COR JESU COLLEGE

Sacred Heart Avenue, Digos City

Province of Davao Del Sur

GRADUATE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

WRITTEN REPORT

Submitted by:
Burtanog, Ivy
Fajardo, Bernadine
Paraiso, Bernadine

Submitted to:
Dr. Rogelio P. Bayod
Professor

February 12, 2023

 Aristotle's Moral Virtue and Virtue Ethics

When you carry out your Proper Functioning, you are a good person. For example, a
knife's function is to cut things off; if it cuts things easily, it's a good knife; if it doesn't,
it's a bad knife.

Doing the right thing, at the right time, in a right time, in a right way, with a right
amount, toward the right people.

Steps to attain happiness:

Character- the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves.

Habit- "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"

Virtue- The virtuous person exhibits the joint excellence of reason and of character

Happiness- the drive to be good is to attain the pinnacle of humanity & a life well lived.

If we can focus on being good people and make it a habit, we will become virtuous
people, and right actions will come effortlessly. Why do you need to be a virtuous
person? It is because of happiness and live a well life.
To better understand virtue, Aristotle introduced "the golden mean," a method for
determining how to choose right and do the right thing.

As shown in the image below, virtue represents the halfway, or the "just right quantity."
If it falls below and above the midpoint, it ceases to be a virtue and becomes a vice.
Vices have two extremes: excess and deficiency.

Example:

Being truthful is the moral thing to do. In contrast, rudeness is overused, and deceit is
an honesty shortage. to be able to select wisely and act morally. The golden mean
proposed by Aristotle is helpful.

In summary Aristotle’s philosophy to attain happiness is about the capacity to be

excellent in doing things, have proper functioning and fulfill it.
 Plato’s Republic and Politics

Plato's Republic is a long work full of wise dialogues about various life scenarios. He
redefines the concept of living a good life and emphasizes virtue.

To help us understand his philosophy on achieving happiness, he presents the idea that
we should live in the ideal city, the city of beauty.

The City of beauty includes three classes, two that guard the city and its constitution
(ruling and auxiliary guardians) and one that produces what the city needs.”

The Guardians are the ruling class of the Ideal City. They are the law-makers, the
philosophers, the wise trained to rule the interest of the community. But they are
exclusive part of Ideal City. They are isolated and separated from their families and the
community so that their decision should not be influenced by their emotions and the
corrupting influence of the wealth.

The Auxiliaries are a military class, with the main task to conduct the Ideal City’s wars
and to enforce the Constitution. They are trained to be aggressive, and ruthless with
foreigners, but gentle with the Citizens.
The Producers are the class of workers, responsible for delivering the goods necessary
for the city’s population.

To summarize Plato's point, in order for us to achieve happiness, we should live in an

ideal city with a harmonious relationship. Plato believes that any conflicting interests
among the various parts of humanity can be harmonized.

To compare, Aristotle’s philosophy to attain happiness is about the capacity to be

excellent in doing things, have proper functioning and fulfill it while Plato's point, in
order for us to achieve happiness, various parts of humanity can be harmonized.

Responsibility to Protect

What is Responsibility to Protect?

It is a set of principle designed to protect civilians from genocide (violent attacks), war
crimes against humanities.

History:

The idea was anchored from the event of the World War II which is the biggest and
deadliest war in the history involving 30 countries for 6 years started on 1939 to 1945.
This war is the most destructive war in the history with Hitler’s ambition of world
domination. This conflict take more lives and destroy land and property around the
globe.

From this, the international community vowed to never again let such crisis go
unaddressed. So globalization and technology emerged which helps us to be updated
and aware of what’s happening in other countries around the world more quickly.
Regardless of this effort of the international community, there are still war occurred
around the world specifically in Rwanda (East Africa) when there social/ethnic groups
created division and hatred that resulted to murder of about 800 thousand people with
shocking speed and brutality.

Therefore, the international group develop a doctrine that those that violate the most
basic human rights standards will be intervened.

In 2005, during the 60th Session of UN General Assembly, government representatives

unanimously endorsed a resolution supporting the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine.

But this move of United Nations is debatable up until now in the modern world because
of the fact of contradicting to the sovereignty of the countries. We all know that
sovereignty presents countries from intervening in each other’s internal affairs to
promote international stability.

As an example, scenario locally in our country Philippines, we are observed by the

international groups regarding the extrajudicial killing during the war on drugs program
of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioners of Human Rights, thousand of

people in the Philippines have been extrajudicially killed. They compared it another
holocaust.

Since Philippines have sovereign authority to maintain law and order within its borders,
including punishing those who deal in drugs it is also obligated to respect the
International Human Rights.

