PHILO 101

LESSON 2: Man as Moral Being

General Objective:
At the end of the session, the students are able to:
1. Describe the rational explanation why a person should be moral as presented by Christian and non-
Christian thoughts;
2. Internalize the healthy results brought about by being moral; and
3. Express one’s thought and/or experience of being moral through guided reflection and essay writing.

1. What is man?

Man is defined in philosophy as a rational animal. As an animal, man shares certain

characteristics with brutes and beasts. Brutes and animals rely so much on their senses when they inter-
act with their surroundings, much like humans do. Animals are driven by appetites, which are natural
biological drives of animals. These appetencies include the desire for food when hungry, or need for
water when thirsty. In fact, the need for sex is part of animal instinct. Since animals are not governed
by the standards of morality in their actions, man as an animal cannot be conceived as a moral being.
(Babor, p. 13).

On the other hand, man as a rational being is endowed with the power of the intellect. With this
power, he is capable of understanding things beyond the level of sensual experience. He does not only
perceive, but he analyzes, evaluates, assesses and makes judgments. It is man’s rationality that he is a
man; and, it is from this standpoint that man is considered a moral being. (ibid.)

2. What makes man a moral being?

Man is a moral being because: a) he is capable of performing conscious acts and be responsible
for them; b) he possesses an intellect that allows him to know what is right and what is wrong; and, c)
he is endowed with a will that allows him to act with freedom.
Man’s moral nature is revealed in the following postulates in ethics:
a. Man by natural right is able to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong, moral and
immoral;
b. Man feels himself obliged to do what is good and to avoid what is evil; and,
c. Man feels himself accountable for his actions so that his good deeds merit reward, while his evil
deeds deserve punished. (Agapay, pp. 12-13)

3. Why should man be moral?

Morals are core values and beliefs. These are things that you have; you can ‘be’ something that
you have. Ethics is how you act based upon your beliefs. Thus, you can be ethical. Core values are the
basics, the very foundation from which personal decisions and actions derive. Ethics require morals
because you cannot be ethical if you don’t have morals. So, there is a reason for man to be moral. This
is because man or people in general live in communities, or societies. By their nature, societies develop
rules of conduct. Rules, however, can be interpreted in any number of ways. This is one reason why we
have judges; they are rule interpreters. If a society has well defined morals, and the majority of the
people in that society agree to those morals, it is a lot easier to decide how rules should be interpreted.
In fact, it becomes a lot easier to know how to act in that society. The more clearly a society has
defined its morals, and the more consistent the morals of its individual member are with those society
morals, the fewer problems they will have. Major issues in societies - increased criminal activity,
uprising, rebellion, whatever, can usually be traced back to a significant breach or difference in core
values - morals. So people in general, if they have consciously developed morals, and share those
morals with others in their society, will find life considerably more pleasant than if they do have such.
(http://www.echeat.com/essay.php/essay.php?t=25862)

4. Who is to judge what’s right and wrong?

Man himself is endowed with the power to decide what’s right and what’s wrong. As rational
animals we are equipped with the ability to reason and make decisions based on common sense and
conscience. But, since this ability to make moral judgment may be clouded from time to time, norms
and standards in the form of laws and principles are established to guide man in making right decisions.
Society is instrumental in keeping these standards of morality. Making sure that man’s action is
checked against errors and false moral principles.

References:

Ruiz, G. Galido, N. et al. (2017). Professional Ethics. CrisPrint Publishing.

Agapay, R. B. (2008). Ethics and the Filipino People. Manila: National bookstore.
Babor, E. (2006). Ethics: The Philosophical Discipline of Action. Rex Book Store.
Manila Philippines.
Gaarder, J. (1996). Sophie’s World: A novel About the History of Philosophy. Berkley
Books, New York.
Glenn, P. (1965). Ethics: A Class Manual in Moral Philosophy. Coughty Mews, London,
W.C.1.
Lavine, T. Z. (1984). From Socrates to Sartre: The Philosophic Quest. USA: Bantam
Books.
Mabolol, Christopher Ryan, Ethics and human Dignity, Rex Book Store, 2010
Montemayor, Felix M., Ethics, the Philosophy of Life, National Bookstore, 2004
Nabor, Maria Imelda, P. (2003). Ethics. Quezon City: Katha Publishing Co., Inc.
Nabor-Nery, Ma. Imelda, Christian Morality and Ethics, National BookStore, 2010 Press, 2009
Reyes, Ramon Castillo, Grounds and Norms of Morality, Ateneo de Manila University
Sambajon Jr., Marvin Julian, Ethics for Educators, C & E Publishing Inc. 2011
http://www.theologicalstudies.org/articles/article/1527417/17150.htm
http://www.yourdictionary.com/grammar/examples/examples-of-eth.html
http://www3.sympatico.ca/saburns/pg0401.htm
http://www.echeat.com/essay.php/essay.php?t=25862