflict with others.
 The use of a go-between is observed when a person has to conduct difficult
transactions, to act as an intermediary when asking for a favor, to negotiate
between parties as in a marriage proposal and others. This is used to avoid open
confrontation on the risk of a refusal or suffering hiya as well as to ensure
success negotiation.
c. The Filipinos is also “shame” (hiya) oriented that is, the major concern is social approval and
acceptance by a group and belongs to a group. His desires and ambitions will depend on
what pleases or displeases others.
d. The desire for social acceptance is accompanied by the fear of personal rejection, a
sensitive amor-propio or self-esteem, a keen sense of personal dignity and high sensitivity
to personal affront, insult or criticism.
 Forms of amor-propio are behavior patterns as “hele-hele bago quiere” or “pakipot”
which requires that a person initially refuses an offer even if he greatly desires to accept
it. Later, he may accept it if he is subjected to more prodding, or for delicadesa, which
means conformity with the ethical practices or expectations of the group.
 Amor-propio is high self-esteem and it is shown in the sensitivity of a person to hurt
feeling, insults, real or imagined. This is manifested in hiya, utang na loob and SIR.
 Utang na loob refers to a debt of gratitude for a favor or help extended- person which is
impossible to quantify. Failure to discharge partial payment in the forms of gifts or
services will cause hiya.
3. Economic Security as a goal of the average Filipino is the desire to access the essentials for a
decent human life and the opportunities to improving oneself.
4. Social mobility or advancement to higher class or position.
5. The rural Filipino looks at the world and nature as peopled by other beings different from himself
and governed by forces above him. His attitude is reflected in a belief of suerte or luck or fate)
and bahala na.
 Success is one more to suerte, God’s mercy (panalangin), or the help of others, he
does not claim it entirely for himself but shares it and its fruits with others.
 Bahala na is a kind of optimistic fatalism and a useful psychological mechanism that
helps cushion the ego against failure and disappointment. The individual may exert little
effort and leave everything to chance.

6. Other values which may limit or help development are:

a. Palakasan emphasizes status differentials and leads to abuse and exploitation of the weak
by the strong (the malakas)
b. Para sa sarili is self-reliance. It is rooted in the Filipinos national traditions. It is the burning
ambition of every Filipino to be himself, to be his own man, to be a person in his own right,
to make up his own mind, to do his thing. It is to “own oneself”
c. Pagdadamayan, bayanihan, pakikipagapwa-tao can be utilized for effective cooperation
for a common cause. Page |
d. Bayanihan is mutual helpfulness while pakikiramay is the sharing of joy or sorrow. 15
Understanding Filipino Moral Behavior (from Filipino Virtues & Moral Development published by
the Economic Development Foundations in November, 1992)
Strength Weaknesses
Pakikipagkapwa-tao Extreme Personalism
Family Orientation Extreme Family-Centeredness
Joy and Humor Lack of Discipline
Flexibility, Adaptability and Creativity Passivity and Lack of Initiative
Hardwork and Industry Colonial Mentality
Faith and Religiosity Kanya-kanya Syndrome
Ability to survive Lack of Self-Analysis and Self-Reflection
Activity 2: For instance, you are an event planner/manager/ambassador, and you are task to
promote our Filipino culture, values and attitudes to your hotel, foreign visitors thru a SLOGAN.
This slogan will be a trademark that they will never forget, hence, they will always remember. What will it
be? Please make it simple but catchy.
For example, our Tourism Slogan in the Philippines is “Its More Fun in The Philippines”. How
about you? What will be your SLOGAN?
NOTE: I WANT TO HEAR IT FROM YOU WHICH MEANS, I WANT YOUR ORIGINAL SLOGAN.
You can write your answer on a sheet of paper or you can type your answer in Microsoft
Word (Font: Arial, Font Size: 11, Align Text: Justify, Line Spacing: 1.15) and it will be send thru
Google Classroom (the code will be provided), Messenger (my messenger will be provided) and
School’s Drop off Points.
B. The Moral Agent: Developing Virtue As Habit

 Universal Values
The Universal values they are values that apply to all types of human beings, regardless of their
social, ethnic or cultural origin. A value is considered universal when it goes beyond laws and beliefs;
rather, it is considered to have the same meaning for all people and does not vary according to the
societies.
What Are The Universal Values?