They concluded that the Government of the Philippines failed to uphold the
responsibility to protect all population from crimes against humanity including the
offenders.
In light of Aristotle's philosophy, which states that in order to be happy, one must be
excellent at what one does, have proper functioning, and fulfill it, as well as Plato's claim
that harmony between the various facets of humanity is necessary for happiness, let's
turn to the Responsibility to Protect doctrine in relation to Rodrigo R. Duterte's war on
drugs. For you is the Responsibility to Protect ethical or just a political tool?
 Thinking ahead

Thinking ahead is to anticipate (something) and plan or consider the necessary

actions or steps in advance. When you 'think ahead' you consider how to prepare for a
future event by imagining or predicting what might happen. You might 'think ahead'
and predict it will rain later so you bring an umbrella with you. You might invest in a
pension plan after thinking ahead about the future. But, thinking ahead is not always
about being in front of your problem, but the processes of using the information you
have now to plan out the next best course of action.

For instance, if you work as a customer service representative, many customers are
complaining. What will you do? The goal is to avoid mistakes that we make over and
over so we will use the thinking ahead technique- by creating awareness and making it
as a habit. For Aristotle, moral virtue is about the capacity to be excellent in doing
things and does not come from a single act. It is a habit. The generous person is not
born generous; they become generous by repeatedly performing generous actions until
being generous has become a habit or disposition of their soul, a ‘second nature'. And
this practice is not something a person can do only in their mind or all at once.

Going back to our example, thinking ahead is not just about the 5- or 10-year goal
picture, but also about the next week and month. To provide your customers with the
best service available, you must be thinking ahead, anticipating what could happen
next. What is the best customer service today might not be what the customer expects
tomorrow. To stay ahead and keep your customers happy, you must be aware of what
is happening and think ahead about how you are going to implement those changes.
By implementing those changes, thinking ahead requires critical thinking to come up
with best result.
 Critical Thinking

According to philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle regarded critical

thinking as the ability to ask questions, test, and think about ideas and values.

Today it is best understood by philosophers and psychologists and it’s believed to be a

highly complex concept. Some insightful modern-day critical thinking definitions
include:
“Reasonable, reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do.”
“Deciding what’s true and what you should do.”

There are different ideas about critical thinking because critical thinking is a complex
concept and includes complex activities and mental processes that are not easy to
describe and measure. Everyone needs critical thinking. We all encounter opportunities
in our daily lives to engage problems and decisions using strong critical thinking.
Everyone needs to think ahead, to plan and to problem solve. In fact, strong thinking is
the common denominator of success throughout the world.

The Importance of Critical Thinking

Now, here are a few undeniable reasons why it’s crucial to have these skills.

1. Critical Thinking Is Universal

Critical thinking is a domain-general thinking skill. What does this mean? It means that
no matter what path or profession you pursue, these skills will always be relevant and
will always be beneficial to your success. They are not specific to any field.

2. Crucial for The Economy

Our future depends on technology, information, and innovation. Critical thinking is
needed for our fast-growing economies, to solve problems as quickly and as effectively
as possible.
3. Improves Language & Presentation Skills
In order to best express ourselves, we need to know how to think clearly and
systematically — meaning practice critical thinking! Critical thinking also means
knowing how to break down texts, and in turn, improve our ability to comprehend.

4. Promotes Creativity
By practicing critical thinking, we are allowing ourselves not only to solve problems but
also to come up with new and creative ideas to do so. Critical thinking allows us to
analyze these ideas and adjust them accordingly.

5. Important for Self-Reflection

Without critical thinking, how can we really live a meaningful life? We need this skill to
self-reflect and justify our ways of life and opinions. Critical thinking provides us with
the tools to evaluate ourselves in the way that we need to.
6. The Basis of Science & Democracy
In order to have a democracy and to prove scientific facts, we need critical thinking in
the world. Theories must be backed up with knowledge. In order for a society to
effectively function, its citizens need to establish opinions about what’s right and wrong
(by using critical thinking) democracy can be thought of as "power of the people": a way
of governing which depends on the will of the people.

The Benefits of Critical Thinking

We know that critical thinking is good for society as a whole, but what are some benefits
of critical thinking on an individual level? Why is critical thinking important for us?
1. Key For Career Success
Critical thinking is crucial for many career paths. Not just for scientists, but lawyers,
doctors, reporters, engineers, accountants, and analysts (among many others) all have
to use critical thinking in their positions.
In fact, according to the World Economic Forum, critical thinking is one of the most
desirable skills to have in the workforce, as it helps analyze information, think outside
the box, solve problems with innovative solutions, and plan systematically.

