Chapter 5: Ethics through Thick and Thin, And Ethic and Religion

Module 11: : New Challenges to Ethics and the Role of Religion in

Ethics

Introduction

This module is concerned with developing your understanding of the new

challenges to ethics and the role of Religion in Ethics. It is hoped that the discussion,
description and explanation in this module will further help in your journey to the
understanding of ethics, especially the new challenges to ethics and the role of
Religion in Ethics which are important in helping you to become responsible moral
agent. Make use of this module to provide you with insights and ideas to help you
understand the new challenges to ethics and the role of Religion in Ethics.

Learning Objectives

With the completion of this self-learning module, you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding on Globalization and Pluralism as

new challenges to Ethics.
2. Exhibit clear knowledge and understanding of the challenges of Filipinials and
Miliennials.
3. Show knowledge on the role of Religion in Ethics

Content

Preparatory Activities

Exercise

Share your thoughts on what you perceive as the difference of this

generation to the past generation of people.

Developmental Activities

GLOBALIZATION AND PLURALISM: New Challenges in Ethics

Pluralism

Generally, pluralism is a philosophical theory that there is more than one basic
substance or principle. In epistemology, pluralism is the position that there is not one

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consistent means of approaching truths about the world, but rather many.

Moral Pluralism

Moral Pluralism is an idea that there can be conflicting moral views that are each
worthy of respect. There are values that are equally correct and fundamental, yet they
conflict with each other. Some of the values are incommensurable and there is no
objective ordering of them in terms of importance. Moral Pluralism is a metaethical
theory, rather than a theory of normative ethics or a set of value in itself.

MORAL PLURALISTS
They advocate flexibility when faced with competing perspectives. They
evaluate the issues of various moral standpoints in deciding and taking an action.
Many of the moral issues are extremely complicated. Knowing that many moral issues
are extremely complicated, they propose that no single philosophical approach will
always provide all the answer.

MORAL ABSOLUTISM: THERE IS ONLY ONE RIGHT ANSWER.

MORAL RELATIVISM: THERE IS NO WRONG ANSWER.

AGAINST MORAL PLURALISM

.
Moral pluralists fail to prove that the problem of conflicting values is in principle
insoluble. It gives us no moral standard, and offers no moral power.
a.) there is no real solution to ethical dilemmas.
b.) all possible answers are acceptable as long as they have underlying fundamental
values.

“Moral Pluralism can never control or even rival our natural sloth and greed.”
-(McGrath, n.d)

Globalization

Globalization is a process of increased interdependence across nations. It is

the “Intensification of worldwide relationship which link distant localities in such way
that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice
versa”

Globalization from a Sociologist

► Trivial Background:
• Begun after World War II
• Driven by 2 factors
 Technological Advances
 Liberalization of Trade and Capital Market

► Based on Mariel John’s Topic Paper, A MIT undergraduate
Globalization is seen in the export of economics, politics and culture. The
increasing ability to communicate quickly with people around the world has helped to
drive these changes.

► Globalization can be seen everywhere - with American music, TV, and fast food
appearing all over the world, and the increasing number of high tech products
manufactured in factories across the globe being sold and purchased in the west.

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“Some” Problems With Globalization
 Globalization uses up finite resources more quickly.
 Globalization increases world carbon dioxide emissions.
 Globalization makes it virtually impossible for regulators in one country
to foresee the worldwide implications of their actions.
 Globalization acts to increase world oil prices.
 Globalization transfers consumption of limited oil supply from developed
countries to developing countries.
 Globalization transfers jobs from developed countries to less developed
countries.
 Globalization transfers investment spending from developed countries
to less developed countries.
 With the dollar as the world’s reserve currency, globalization leads to
huge US balance of trade deficits and other imbalances.
 Globalization tends to move taxation away from corporations, and onto
individual citizens.
 Globalization sets up a currency “race to the bottom,” with each country
trying to get an export advantage by dropping the value of its currency.
 Globalization encourages dependence on other countries for essential
goods and services.
 Globalization ties countries together, so that if one country collapses,
the collapse is likely to ripple through the system, pulling many other
countries with it.

