THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF

MORALITY
Reason and Impartiality
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Enumerate the minimum requirements for morality.

2. Provide reasons or justifications in argument from to the given moral
problem;
3. Articulate on the soundness and validity of arguments; and
4. Resolve the moral predicament by making a persuasive stand on a
particular justification/reason provided.
THE ROLE OF REASON IN MORAL DECISION

● In the classic definition of man “as a rational animal,” Aristotle (the author of the idea)
posits two basic presumptions: reason is the function of a human being.
● The activity of thinking and its purpose are intended for us because we are humans.
● Superiority is more than having refined and greater functional qualities (and looks) but
rather implies faculties and abilities necessary in the attainment of pleasures, whether as
a state of mind, a description of beingness or existence, or a quality or a condition of an
ethical life a moral person is always in pursuit.

The will becomes “ethical”

Only the human animal is a thinking animal.
THE ROLE OF REASON IN MORAL DECISION

● Function, we also have to take into consideration that

every moral problem
● Second requirement of morality sets in the idea of
impartiality.
IMPARTIALITY IS IDEALITY

Why is impartiality needed in evaluating a moral problem and in

making a moral decision?
● Impartiality is personified as an ideal observer, in possession of all the non
moral facts that are relevant to the judgments one has to make; an ideal
reasoner, immune to logical fallacy; or simply a person who makes moral
judgments without being influenced by the sort of contaminating biases.
● Impartiality as a minimum requirement for morality reminds us that every
person holds a belief system that frees the individuals interest on a moral
issue.
IMPARTIALITY IS IDEALITY

This second minimum requirement for morality known as impartiality holds the
following presumptions:
1. Each individual’s interests are equally important.
2. Each must acknowledge that other person’s welfare is equally important as our own.
3. Impartiality entails a proscription against arbitrariness in dealing with people.
4. Impartiality generates arguments from varied viewpoints.
5. Impartiality provides alternatives which increase our chance of finding the best
solution to the moral problem.
IMPARTIALITY IS IDEALITY

There is no definite and and categorical answer in a moral dilemma, the best solution is
perceived to be in the manner to which the dilemma is placed under the lens of scrutiny
as arguments are evaluated and weighted against one another.
As what was the previously discussed, in moral reasoning...
1. We identify the morally relevant aspect of the situation.
2. We weigh these morally relevant aspects giving due considerations to the views of the
persons concerned.
3. We enumerate all possible actions to be pursued.
4. We decide on a particular action reasoned to be most ethically justified.
(The Unborn, The Risk, and The Love)
THE ARGUMENT FROM THE LEGAL STANDPOINT

An abortion may be performed at 24 or more weeks postfertilization, 26 weeks after the

woman’s last mentrual period, only if the woman’s life or health is endangered.

Women obviously have rights as against the fetus which has not reached the viability
threshold. This is known as the privacy right which was well emphasized by the US Supreme
Count in the case of Roe vs. Wade (Lewis, J. 2017). Woman having such privacy right may
decide on their own without liability on the existing laws.

This issue on the human personhood is explicit, however, in the Philippine Constitution.
Article II, Section 12 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, i part, says that the State
recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic
autonomous social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the
unborn from conception.
THE ARGUMENT FROM THE LEGAL STANDPOINT

Under the Philippine law, life begins at conception in contrast to the U.S. laws that
mandate on the variability of the fetus (about six months) to survive upon
extraction from the womb.

So the argument from legal standpoint shall be:

1. Abortion is legal in New York City, the place where Sandy and Joey migrated.

2. Child defects are examples of malformations alloable for abortion.

3. Sandy is considered to possess legal rights than her fetus which is only four
month old.
 THE ARGUMENT FROM THE RELIGIOUS STANDPOINT

● Religious beliefs always matter to Filipinos.

Example:

- Abortion is a criminal act in the Philippines, having no exemptions even if the mother’s life is
at stake. It even created a legeal dilemma when the Constitution mandates teh protection of
the lufe of both the mother and tghe unborn, but does not resolve the potential conflict nor
recommend moral and legal premissible actions when both lives are at risk.

-Another one is divorce law.

-Religious beliefs are the primary influences too on the moral stance of many Filipinos on why
abortion should never be legalized to the extent of defying common reasons and medical
expositions.
 THE ARGUMENT FROM THE RELIGIOUS STANDPOINT

Proposals to liberalize abortion is strongly opposed by the Catholic Church.