2. Better Decision Making

There’s no doubt about it — critical thinkers make the best choices. Critical thinking
helps us deal with everyday problems as they come our way, and very often this thought
process is even done subconsciously. It helps us think independently and trust our gut
feeling
3. Can Make You Happier!

While this often goes unnoticed, being in touch with yourself and having a deep
understanding of why you think the way you think can really make you happier. Critical
thinking can help you better understand yourself, and in turn, help you avoid any kind
of negative or limiting beliefs, and focus more on your strengths. Being able to share
your thoughts can increase your quality of life

4. Form Well-Informed Opinions

There is no shortage of information coming at us from all angles. And that’s exactly why
we need to use our critical thinking skills and decide for ourselves what to believe.
Critical thinking allows us to ensure that our opinions are based on the facts, and help
us sort through all that extra noise.

5. Better Citizens

One of the most inspiring critical thinking quotes is by former US president Thomas
Jefferson: “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.”
To make wise political decisions, The People must first and foremost know what
is TRUE.
 How can they support the Constitution if they don’t understand it, and therefore
don’t know if their candidates understand it?
How can they defend their own rights when they don’t even know what their rights
really are and are thus unable to defend the rights of others?
How can they know who to vote for if the mainstream media lie to the viewers to
manipulate election outcomes?
Even Thomas Jefferson had to deal with that - the constant barrage of lies by the
news media to try to disrupt his Presidency.

6. Improves Relationships

While you may be convinced that being a critical thinker is bound to cause you problems
in relationships, this really couldn’t be less true! Being a critical thinker can allow you
to better understand the perspective of others, and can help you become more open-
minded towards different views.

7. Promotes Curiosity

Critical thinkers are constantly curious about all kinds of things in life, and tend to
have a wide range of interests. Critical thinking means constantly asking questions and
wanting to know more, about why, what, who, where, when, and everything else that
can help them make sense of a situation or concept, never taking anything at face value.

8. Allows For Creativity

Critical thinkers are also highly creative thinkers, and see themselves as limitless when
it comes to possibilities. They are constantly looking to take things further, which is
crucial in the workforce.
9. Enhances Problem Solving Skills

Those with critical thinking skills tend to solve problems as part of their natural instinct.
Critical thinkers are patient and committed to solving the problem, similar to Albert
Einstein, one of the best critical thinking examples, who said “It’s not that I’m so smart;
it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” justly famous for devising his theory of
relativity, which revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the
universe.
Critical thinkers’ enhanced problem-solving skills make them better at their jobs and
better at solving the world’s biggest problems. Like Einstein, they have the potential to
literally change the world.

10. An Activity For The Mind

Just like our muscles, in order for them to be strong, our mind also needs to be
exercised and challenged. It’s safe to say that critical thinking is almost like an activity
for the mind — and it needs to be practiced. Critical thinking encourages the
development of many crucial skills such as logical thinking, decision making, and open-
mindness.

11. Creates Independence

When we think critically, we think on our own as we trust ourselves more. Critical
thinking is key to creating independence, and encouraging students to make their own
decisions and form their own opinions.

12. Crucial Life Skill

Critical thinking is crucial not just for learning, but for life overall! Education isn’t just
a way to prepare ourselves for life, but it’s pretty much life itself. Learning is a lifelong
process that we go through each and every day.
Now, the question is HOW?
HOW?
How to Think Critically?
Now that you know the benefits of thinking critically, how do you actually do it?
How to Improve Your Critical Thinking?

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, one of our most important philosophers in the
western tradition, says. Critical thinking is required for planning and thinking ahead
and to become a good critical thinker it must develop the virtues and put them into
practice. Practicing virtues takes time and it involves the whole person, body and soul,
feelings and all.

These virtues can be cultivated through deliberate self-regulation and habitual virtuous
actions. Self-regulation entails trying to contain negative reaction and exchanging them
for positive responses aligned with one’s value. The habitual virtuous actions are logical
actions repeatedly and constantly executed for the attainment of virtue-relevant goals.
They spring from a goal-dependent automaticity which explains why and how we are
able to do such action with consistency across objectively different situation. We want
to cultivate virtue because we want attain ‘eudaimonia’, to live well and live good lives.
We may find it difficult what is virtuous at all time but by practicing well-thought-out
thinking, both your thoughts and decisions can make a positive change in your life, on
both a professional and personal level. You can hugely improve your life by working on
your critical thinking skills as often as you can.
 ALLIANCES-Philippine Alliance with U.S.