Ethical Challenges of Globalization

Globalization

► Free Market Competition

Critics describe GLOBALIZATION as process driven by progressive capitalist
countries to perpetuate their economic and political domination. GLOBALIZATION and
the propagation of the LAISSEZ-FAIRE capitalism deepen inequalities within and
between nations is ethically condemnable from both consequentialist and
deontological standpoints.

► Consequentialist Standpoint
It fails to maximize happiness for the greatest number of people.

► Deontological Standpoint
Is condemnable on the account that exploited populations are treated as means to an
end and not as end in themselves.

► Another problem with GLOBALIZATION is that states are in effect increasingly

losing their sovereignty.

Ecologically speaking, another moral challenge arising out of GLOBALIZATION

is the problem of handling the global environment in order to prevent a global
ecological collapse.

Industrial capitalism, an essential partner of GLOBALIZATION, is chiefly

responsible for the damage of the Ozone layer and the escalation of global warming.

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► HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT SYSTEMS is the significant relation between human and
their natural environment and other broad implications of this connection.

Globalization and Business Ethics

Business Ethics - examines moral principles concerning business environment

involving issues about corporate practices, policies, business behaviors, and the
conducts and the conducts and relationship of individuals in the organization.

Child Labor - Top managements establish clear policies that encourage ethical
behavior as part of companies’ strategic business programs and alliances.
With involvement of business ethics as a part of business strategic decision making,
companies are even expected to gain a competitive advantage, good will, and
recognition in the global business world. They any attract a good workforce and cater
to healthy organization climate. All these are anticipated to ultimately lead to good
profits and a healthy competition in the international globalized business world done by
all people or things in the world or in a particular group; applicable to all cases.

UNIVERSAL VALUES

A value is a universal value if it has the same values or worth for all, or almost all,
people. Evidently, there are number of moral questions and problems arising from
globalization, that is, from global interdependence and interconnection. To address
these ethical problems, social scientists and philosophers suggest that the time has
come for the world to develop a global ethic, that is, a set of universally accepted
principles that could provide the foundation for regulating global interaction.

CHALLENGES OF FILINNIALS AND MILLENNIALS

MILLENNIALS AND FILINNIALS

► MILLENIALS
- also known as ‘Generation Y’or the ‘Net Generation’. 1970s to early 1980s as
starting birth years and mid 1990s to early 2000s as ending birth years
► FILINNIALS
- term used to denote the Filipino Millennials
► FILINNIALS’ GENERATION
-Increased used and familiarity with communications, media and digital
technologies

Even in the Philippines, millennials upbringing is said to marked by an

increased in a liberal approach to politics, economics and morality although this claim
is disputed.
► Traditionalist or Silent Generation
Before – 1945
► Baby Boomers
1946 - 1964
► Generation X
1965 - 1976
► Generation Y (Millennials)
1977 - 1995
► Gen Z, iGen or Centennials
1996 - Later

Seven Basic Traits of MILLENNIALS

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  SPECIAL
 SHELTERED
 CONFIDENT
 TEAM- ORIENTED
 CONVENTIONAL
 PRESSURED
 Some psychologist thus consider Millennials (including Filinnials) to be part of
what is called ‘Generation Me’ instead of ‘Generation We’.
 Millenials came of age in time where the entertainment industry started to be
significantly influenced by the Internet.

Ethical Outlook and Cultural Identity

 In the United Kingdom, a 2013 poll found that Millenials were more open-
minded than their parents on controversial topics
 Some authors describe Millenials’ approach to social change as “pragmatic
idealism”
 Millennials are so labeled as the ‘Boomerang Generation’ or ‘Peter Pan
Generation’.
 Generation Y members are very upbeat and more open to change than older
generations.
 Concerning beliefs on ethical issues, most millennials of every religion, race
and ethnicity support access to affordable contraception according to a study.

A sampling of other findings reveals the following:

 One quarter of millennials say that marriage has become old-fashioned and out
date, while 71 percent disagree.
 Millennials fall into a four way split on “pro-life” and “pro-choice” labels: 25%
pro-life, 27% pro-choice, 22% rebuff both labels, 27% both labels describe
them
 Seven percent of millennials identify either as lesbian, gay, bisexual or
transgender.

