Ethics - Branch of philosophy that studies morality,
it also studies the rightness or wrongness of a
human conduct.
- It is derived from the Greek word Ethos which
means character or manners in plural.
- Rules Provided by an external source governed by
professional and legal guidelines within a particular
time and place.
MORALITY- Speaks of a code or system of behavior
in regards to standards of right or wrong behavior.
- Social and cultural Commandments, rules
Importance of RULES
1. It regulates behavior
2. Guarantee our rights and freedom
3. Produce sense of justice
4. Essential for economy
Moral Standards- Involve the rules people have
about the kinds of actions they believe are morally
right and wrong.
- Some ethicist equates moral standards with moral
values and principles.
Values - the main component of moral standards
Non-Moral Standards- Rules that are unrelated to
moral or ethical considerations. Either these
standards are not necessarily linked to morality or
by nature it lacks ethical sense.
Example: fashion standard, rules in games and
various house rules
DILEMMA- The term dilemma refers to a situation
in which a tough choice has to be made between
two or more options, especially more or less
equally undesirable ones.
-Not all dilemmas are moral dilemmas.
Key factors
1. The agent is required to do each of two (or
more) actions
2. The agent can do each of the actions, but the
agent cannot do both (or all) actions.
Moral Dilemma- Situations in which a difficult
choice has to be made between two courses of
action, either of which entails transgressing a moral
principle.
-involves conflicts between moral requirements.
(Morally unacceptable situations)
3 levels of Dilemma
1. Personal Dilemma- Are those experienced and
resolved on the personal level.
2. Organizational Dilemma- Refer to ethical cases
encountered and resolved by social organizations.
3. Structural Dilemma- Refer to cases involving
network of institutions and operative theoretical
paradigms
Freedom- the foundation of morality
Impartiality- On the other hand, involves idea that
each individual’s interest and point of view are
equally important.
- It is a principle of justice holding that decisions
ought to be based on objective criteria, rather than
on basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the benefit
to one person.
Social Conditioning Theory- It is conforming to the
‘norms’ that have been created by the society
around us
-the process by which people of a certain society
are trained to think, believe, feels, want, and react
in a way that is approved by the society or the
groups within it.
-The agents of social conditioning can be parents,
teachers, our peers, teachers, popular culture,
mainstream media, novels and movies, the church,
etc.
Cultural Relativism- refers to not judging a culture
to our own standards of what is right or wrong,
strange or normal. Instead, we should try to
understand cultural practices of other groups in its
own cultural context.
Ethnocentrism- That means you use your own Filipino Hospitality- ‘Filipino hospitality’ refers to
culture as the center and evaluate other cultures the innate ability and trait of Filipinos to be
based on it courteous and entertaining to their guests.

Moral Relativism-is the idea that there is no

Respect to elders- Concerning ‘respect to elders,’
universal or absolute set of moral principles.
we, Filipinos, are not only respectful to elders, but
-on the opposite end of the continuum from moral
also have unique ways of expressing this respect to
absolutism, which says that there is always one
elders.
right answer to any ethical question

Descriptive moral relativism-also known as cultural

relativism, says that moral standards are culturally
defined, which is generally true.

Meta-ethical moral relativism- states that there

are no objective grounds for preferring the moral
values of one culture over another.

Normative moral relativism-the idea that all

societies should accept each other’s differing moral
values, given that there are no universal moral
principles.

6 Basic Filipino Values

Pakikisama - is having and maintaining ‘good public
relations.’

Hiya- is described as a feeling of lowliness, shame

or embarrassment, and inhibition or shyness which
is experienced as somewhat distressing.

Amor Propio- like ‘hiya,’ the Filipino value of ‘amor

propio’ is derived from the concept of ‘face.’
Although commonly translated as ‘self-respect’ or
‘self-esteem,’ ‘amor propio’ has been
“characterized as the high degree of sensitivity that
makes a person intolerant to criticism and causes
him to have an easily wounded pride”

Utang na loob- is likewise a fundamental aspect of

upholding group harmony and relationships that
demand the balancing of obligations and debts.