The existence of universal values can be understood in two ways.
 The first is that a large number of human beings, under different living conditions and
subjected to different beliefs, find a certain human characteristic as valuable. In that
case, the characteristic in question would then be called a universal value.
 The second is that something is considered a universal value when all human beings
have reason to think that it is a characteristic that is generally valued, regardless of
whether or not it is believed in said characteristic.
For example, non-violence could be considered a universal value, because even
those who cause acts of violence may appreciate the common need for peace.
Universal Values in Different Branches of the Social Sciences

 Philosophy
The philosophical study of universal values seeks to answer certain questions, such as the
importance and meaning of what are a universal value and the veracity of its existence in
societies.
 Sociology
In sociology, the study of values seeks to understand how these are formed within a
functional society.

 Psychology
In psychology it is where more emphasis has been given to the study of universal values. A
series of practical studies have been developed, with Shalom Schwartz being the most
outstanding psychologist in doing so.
These studies seek to define the concept of universal value for a society and which values
could be considered universal for every human being.
Shalom Schwartz's Theory of Human Values Page |

Schwartz, based on the 10 values he identifies in his theory, also describes the relationships 16
they have with each other and the values that define them.
There are 4 groups of attributes that encompass all the categories studied by the psychologist:
 Capacity for change, which includes the ability to self-direct.
 Ability to improve oneself, which encompasses hedonism, achievements and power.
 Conservation capacity, which encompasses security, conformity and tradition.
 Ability to transcend: encompasses benevolence and universalism.
Classification According To Schwartz

According to Schwartz's hypothesis, universal values can be divided into three different
categories:
1. Related to biological needs

In this line are included the values that have to do with the basic requirements of the human being.
2. Related to social needs

In this case, it is about the values that have to do with social interaction, the need for recognition
of the other and coordinated functioning in the context of a society.
3. Related to good living and survival
The values linked to this category have to do not only with propitiating the functioning of society,
but also with looking for this operation to be generated in the best possible way. The ultimate goal is to
produce well-being for all members of society.
The 10 Main Examples of Universal Values

1. The power
In turn, this is subdivided into authority, leadership, domination, social power and economic
well-being.
2. The achievements
They are represented by the success, the personal capacity, ambition, influence, intelligence
and the respect of each person towards itself.
3. The hedonism
This is broken down into the subcategories of pleasure and enjoyment of life.
4. Personal stimuli
They are represented by extreme, exciting activities and a full life.
5. Self-directing
It is subdivided into creativity, freedom, independence, curiosity and the ability of each person to
choose their own objectives.
6. Universalism
Represented by the breadth of goals, wisdom, social justice, equality between humans, a world
in peace, harmony and beauty. It is also reflected in the unity with nature, the protection of the
environment and the harmony of each person with himself.
7. Benevolence
It translates into help, honesty, forgiveness, loyalty, responsibility and friendship.
8. Tradition
The tradition includes accepting the role one has in life, humility, devotion, respect for traditions
and personal moderation.
9. Conformance
It also includes the capacity for discipline and obedience.
10. Security
It includes personal "cleansing" from a mental point of view, family security and national
security, stability of social order and reciprocity of favors, sense of belonging and health.
Activity 3. In 3-5 sentences, explain why universal values are necessary for human
survival.
You can write your answer on a sheet of paper or you can type your answer in Microsoft
Word (Font: Arial, Font Size: 11, Align Text: Justify, Line Spacing: 1.15) and it will be send thru
Google Classroom (the codeAwill be provided), Messenger (my messenger will be provided) and
HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)
School’s Drop off Points. Instructor: STEPHANIE V. RAMBAUD
 Development of Moral Character