Pres. Rodrigo Duterte assumed the Philippines presidency in 2016 with a promise to
promote an “independent” foreign policy. Yet as he detaches the Philippines from the
United States, Duterte is seemingly yielding to China. His own statements exposed the
irony of his supposed independent approach when he referred to the US and declared:
“Do not treat us like a doormat because you’ll be sorry for it. Duterte’s carries
accumulated frustrations with the US. He views it as the “enemy”, based on his long-
held perceptions of American colonial subjugation of the Philippines. Moreover, Duterte
abhorred the criticism levelled by the Obama administration over his so-called war on
drugs involving extrajudicial killings and human rights violations.
Duterte’s frustration was apparent when he suddenly announced in February the
abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which allows US troops to be
stationed in the Philippines on a rotational basis. The decision was triggered after the
US cancelled visas of several of Duterte’s political allies involved in the war on drugs.
Duterte eventually called a six-month suspension for the cancellation of the VFA
beginning in June, after the Philippine Senate and other government officials collectively
called for a multi-agency review instead.

These factors also fit into Duterte’s skepticism about the US commitment of military
support under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. He doubts that the US will come to the
aid of the Philippines in the event of an armed conflict with China in the South China
Sea. He also implied that the US government was not helpful in preventing Chinese
illegal construction of artificial islands:
If America cared, it would have sent its aircraft carries and missile frigates the moment
China started reclaiming land in contested territory, but no such thing happened.
Duterte’s skepticism about the US dovetails into a fawning approach towards China.
This was evident when he ordered the Philippine military to scale down its joint activities
with the US from the previous combat drills directed at a hypothetical threat emanating
from the South China Sea into humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and counter-
terrorism exercises. Duterte also blocked US warships from using Philippine bases
during any freedom-of-navigation operations and announced that the country would
not participate in the regular naval exercises with the US, Australia and other allies, to
avoid antagonizing the Chinese.
In his four years in office, Duterte has led the Philippines to profit in the good graces of
a powerful China, rather than be the target of its wrath. It is no surprise then that his
government downplayed the Philippines’ victory in 2016 at the Permanent Court of
Arbitration that invalidated China’s historic claims over the South China Sea. Duterte
subsequently secured US$24 billion in loans, credit and investments pledges from
China to fund infrastructure projects under his “Build, Build, Build” program. And in
an attempt to win priority access to a Covid-19 vaccine developed by China, Duterte
has maintained his non-confrontational stance on maritime issues, even with recent
Chinese military drills and illegal naming of features and districts in the contested
waters.
For all his radical shifts in Philippine foreign policy in the name of independence,
Duterte has led the country away from the clutches of the US into the arms of China.
This is a precarious strategy that goes against the general notion of an independent
foreign policy which is not for or against any state, but having equidistant relations with
all. Duterte’s approach is further misguided in that it prioritizes a view of the country’s
economic agenda at the expense of protecting its maritime interests. He effectively
relegates Philippines-US security arrangements with Philippine-China economic ties as
the country’s most important bilateral relations. Yet such compromise is unnecessary
and a strategic miscalculation, as both economic and security interests are equally
important and not mutually exclusive.
Duterte’s policy diminishes the Philippines’ credibility as an ally to the US and
reinforces perceptions of subservience to China.

BALANCE OF POWER
One of its characteristics is that the Balance of Power assumes that states are
determines to protect the vital rights and interes by all means.
President Rodrigo Duterte has made statements and decision to its allied country the
US in order to protect the vital rights and interest of the Filipino people.
The right to protect against criminality
The right of the Filipino people to a safe and happy community.
USE OF FORCE

The use of force is an unfortunate but necessary component of state governance.

Force should only be used by the state in a limited fashion and in limited circumstances.
Max Weber observed that the state should be the only source that uses force
legitimately, and that the use of force must be a tool available for the state to ensure it
survives (Waters, 2015). Weber suggests that there is a need for violence to be used
against citizens periodically by the state in order for a sovereign state to ensure order
(Waters, 2015).

The police use force at times as part of the social contract in which force is required to
ensure peace. As citizens, it is ironic that we expect the use of force to be used at times
to ensure peace and keep us from a state of nature, however, we collectively agree that
there are times in which force will be used against anyone who threatens the peace, or
who has victimized someone else.

• A police officer is inherently at risk of being the victim of violence, and the state
has a responsibility to minimize the risk of violence. Likewise, police officers in
democratic nations have rights as employees and as individuals, and as such they
are entitled to do what they must to ensure their safety (Smith, 2009).
• Accordingly, force must never be used vindictively or as a form of extrajudicial
punishment; meted out in a discriminatory manner; or applied against an
individual offering no resistance. In addition, no additional force is lawful when
the need has passed, such as when a suspect is safely and lawfully detained.
• the use of force must be necessary in the circumstances and the force actually
used must be no more than the minimum necessary to achieve a legitimate law
enforcement objective.