WORK ETHICS

Boomers
►BOOMERS (1946–1964) Hardworking, Idealistic, and committed to Harmony
Some of the negative traits and workplace attributes:
• Self-centered with sense of entitlement
• Workaholics
• Self-motivated
• Don't appreciate feedback.
•
Generation X
►GEN XERS (1965–1980) Entrepreneurial, Flexible and Self-reliant, and comfortable
with technology.
Some of the negative traits and workplace attributes:
• Lazy
• Skeptical and cynical
• Question authority figures
• Desire for a work-life balance and flexible schedule
• Work dress is at low end of business casual
•
Millennials
►MILLENNIALS (1981–2000)Tech-savy, Appreciative of diversity, and Skilled in

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multitasking.
Some of the negative traits and workplace attributes:
• Lack basic literacy fundamentals,
• very short attention spans,
• not loyal to organization,
• demand immediate feedback and recognition,
• integrate technology into the workplace,
• expect to have many employers and multiple careers,
• work dress is whatever feels comfortable.
•
►One study concerning generalization analysis reveals relatively high percentages of
Millennials who consider some behavior in the workplace to be ethical, including:
• Using social networking to find out about the company's competitors – 37
percent
• "Friending" a client or customer on a social network – 36 percent
• Uploading personal photos on a company network – 26 percent
• Keeping copies of confidential documents – 22 percent
• Keeping copies of confidential documents – 22 percent
►The widespread use of social networking appears to pose challenges, as substantial
numbers of Millennials post questionable Information on their personal social
networking sites, including the following:
• Feelings about their jobs – 40%
• Bad joke told by the boss - 26%
• Work on a project- 26%
• Picture of a coworker drinking- 22%
• Annoying habit of a coworker – 20%
• Information about the company’s competitors -19%
• Opinion about a coworker’s politics – 16%

►Interestingly though, the same study shows that millennial workers were more likely
to report unethical behavior in workplaces. The types of misconduct observed include:
• Personal business on company time
• Lying to employees
• Abusive behavior
• Company resource abuse
• Discrimination

►Interestingly though, the same study shows that millennial workers were more likely
to report unethical behavior in workplaces. The types of misconduct observed include:
• Stealing or theft Falsifying expense reports
• Goods/services fail to meet specifications
• Falsifying time sheets or hours worked
• Offering improper payments/bribes to public officials
• ►Generation Y members can also be characterized by an inclination to a flat
corporate culture, and emphasis on work-life balance and social
consciousness. Millennials put an emphasis on producing meaningful work,
finding a creative outlet , and favoring familial over corporate values. Their
extensive use of social media has augmented their collaborative skills and
created a preference for a term-oriented environment.
• ►Proactive training programs must be the hallmark of a strong ethical culture.
Companies must focus more on issues of ethical culture during the orientation
of new employees, which should alleviate their feeling of not knowing much
about how to behave within the culture of their new workplace.

INDIVIDUALISM

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► The belief that the needs of each person are more important than the needs of the
whole society or group.
► Millennial’s individualism is qualified as the self-focused time in life. It does not
necessarily mean that they are selfish; it rather means that they have fewer social
rules and obligations, and more freedom to be self-directed
► They typically have highly individualistic traits, such as being independent and
relying on oneself.
.
Conflict With Parents
► Millennials are generally the children of Baby Boomers ( and older Gen Xers). There
is now a common observation that Millennials are often in conflict with Baby Boomers.
► One of the alleged conflict is the difference in mentality
Differences Between Baby Boomer & Millennials
► Millennials are more progressive on social issues.
► Millennials are less wealthy.
► Millennials are reluctant to get married.
► More millennials live at home than their parents did at the same age.

SECULARISM AND HUMANISM

Secularism
► Secularism is basically a non-theistic belief system or a worldview which does not
acknowledge supernatural or divine views of reality.
As such, it includes:
• Atheism
• Agnosticism
• Naturalism
• Materialism
• Scientism
• Darwinism
• and other ideologies that reject all spiritual explanations of the world.

Humanism
► a system of thought which gives emphasis to the value of human beings and favors
man’s thought over faith or religious doctrine.
► the term refers to Renaissance cultural and intellectual movement featuring the
rediscovery of the arts and philosophies of ancient Greeks and Romans.
► The word “humanist” is derived from the olden Italian term umanista which pertains
to a teacher or scholar of classical Greek and Latin literature.
► the term refers to Renaissance cultural and intellectual movement featuring the
rediscovery of the arts and philosophies of ancient Greeks and Romans.
► As an ethical perspective, humanism refers to a belief in human-based morality.
Rejecting any supernatural authority, it submits that we can live ethical and fulfilling
lives by placing human well-being, interests, and happiness at the center of our moral
decision making.