Character Page |
The English word “character” is derived from the Greek charaktêr, which was originally used of 17
a mark impressed upon a coin. Later and more generally, “character” came to mean a distinctive mark
by which one thing was distinguished from others, and then primarily to mean the assemblage of
qualities that distinguish one individual from another.
Moral Character
 Moral character can be conceptualized as an individual’s disposition to think, feel, and behave
in an ethical versus unethical manner, or as the subset of individual differences relevant to
morality. (Cohen, T. & Morse L. 2014)
 It is formed by one's actions. The habits, actions, and emotional responses of the person of
good character all are united and directed toward the moral and the good. (Mitchell, L, 2015)
 According to Lawrence Pervin, it is a disposition to express behavior in consistent patterns of
functions across a range situation.
Importance of Having a Strong Moral Character

The development of a strong moral character is pivotal to the overall development of an
individual.
If you have a strong moral character you will:
1. Achieve peace of mind.
2. Strengthen trust.
3. Build a solid reputation.
4. Reduce anxiety
5. Increase leadership effectiveness.
6. Build confidence
7. Become a positive role model
8. Live a purpose-driven life.
9. Build a strong business.
Development of Moral Character

1. Define your core values
2. Practice the habits
3. Find people with character
4. Take some risk
5. Stretch yourself
6. Commit to self-improvement
Some Good Character Traits to Practice

1. Attract the trust and respect of other people.
2. Allows you to influence others.
3. Changes your perspective about failure.
4. Sustains you through difficult times or opposition.
5. Improves your self-esteem, self-respect and confidence.
6. Creates a foundation for happy and healthy relationship.
7. Helps you stay committed to your values and goals.
8. Improves your chance of success in work and other endeavors.
Character Traits That Impact one’s Happiness (liveboldandbloom.com)

1. Integrity 11. Courage
2. Honesty 12. Generosity
3. Loyalty 13. Perseverance
4. Responsibility 14. Politeness
5. Respectfulness 15. Kindness
6. Humility 16. Lovingness
7. Compassion 17. Optimism
8. Fairness 18. Reliability
9. Forgiveness 19. Conscientiousness
10. Authenticity 20. Self-Discipline

ACTIVITY4: Every individual has its own intelligences and talents. In this activity, make a 1-2 minutes
Short Video Clip or Advertisement on how to lift up your moral character and the moral character of
other person. It is your own choice if you write a song, sing a song, and portray action and drama,
draw, paint, make a story, etc. You will be graded according to Originality 25%, Relevance to the Theme
20%, Clear Voice and Image 20%, Appeal 20 %, Appearance and Gestures 15% for a total of 100% or
100 points.
Your videos will be send thru Google Classroom (the code will be provided), Messenger (my Page |
messenger will be provided) and School’s Drop off Points. However if you can’t send your videos, I 18
will schedule an online class to watch your performance.
 Stages of Moral Development
KOHLBERG’S STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT

Kohlberg identified six stages of moral development while conducting his experience. He
categorized them into three different groups, depending on the age range of the individuals:
Level One: Pre-Conventional Morality

When it comes to the first level of morality, it’s called the pre-conventional level. We are in this
state of mind mostly up to the ninth or tenth year of our life. At this time, we don’t yet have a personal
morality code, meaning that we still have to shape it, learn from people around us and face the
consequences of breaking the rules set by the world. During this time, it is very important to have a
chance to develop the right morality code. For that to happen, you need to live in an environment that is
fitting for it. Everything, from neighborhood, family, friends, social and economic situation in the country,
can have a positive or negative influence.
 Stage One – Obedience and Punishment Orientation
In stage one, children want to learn about the rules, follow them and to avoid being
punished when those rules are broken. This is when we learn about what is perceived to be
right and wrong by the society we live in. Those rules might not be the same in each society, so
there are different interpretations of what is morally right, depending on the social factors, the
environment and other human factors that can affect our behavior and the way we make
decisions.
 Stage Two – Instrumental Orientation

