MODULE 2

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this module, the students should be able to:
 Appreciate the meaning of Ethics as the study of man as a moral
being; and
 Recognize what goals we assign to ourselves, what actions we
choose to do, and how we treat others.

2.1 Filipino Beliefs

Filipinos beliefs that:

1. Man is a creature of God.
2. Man has an immortal soul.
3. Man has assigned destiny in life.
4. Man must do good or else be punished by God.
5. Man by nature is good but is morally weak.

Regarding morality, Filipinos believe that:

1. Morality is “batas ng Diyos”
2. A person should respect his humanity, “pagkatao”
3. A person should love and care for his family.
4. A person should strive to live peacefully with others.
5. A person should fear God and His punishment.

2.2 Rational Animal

 Man is an organism composed of material body and a spiritual soul.
He is the whole of his materiality and immateriality, the substantial
union of body and soul, matter, and spirit. This essential wholeness is
what we call human nature.
 Human nature is made up of man’s biological, psychological, and
rational powers. The biological powers are nutrition, locomotion,
growth, and reproduction. The psychological powers include those of
the senses, such as smelling, tasting, seeing, hearing, perceiving,
imagining and remembering; and those acts of emotions, such as
love, hatred, desire, disgust, joy, sorrow, fear, despair, and courage.
 The rational powers are those of the intellect and the will –
comprehension and volition, respectively.

2.3 Natural Law

 All human powers or faculties are operational tendencies towards
what is good to man as a rational animal. In this sense, human
nature is the natural law because, like the laws of the society, it
directs man in all his activities. Natural law differs from the so- called
laws of nature which are the forces governing the material universe,
including man. Natural law applies only to a man as a rational
animal. When we speak of an act as contrary to natural law, we
mean the act to be against human nature or humanity.

2.4 A Moral Being

Three characteristics reveal man’s moral nature:
1. Man by natural insight is able to distinguish between good and evil,
right and wrong, moral and immoral. All people, including those we regard
as primitive, have an understanding of what is right or wrong, of what is
permitted and prohibited behavior.
2. Man feels himself obliged to do what is good and to avoid what is evil.
He is moved by the inner force of his being demanding that what is good
“ought” to be done, and what is evil “ought” to be avoided.
3. Man feels himself accountable for his actions so that his good deeds
merit reward, while his evil deeds deserve punishment. Man feels content
with himself for doing a good deed, or he feels remorseful for doing an evil
deed. All cultures have a system of reward and punishment based on the
concept of justice.
These characteristics show man’s innate perception of truth, duty, and law.
Contrary to this view is the theory suggesting that human nature as a blank
sheet (tabula raza) on which culture writes its text, so that man is merely
the product of social interaction and his behavior is nothing more than “a
reflex of social conditioning” (Erich Fromm, Beyond the Chains of Illusion,
29)
2.5 Man as Person
 Man is born as an individual, or person. Person is human nature
actualized and manifested in the history of place and time.
 Etymologically, the word “person” comes from the Greek word
“prosophon” which is the mask worn by stage actors. The latin
“personare” alludes to the mask which is constructed so as to project
forcefully the voice of the actor. Underneath the person is human
nature which is the principle of human activity.
 Person is defined as “an individual, existing, separately and
independently from others, capable of knowing and loving in an
intellectual way, and of deciding for himself the purpose or end of his
actions. (Brennan:280) We also refer to person as “self” or “ego”.

2.6 Personality and Character

 The person is an individual human being. Personality is the sum of
those physical attributes and tendencies which define a person’s
distinctive behavior. Personality is the sum of a person’s physical
constitution, talents, abilities, and habits which define characteristic
behavior. In layman’s terms, personality consists of the physical
qualities and mannerisms of an aesthetically refined person.

 As persons, all men are equal regardless of race. However, one

person may have more personality than another. Brennan observes:

“The person does not grow in stature, but personality develops and
enlarges itself according to the pattern of his actions, the mature use of his
powers, and the scheme of his habits. There is no such thing as cultivating
a person, but we speak of cultivation of personality. Hence, personality is
the result of one’s achievement”.

 Character is often taken as synonymous with personality. This is

correct if personality is taken as the sum-total of the psychological
systems in an individual which enable him to adjust to his
environment. Character, however, refers the person’s choice of
 values and his intelligent exercise of his freedom. (Vernon Jones,
Meaning of Character, Collier’s Encyclopdeia, V-708).

 While personality is an aspect of the body, character is an aspect of

the human soul. We describe personality as pleasant or unpleasant,
but we speak of character as good or bad in the moral sense.
Personality is the principle of rational action, while character is the
principle of moral action.

2.7 Moral Character

 Character is the will of the person directing him towards a recognized
ideal. This is how human actions are significant because they
actualize man’s potential to be what he truly is as a rational being.
When a person falls short of the expectation, he is said to have
character. On the other hand, a person who lives up to the ideals of
his humanity is said to have good character, or moral integrity.

 Character is not the product of a moment’s inspiration, but a

disciplined tendency to choose the right in any given circumstance. It
is adherence to what is true, beautiful, and good in us. History counts
men of great who acted against and above the prevailing beliefs and
practices of their day., like Jesus Christ, Sakya Muni or Buddha,
Confucius, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jose Rizal, Ninoy Aquino,
Pope John Paul II, and many more.

2.8 Social Dimension of the Person

 Society is but an extension of the person. Ethics is particularly
relevant because of man’s social nature. The golden rule, for that
matter, is concerned about the other person.

 Among modern thinkers, George Hegel teaches that man is fully

developed in his participation in family life, civic community, and in
the State. Likewise, Thomas Hill Green (1836-1882) expresses the
conviction that a person’s morality must identify itself with public
welfare.
 Paul Tillich puts it more clearly and emphatically when he says
natural law is the demand for us, “to be a person in the community of
other persons”.