SS121 ETHICS

LESSON 3

The Act
Key Concepts
3.1 Feelings as instinctive and trained response to moral
dilemmas
3.2 Reason and impartiality as requirements for ethics
3.2.1 7 step moral reasoning process
3.3 Moral Courage

FIRST SEMESTER 2022-2023

DAVAO DEL NORTE STATE COLLEGE

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Lesson 3: The Act
Learning Outcomes:
 Explain some philosophical insights on feelings, and its influence in decision-making.
 Compare reasonable and emotional responses
 Discuss how reason and impartiality become a requirement for morality
 Present real-life cases against the 7-step model that uses reason and impartiality

Activity:
Match the pictures in Column A with each appropriate emotions in Column B. Write only
the letter of your answer in the space provided below.

Column A

a.
https://www.google.com/search?q=frustrated+meme+hd&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwist6jNxv_5AhWIG6YKHQkODwYQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=frustrated+meme+hd&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoGCAAQHhAIOgYIABAeEAc6CAgAEB4QCBAHOggIABAeEAcQBVDMC
Vi3GmDRHGgAcAB4AIABYIgBuQeSAQIxMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=XuoWY6yQBYi3mAWJnLww&
bih=656&biw=683#imgrc=0PuOIX8daQlJzM
b.
https://www.google.com/search?q=happy+meme+hd&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjCiLaex 5AhXRBaYKHT
wMDRoQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=happy+meme+hd&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIGCAAQHhAHMgYIABAeEAcyBggAEB4QCDoFC
AAQgAQ6CAgAEB4QBxAFOggIABAeEAgQB1DWHliiJWCmLWgBcAB4AIABWYgBhwSSAQE2mAEAoAEBqg
ELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=COsWY8LkCtGLmAW8mLTQAQ&bih=656&biw=683#imgrc
=BjvivdZCFrslfM&imgdii=0OIX0_4nn1ynSM

c.
https://www.google.com/search?q=angry+meme&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiuxIG7
wv_5AhXrglYBHZ3qBJsQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&cshid=1662445117345137&biw=1366&bih=600&dpr=1#i
mgrc=GjXICv_bZ1dLsM

d.
https://www.google.com/search?q=surprised+meme+hd&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKE
wj0z7fMxv_5AhXOtlYBHQ_xAZsQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=683&bih=656&dpr=1#imgrc=MirWHvQVepN
rsM

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 e.
https://www.google.com/search?q=sad+meme+hd&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiB5Z_vxv_5AhVH7ZQKHYD
PCIgQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=sad+meme+hd&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIFCAAQgAQyBggAEB4QBzIGCAAQHhAHMgYIABA
eEAUyBggAEB4QCDIGCAAQHhAIMgYIABAeEAgyBggAEB4QBToICAAQHhAHEAU6CAgAEB4QCBAHUJMG
WPIZYP4baAJwAHgAgAFriAGxBJIBAzUuMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=peo
WY8H-Dsfa0wSAn6PACA&bih=656&biw=683#imgrc=2DggREKBtDkPxM
f. https://www.google.com/search?q=satisfied+meme+hd&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj1mZ2hzP_5A
hUJdZQKHW-dDqIQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=satisfied+meme+hd&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoGCAAQHhAHOggIABAeEAcQBToIC
AAQHhAIEAdQ2RxYhitg1ixoAXAAeACAAV2IAdUIkgECMTOYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABA
Q&sclient=img&ei=TPAWY_XDDonq0QTvurqQCg&bih=656&biw=683#imgrc=IsR7lktNKmY5eM

Column A Column B
Anger
Surprised
Happy
Frustrated
Sad
Relaxed

Analysis:
Based on the activity, a single emotion can be displayed variously.
Consequently, a single situation can evoke different emotions. Now, let us answer the following
questions.

1. Do you use your emotions as basis of your actions or judgements? Why?

2. Do you trust its reliability as basis of your judgement? Explain.

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Abstraction:

FEELINGS AS INSTINCTIVE AND TRAINED RESPONSE TO MORAL DILEMMAS

"A man does what he must - in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and
pressures - and that is the basis of all human morality.“
- John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963), 35th President of the United States

Philosophical Insights on Feelings

Hume and the Philosophy of the Mind

David Hume’s Ethics: “Theory of the Mind”

I. Reason alone cannot be a motive to the will, but rather is the “slave of the
passions”.
II. Moral distinctions are not derived from reason.
III. Moral distinctions are derived from the moral sentiments: feelings of
approval (esteem, praise), disapproval (blame) felt by spectators who
contemplate a character trait or action.
IV. c

Although reason is needed to discover the facts of any concrete situations, reason alone is
insufficient to yield a judgment that something is virtuous or vicious (Hume, 2003). According to
Hume’s “Theory of Mind”, humans have what he called passions (which he used to describe
emotions or feelings).