In stage two, children started to show a bit different behavior, where they are no longer
blindly following the rules, but instead, trying to think would certain action bring something useful
to them or not. In other words, they started to ask the “What’s in there for me?” question.
At this point, the right thing to do is defined by individual beliefs. You will do something
because you believe it could be beneficial to you, not just because someone else says it’s the
right thing to do. This could lead to doing something for selfish reasons, rather because it is a
good thing to do. That could bring you to situations like “you help me, and I will help you”.
Sometimes this kind of thinking is not that bad, but when we talk about children, this type
of behavior can have counter-productive effects, making children to be less obedient and
sometimes even act bad and not listen to their parents.
Level Two: Conventional Morality

When it comes to level two, which is called conventional morality, it is when we start to accept
general rules and moral standards of society and adults. This is when we stop to question every action
and authority and internalize it as our own.
What this means is that on this level we are more inclined to accept authority, not because
someone else told us it is the right thing to do, but because now we truly believe in this moral code and
we embrace it without any doubts.
 Stage Three – Good Boy, Nice Girl Orientation

In stage three, we tend to ask and with for our actions to be approved by others.
Therefore, we act in a way that we’re trying to avoid disapproval. This is when we do things we
might not be comfortable with, but we still do it to please others in order to get their approval.
This includes being nice to everyone else, even when it is not in our best interest. This, per se,
is not a bad thing, but there are other actions that could be.
 Stage Four – Law and Order Orientation

When it comes to staging four, we finally start to see the bigger picture and accept the
moral code of our society, as well as some rules.
We do that not because someone ordered us to do it, but because we start to believe in
those rules. We feel like it is necessary to do it, in order for our society to continue to function
without any problems. So, we begin to believe that if at least one person didn’t follow the rules,
our society would collapse and changed drastically.
In that case, we want to avoid that and ask for approval from the people who are close to
us and from society in general. We start to believe that the actions and rules set up by the Page |
community are supposed to be followed in order to preserve the natural way of doing things. 19
Level Three: Post-Conventional Morality
At the post-conventional level, people start to question certain rules and laws. They come to
think that some of them and other actions in society are wrong and that there is a need for change.
At this point, people are starting to realize that every individual is an entity that is separated from
all others, with its own free will and moral code. This is when we start to live by our own moral code and
ethical principles, such as the desire for liberty and justice. We begin to see rules set by the society to
be as necessary, but also a changeable tool for ensuring the stability and welfare of the people.
This is when we stop to blindly follow the rules, simply because someone else said they must be
followed. In this case, since we are trying to impose our own opinion and beliefs, this level of morality is
often confused with the pre-conventional level, especially if we consider stage six.
 Stage Five – Social Contract Orientation

Stage five of morality represents the time when we start to develop different opinions
about the moral code and rules set by society. We start to question certain laws, institutions and
their work for the society. Rules and laws are no longer an absolute that should be followed
without questions. Laws that don’t contribute to the welfare of people in the society are
subjected to change and are replaced with those suited for that purpose.
In order for this to happen, there should be a majority of votes in the community,
meaning that there should be a compromise for which the majority of people will vote. We can
say that democracy per se is based on this very principle.
 Stage Six – Universal Ethical Principle Orientation