Human Experience As Moral Basis

Secular humanism explains that moral rules are derived from human experience. For
instance, it claims that we do not have to be religious to realize that to live in peace
and happiness, we must not assault each other. Through experience, it adherents
explain, we understand that though we may want to assault, we do not want to be
assaulted. Even if sometimes we are tempted to seal yet we do not want to be stolen
from. And although at times we are enticed to kill, yet we do not want to be murdered.
Secular Humanist admits that ethics is conventional, but it has a natural basis. For
them, its natural basis is not the so-called natural law, nor some law written in man’s

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heart or in scriptures. The natural basis of ethics they assert, is none less than human
need and human reason.

Allegedly, the reason we have reasonable, moral rules is that we have these needs.
Hence, it is claimed that we do not need rules from God—all we need is to be human,
to have the needs we have, and to have some human intelligence or reason.

An Analysis Of Secularism And Humanism

► By removing God in the picture, secularism and humanism, in effect, affirm that the
rules of morality were just fabricated by human beings using human nature as the
basis of this fabrication. As their proponents is inevitably admit, morality is
conventional having human need, experience, and reason as natural foundation.
► However, advocating this view amounts to proposing that objective right does not
exist at all. Subscribing to secularism and humanism, it is impossible to really
condemn maltreatment, cruelty, or corruption as morally wrong.
► Secular humanism cannot also account for the objective morality sensibly
established by moral realism and objective, in essence, objective morality means that
moral rules are non-conventional. Moral rules are not simply based on human
convention but they relate to necessary values that stand regardless of whether or not
anyone believes in them.

THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN ETHICS

Concerns beliefs and practices of what is good or bad, right or wrong, virtuous or
vicious, from a religious point of view.

Ethics
A system of moral principles which affect how people make decisions and lead their
lives. It is concerned with what is good and right for persons and society

Religion
- is defined as “people’s beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature,
and worship of a deity or deities and divine involvement in the universe and
human life” (“Religion”, 2009)
- Denotes the belief in, or the worship or service to God or the supernatural. The
term ‘supernatural’ means “whatever transcends the powers of nature or
human agency”
- - Is also viewed as “an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems and
worldviews that relate humanity to an order of existence
-
Difference Between Religion And Ethics
- Disparity between revelation and reason
Religion
- Based on the ideas that God (or some deity) reveals insights about life and its
meaning.
- These divine insights are compiled in (The Bible, The Torah, The Koran, etc.)
and introduced as ‘revelation’
Ethics
- Based on the tenets of reason
- Anything that is not rationally provable cannot be deemed justifiable
-
RELIGION’S ROLE IN ETHICS

University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) Philosophy professor Glenn C. Graber calls

this apologetic claim the cut-flowers thesis' (1972, pp.1-5) which consists of a
hypothetical judgment that, "Morality cannot survive, in the long run, if its ties to

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religion are cut. This proposition is a prediction of what would happen to morality if it
were severed from religion.

A well-known agnostic historians Will and Ariel Durant explain, thus:

"Certainly sensuality, drunkenness, coarseness, greed, dishonesty, robbery and
violence existed in the Middle Ages; but probably the moral disorder born of half a
millennium of barbarian invasion, war, economic devastation, and political
disorganization would have been much worse without the moderating effect of the
Christian ethic, priestly exhortations, saintly exemplars, and a calming, unifying ritual....
[The] Church labored to reduce slavery, family feuds, and national strife, to extend the
intervals of truce and peace, and to replace trial by combat or ordeal with the
judgments of established courts. It softened the penalties exacted by Roman or
barbarian law, and vastly expanded the scope and organization of charity" (1968,
D.44)