Classification of Passion:

Direct- passions are caused directly by the sensation of pain and pleasure; the passion
that arises immediately from good or evil, from pain or pleasure”

Example of Direct Passion:

Desire- is a direct passion because it is an immediate response to the pleasure we expect

to feel. Other direct passions include aversion, hope, fear, grief, and joy. (Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosphy, 2016; Cohon, 2010).

Indirect- passions are caused by the sensation of pain or pleasure derived from some
idea or impression.

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 Example of Indirect Passion:

Pride- is a passion that emanated from the pleasure you get for possessing something
admirable (it could be intellect, physique, property, family, ect.) Pride therefore is a result
of the person, the object of the passion, and quality of the object.

Scheler and the Philosophy of Feelings HIERARCHY OF VALUES

Scheler sought to know what comprised the structures of consciousness, including that of
mental acts such as feeling, thinking, resolve, etc.- as well as the inherent objects or correlates of
these mental acts such as values, concepts, and plans (Frings, 2013). In Max Ferdinand Scheler’s
philosophy, the emotion is the most important aspect in human existence (Dy, 1986). Scheler
asserted that emotions/feelings are inherent, objective, and it exists even if you have not
experienced it before (a priori).
PLEASANT/
Sensual Feelings Involve bodily pleasure or pain UNPLEASANT
PLEASURE VALUES
Vital Feelings Life functions such as health, WELL-BEING OF THE
VITAL VALUES sickness, energy, fatigue, etc. INDIVIDUAL/COMMUNIT

Psychic Feelings About aesthetics, justice and INDEPENDENT OF

SPIRITUAL VALUES knowledge (scientific). THE WHOLE SPHERE
OF THE BODY &
ENVIRONMENT
Spiritual Feelings About divinity; Holiness or
REGARDS TO OBJECTS
VALUES OF THE HOLY
unholiness INTENTIONALLY GIVEN
AS "ABSOLUTE OBJECTS"

Difference Between Responses Based on Reason and on Feelings

Philosopher and Professor Dr. James Rachels asserted that in moral reasoning, you could
not rely on your feelings no matter how powerful these feelings may be. Feelings can be
irrational and merely a product of your prejudice, selfishness, or cultural condition.

An argument is reasonable if:

A. The facts are correct.
B. The moral principles are correctly applied
C. Everyone’s well-being is treated equally important.

What is the Role of Feelings in Decision-making?

Reasons play a role in making decisions. Philosophers encourage the use of reason in
making moral decisions. However, it should be noted too that our moral compasses are also
powerfully influenced by feelings. Hume claimed that in any given situation, a person would act
based on emotions rather than reason (Bucciarelli, et al., 2008).

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 World War 1 was at its peak and soldiers were dying in thousands. Horror gripped the heart
of a World War 1 soldier as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. Caught in a trench with
continuous gunfire whizzing over his head. The soldier asked his lieutenant if he might go out into
the "no man's land" between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back. "You can go," said the
lieutenant, "but I don't think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw
your life away."

The lieutenant's advice didn't matter, and the soldier went anyway. Miraculously he managed to
reach his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder and bring him back to their company's trench. As
the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded
soldier, and then looked kindly at his friend.

"I told you it wouldn't be worth it," he said. "Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded."
The soldier replied "Sir, it was worth it." The lieutenant asked in dismay "What do you mean;
worth it, your friend is dead"
"YES, Sir" the private answered. "But it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still
alive and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say, "JIM , I KNEW YOU'D COME."

If you were on the same situation as the soldier who saw his friend fall in the battle, would you
risk your life to bring back your friend to the trench?

Why feelings can be obstacles to making the right decision?