In the last stage of morality, stage six, we can say that moral reasoning is defined by
using certain universally accepted ethical principles. These principles are there to serve the
people and the society in general, so they are changeable if the need for that arises. And you
will certainly need these ethical principles further in life, especially if you want to be some kind of
a big and good leader. They are based on social ideas such as respect, individual dignity, and
equality amongst everyone. Laws and rules are considered to be valid as long as they fulfill their
main task, to preserve these ideas we had listed.
Rules that don’t contribute in that way are considered to be unjust and are often
subjected to change and if that is not possible, they are rarely obeyed by people, which leads to
social unrest. All this means that people will do something because it is the ethically right thing
to do, and if they don’t do that, they might feel guilty. However, it is very hard to reach this stage
of moral reasoning, even though Kohlberg insisted that this stage even exists
References:
Talwar V. (2011) Moral Behavior. In: Goldstein S., Naglieri J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and
Development. Springer, Boston, MA. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1829
Tomar, S. 2017 . How Does Culture Influence Effective Behavior. Retrieved from
https://medium.com/@tomarsamar/how-does-culture-influence-behaviour-27223c4c32f9
Cultural Relativism. Retrieved from

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/culturalanthropology/chapter/cultural-relativism/#:~:text=Cultural
%20relativism%20is%20the%20ability,standards%20of%20one's%20own%20culture.&text=The
%20concept%20of%20cultural%20relativism,person%20within%20their%20particular%20culture .
Universal Values. Retrieved from https://www.lifepersona.com/universal-values-what-they-are-

classification-and-most-outstanding-examples
Cohen, T. Morse L 2014. Moral Character: What it is and what it does

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264000952_Moral_character_What_it_is_and_what_it_does
Leunendonk, M.(2019) Kohlberg’s Theory of Development. Retrieved from

https://www.cleverism.com/kohlbergs-theory-of-moral-development/


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DATA CENTER COLLEGE OF THE PHILIPPINES OF LAOAG CITY

Course Title: ETHICS

Number of Hours: 3 hours every week for 18 weeks or 48 hours in a semester

Lesson 1: Introduction to Ethics (Basic Concepts) 6 hours

ALL EYES! Note to the Students: Class Policies

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

 What Different Sources Mention About Ethics?

 Importance of Ethics According to Panizo, A. (1964)

Activity 1: Importance of Ethics

B. MORAL STANDARDS vs. NON-MORAL STANDARDS

Six Characteristics of Moral Standards

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

5. Moral standards are based on impartial considerations.

Scenario 2: A Difficult Choice

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

C. THREE LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMAS (Individual, Organizational and Structural) Page |

Examples of Structural Level:

2. Gap Versus Overlap

3. Lack of Clarity Vs. Lack of Creativity

4. Excessive Autonomy Vs. Excessive Interdependence

o How do you overcome dilemma?

By far, the following approaches to solve an ethical dilemma were deduced:

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

ACTIVITY 4. CASE ANALYSIS

Issues (What are

Moral (What lesson

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

Moral (What lesson

D. FREEDOM AS FOUNDATION FOR MORAL ACTS

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

 Only Human Beings Can Be Ethical

1. Only human beings are rational, autonomous, and self-conscious.

 Freedom as a Foundation of Morality

 Philosophical Insights on Freedom

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

Panizo, A. 1964. Etymological Meaning of Ethics

Panizo, A. 1964.. Definition of Ethics

Mañebog, J, 2013. Moral vs. Non-Moral Standards. Retrieved from https://ourhappyschool.com/node/824

Three Levels of Moral Dilemma. http://www.coursehero.com/file/50536034/Three-levels-of-moral-

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

2. recognize the differences in moral behavior of different cultures.

Lesson 2: The Moral Agent (12 hours) Page |

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

Roles of Culture on How It Defines our Moral Behavior

Activity 1: Reflection (LABEL IT AS “ACTIVITY 1: HOW DOES COMMUNITY INFLUENCES

There are two different categories of cultural relativism:

 The Filipino Way

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

Philippine Cultural Values

A HANDOUT IN ETHICS (J.M.C.B)

6. Other values which may limit or help development are:

B. The Moral Agent: Developing Virtue As Habit

What Are The Universal Values?

Universal Values in Different Branches of the Social Sciences