THEISTIC ETHICS

Can Justify Moral Values

While other ethical views can just postulate good moral principles, only a theistic view
can justify them.
At least four reasons are usually given for this:
Unless morality is grounded on the unchangeable nature of a morally perfect being
(God), there is no basis for believing in moral absolutes. Only an absolute Moral Law-
Giver is a sufficient foundation for absolute moral laws;
(b) And, if everything is relative, then there is no good reason why anyone ought to
abstain from doing anything he wishes to do, including rape, murder, and
unreasonable maltreatment. It is not denied that those who refute moral absolutes can
believe in general moral principles, many of which are agreeably righteous. What they
cannot do nevertheless is to justify this belief, since according to their system, there is
no real ground for such a conviction.
(c) Only in theism are all persons held morally accountable for their actions in the real
sense. With this theory, we can, with consistency, make moral choices which run
contrary to our self-interest and even carry out acts of extreme self sacrifice, knowing
that such decisions are not just empty and meaningless gestures, rather, our moral
lives ultimately have a paramount significance.
(d) only the ethics rooted in a Moral Law-Giver can be truly prescriptive in any
objective sense of the word. A descriptive ethic is no ethics at all-it merely tells us what
people are doing, not what they ought to do. An ethics that is merely descriptive is
flawed since we see people doing all kinds of evil acts which even relativists and non-
theists do not approve. To prove it, just try insulting, raping, or killing a relativist or non-
theist. His reaction will betray his true belief that these acts are wrong.

Can Explain Moral Accountability

OBLIGATIONRELIGIONMORALITY
Professor Taylor
“The idea of moral ... obligation is clear enough, provided reference to some lawmaker
higher ... than those of the state is understood. In other words, our moral obligations ...
can be understood as those imposed by God. This does give a clear sense to the
claim that our moral obligations are more binding upon us than our political obligations"
(1985, pp. 83-84).

No Real Accountability In Non-theism

NATURALISM OR SECULARISM LIFE AFTER
Dostoyevsky
"If there is no immortality, then all things are permitted." (1957, p. 8)

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The Euthyphro Dilemma
Socrates
"Is a good thing good because God desires it? Or does God desire it because it is
already good?

Closure Activities

1. Write in one sentence the important learning you got from this module.
2. Write in the space below one word that best describe what you feel right now
on finishing this module.
3. Write in one sentence what you think these learning can contribute in
developing your moral behaviour.

Synthesis/Generalization

Challenges happen in the everyday life. They come in different form in all
places, in all people and in different times. In this time when the world has been
transformed into a global village, pluralism and globalization pose new challenges in
ethics. Challenges for millenials and fillinials are for real. More so let us believe that
religion still plays a vital role in ethics.

Assignment

Search for the article “Am I my Brother’s Keeper” in www.OurHappySchool.com.

Read the article and then write a reflection paper on the values taught in the article.

References:

Agapay, R. B.(1995, 2008) Ethics and the Filipino: A Manual on Morals for Students
and Educators,
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Ardales, V. B.(1987) Introductory Text to Philosophy. Quezon City: Great Books

Trading, Inc.

Babor, E. R. (1999) Ethics: The Philosophical Discipline of Action, 1 st ed. Manila,

Philippines, Rex
Book Store.

Cruz, C. C. (1995) Contemporary Ethics. Manila: National Bookstore, Inc.

De Guzman J.M et al. (2017). Ethics: Principles of Ethical Behavior in Modern

Society. Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House, inc.

Dela Torre, J. (1993) Ethics: The man’s Tool for the Development of Sound
Professional and Civil Life. Manila: Educational Publishing House, Inc. `

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Dy Jr., M B. (1986) Philosophy of Man: Selected Readings. Manila: Goodwill
Trading Co. Inc.

Glen, Paul J. (1965) Ethics, A Class Manual in Moral Philosophy, (reprint) Manila:
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____________. (1994) Contemporary Social Philosophy. Manila: Goodwill Trading
Co. Inc.

Montemayor, F. M.(1994) Ethics: The Philosophy of Life. Manila, Philippines:

National Book Store

____________.(1995) Introduction to Philosophy Through the Philosophy of Man.

2nd ed. Manila: National Book Store, Inc.

Panizo, A., O.P. (1964) Ethics or Moral Philosophy. Manila: UST Textbook Series

Robles, G. S. (1994) Everyday Ethics. Manila: Educational Publishing House, Inc.

http://philonotes.com/index.php/2018/05/13/ethics/

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