There are three central features as to why emotions can be obstacles in making the right decision:
1. Its non-deliberate nature
2. Its partial nature (Been Zeev, 1997); and
3. It is capricious (Pizarro, 2000)

The Non-deliberate Nature of Feelings

Deliberate means the act was intentional, planned, with conscious effort. Non-deliberate
is the contrary term that denotes spontaneous actions. It is doing something without thinking it
through. For instance, you run to your bed the moment you turn off the light because you are
afraid. Why did the darkness scare you? You never thought about it, you just run. “Being
overcome by emotions” is that customary restraints failed (“I couldn’t help myself”; “I totally
blanked out”; “I felt overwhelmed”; “I don’t know, I just felt like doing it”) Under
characterization, emotions are no different from mindless automatic reflex.

THE NON-DELIBERATE NATURE OF FEELINGS SUMMARY BY PROFESSOR AARON BE’EN

ZEEV

• Responsibility entails free choice; if we are not free to behave in a certain way manner,
then we are not responsible for this behavior.
• Free choice entails an intellectual deliberation in which alternatives are considered and
the best one is chosen. Without such consideration, we clearly cannot understand the
possible alternatives and are not responsible for preferring one of them.
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 • Since intellectual deliberation is absent from emotions, we cannot be responsible for our
emotions.

The Partial Nature of Feelings

Emotions notoriously play favorites. It operates on a principle called “The law of concern”
(Fridja, 1988) where emotions give focus only on matters of personal interest. However,
emotions are quiet when it is of no personal concern. Example, a catastrophic event like an
earthquake. The sorrow that you feel for earthquake victims from other countries is nowhere
near the level of sorrow that you feel if your family were the victims.

THE 2 ASPECTS OF PARTIAL NATURE OF FEELINGS:

1. Decisions based on feelings focus only on a narrow area, and

2. It reflects personal and self-interest perspectives.

Emotions influence our attention. Thus, it governs what attracts and holds attention.
Emotions make us preoccupied with specific matter s and we become oblivious to everything
else.

Example- the feeling of “being in love”. In romantic stories, this type of love is portrayed as
spending every waking moment thinking about the person you are “in love” with, and everything
else is just a blur.

The Capricious Nature of Feelings

The third problem with emotions is that it rises up for arbitrary reasons. For example, you
did not give money to an old beggar asking for alms simply because she tugged at your shirt and
startled you. Aspects or situations that have nothing to do in moral situations could rile up your
emotions, and this emotion will certainly influence your subsequent moral judgment (Pizarro,
2000)

How emotions Help in Making the Right Decisions?

Emotions are the foundation of all our cognitive and behavioral processes; and emotional
responses often guide a person in making beneficial choices without any conscious reasoning
(Arnold, 1960; Damasio, 2003)

3 ways that feelings, especially negative feelings, help in making the right decisions:

1. It signals the need to adjust behavior.

2. It can help us learn from our mistakes.
3. Emotional responses can be reshaped as time pass by.

Studies have shown that negative feelings are integral to our ability to learn. The surge of
negative emotions triggers “counterfactual thinking” (Smallman and Roese, 2009).

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 Counterfactual thinking is a psychological concept about the human tendency to create
possible or alternatives scenarios other than what had actually happened. Have you ever
replayed a situation in your mind repeatedly, thinking about how you could have done better or
how you should have reacted instead? This analysis of what went wrong present an opportunity
to reflect and prepare oneself in making a different and possibly better choice in the future.

REASON AND IMPARTIALITY AS REQUIREMENTS FOR ETHICS

You might be wondering, “Why should human beings be moral? Why should I do what is
right?

Here are some compelling reasons:

a. It is enlightened self-interest- “I will be better off”
b. It is traditional law- “Because some authority says so”
c. It is a responsibility- “It is expected of me”
d. It is what is fair and equitable- “It is about fairness and justice”
But most of all,
e. People have shared human needs, goals, desires, and/or objectives; and these are better
met when people treat each other in a manner that promotes what is right and good.

Is reason a requirement for morality?

Reason- is the power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgments by a process of logic

However, Immanuel Kant argued that reason alone is the basis for morality, and once the
person understood this basic requirement for morality, he or she would see that acting morally is
the same as acting rationally (Beck, 1960). In Kant’s view, the definition of morality alone shows
that a person must decide what to do. In Kant’s view, the definition of morality alone shows that
a person must decide what to do. You, as a person, are able to think and reflect on different
actions and then choose what action to think. That a moral decision means mere desires did not
force you to act in a particular manner. You acted by the power of your will.

Is impartiality a requirement for morality?

Impartiality is commonly understood as a principle of justice. It denotes that decision

should be “based on objective criteria rather than on the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring to
benefit one person over another for improper reasons” (Jollimore, 2011). Impartiality stresses
everyone ought to be given equal importance and not favor one class (people, animals, or things)
in a capricious way.

How impartiality is a requirement for morality?

For example, during an exam you saw your friend (who is sitting next to you) secretly
open her notebook to look for an answer on one of the test questions. Your teacher noticed that
your classmate was doing something suspicious. He called your classmate and asked if she was

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cheating.

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Your classmate answered “No”. Your teacher did not trust your classmate’s answer so he asked
you. What will you say?

“At the very least is the effort to guide one’s action based on the most logical choice (reason)
while giving equal importance to the interests of each person affected by your decisions
(impartiality)” (Dr. Rachels, 2004)

For your decisions to be moral, you should think how your answer will affect your friend, your
teacher, the rest of your classmates and how it will affect you as a person.

7 STEP MORAL REASONING PROCESS

The seven-step moral reasoning model is one way to ensure that the moral decisions we
make are rational, impartial, and objective. The steps are the following:

1. Gather the Facts

Do not jump to conclusions. Ask questions (who, what, where, when, how and why).
There may be instances when facts are hard to find or are not available because of the
uncertainty that surround ethical issues. Nevertheless, gather as many facts as you can.
Clarify what assumptions you are making

2. Identify the Stakeholders

Identify all the persons involved and will be affected in an ethical situation. Who are
the primary stakeholders? Who are the secondary? Why are they involved in the issue? Try to
see situations through the eyes of the people affected.

3. Articulate the Dilemma

Once you have gathered the facts and identified the stakeholders, it is important that
you express the ethical dilemma. What are the competing values? The purpose of articulating
the dilemma is to make sure that you understand the situation and the moral conflict you are
facing. Awareness and comprehension are important in making the right decision, especially
when there are lives that will be affected.

4. List the Alternatives

Think creatively about potential actions, as they may be choices you neglected. This
will help ensure that you have not been pushed back into a corner. For example, you may
already have solutions A and solution B. Try to brainstorm and come up with solution C that
might satisfy the interests of the primary parties involved.

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 5. Compare the Alternatives with the Principles

In decision-making, specify the relevant values that you want to uphold in making
your decision. Then compare whether your alternative actions are in line with your values.
Identify the values and comparing your action with these values are important because it will
help identify if your alternative action is illegal or unethical, thus making this action easy to
discard.

6. Weigh the Consequence

When considering the effects of your actions, filter your choices to determine if your
options will violate ethical values. Determine all the stakeholders will be affected by your
decision.

7. Make a Decision

Remember, deliberation cannot go on forever. You must avoid “paralysis by analysis”

or the state of over analyzing (over-thinking) a situation so that a decision or action is never
taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome. There is no easy, painless decision to a moral
dilemma. However, it is also important that the decision you make reflects the value you
want to uphold.

MORAL COURAGE

It is the courage to put your moral principles into action even though you may be in
doubt, are afraid, or face adverse consequences. Moral courage involves careful deliberation and
mastery of self. Moral courage is essential not for only a virtuous life, but also a happy one
because integrity is essential to self-esteem.

Moral Imagination- An ability to imaginatively discern various possibilities for acting

within a given situation to envision the potential help and harm that are likely to result from a
given action (Johnson, 1994). This ability is called moral imagination.

What is “Will”?

Generally, “will” is the mental capacity to act decisively on one’s desire. It is the faculty of
the mind to initiate action after coming to a resolution following careful deliberation (Joachim,
1952). Within Ethics, “will” is an important topic along with reason because of its role in enabling
a person to act deliberately.

Why is the “will” as important as reason?

Aristotle believed that “will” is the product of intellect and sensation; and that “will” gave
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the person the capacity for “exciting movement in space”.

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Developing the “Will”

Aristotle discussed the difference between what people decide to do and what they
actually do. In Aristotle’s philosophy, using the intellect to decide is just one part of the moral
decision. The resolve to put the decision into action is the role of the “will”. He said since vice and
virtues are up to us, “we become just by the practice of just actions; self-control by exercising
self-control; and courageous by practicing acts of courage (as translated by Baird, 2016).”

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References:
Que, Nemesio S., S.J. “Notes on Moral Deliberation.” Introduction to course notes for PH 104:
Foundations of Moral Value: Ateneo de Manila University
Rachels, J. (2004). “What is Morality”, Chapter 1 and “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism”,
Chapter 2 in the Elements of Moral Philosophy. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill College

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Application:

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