The argument from the religious standpoint shall be:

1. God is Creator of all things of heaven and earth.

2. One of the 10 Commandments of God says, “Thou Shall Not Kill”.

3. Life is precious and sacred.

4. Life commences at conception in the mother’s womb.

5. Sandy and Joey are devout Christians.

 THE ARGUMENT FROM THE MEDICAL STANDPOINT

Related to fetal defects that serve as premises to the argument from medical standpoint.

1. There is no known cure or standard treatment for anencephaly. Almost all babies born
with anencephaly will die shortly after birth.

2. Down syndrome is a lifelong condition.

3. Spina bifida patients can reach their full potential under good quality medical care.

4. There is no cure for cystic fibrosis, but treatment cane symptoms and reduce
complications.

Aggressive intervention is recommended.

 THE ARGUMENT FROM THE MEDICAL STANDPOINT

● Abortion is a silent crime in the Philippines.

It is not even recommended by medical practitioners in the Philippines in cases involving fetal
defects revealed through prenatal ultrasounds and cases where the mother is at stake like ectopic
pregnancy (pregnancy occuring outside the uterine cavity), heart ailment, Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and incurable diseases.

In her article in Rappler, Padilla (2015) claims that about 17% and one-third of the unintended
pregnancies end in abortion nationwide and in the National Capital region, repectively. Two-thirds
of those who underwent unduced abortion are poor. In the same article, she cited taht the 2004
national siurvey on abortion showed that nearly 90% of those who underwent induced abortion
are Catholic. It may be really unthinkable taht there re 47,000 women who die each year due to
unsafe abortion.
FROM COURAGE
TO
MORAL COURAGE
 Learning Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. differentiate ordinary courage from moral courage;

2. articulate on moral courage from Aristotelian point of view;

3. distinguish actions in accordance to the following concepts: moral courage, lack of moral
courage, and courage but immoral; and

4. evaluate the acts of morally courageous individuals found in our history, politics, and
religions.
 FROM COURAGE TO MORAL COURAGE

● Courage is both a feeling state and value.

● It elevates in the ethical plane when courage is found in a moral
setting.

To further understand the transition of this concept from a simple feeling

state to morality, let us consider the following situations and point out the
differences of the courageous acts displayed by the characters.
 TYPES OF COURAGE

1. Social Courage. In Philosophy of Man, man is defined as a political animal. This

definition supports the idea that man in social. To be part of a society implies to further
the interest of the greater majority. This request genuine leadership. On the contrary,
social courage involves risks such as social embarrassment or exclusion, unpopularity or
rejection.

2. Intellectual Courage. Reason as a natural attribute of man entails that we have

inclinations to engage in challenging ideas, to raise doubts as a mode for thinking, and
to take risks in committing mistakes. Intellectual courage means being intrinsically
motivated to learn and question, rather than extrinsically motivated.
 TYPES OF COURAGE

3. Emotional Courage. Man consists of core emotions: anger, fear, sadness, enjoyment,
disgust, surprise, contempt, shame, guilt, embarrassment, and awe.

4. Spiritual Courage. This type of courage is found in faith. We often hold on to this as we
seek answers to purposes and meanings of our life. Spiritual courage means being able to
hurdle the deepest questions about why we are here, what is my life for, do I have a
purpose, and others.

5. Physical Courage. This type of courage is the most common one. It involves developing
physical strength, stamina, awareness, resilience, and fortitude.

6. Moral Courage. This type of courage necessitates doing the right thing at the expense of
approval, inconvenience, punishment, loss of job/security.
PHYSICAL COURAGE

Physical courage is often needed to overcome our fear of the

consequences of failure, [while] moral courage, more often
than not, confronts the fear of the consequences of our
success. A person of moral courage cannot be so physically a
coward....moral courage may not be undone by physical
cowardice.
MORAL COURAGE AND VIRTUE

Moral distress occurs when a person feels powerless to act after witnessing
improper behavior or if organizational constraints make doing the right thing
difficult or impossible.

Virtue involves our motivation to an accordance with our moral and ethical
principles.

Virtue Ethics, excellence or dedication to the common good, toward which we

should strive and which allow the full development of our humanity.

Virtues are attitudes dispositions, or character traits that enable us to be and to

act in ways that enable us to be and to act in ways that develop this potential.
 MORAL COURAGE AND VIRTUE

Moral courage : Definition and Development

Philosophers refer to courage as virtue. However, plato conceived his idea of courage
as a virtue in relation to his theory on Forms.
The Cardinal Virtues and Plato’s Moral Psychology (1998) wherein the latter claims that
Plato implies that courage is one of the cardinal virtues. The cardinal virtues for Plato
are the virtues that all other virtues spring from and they are irreducible.
Courage is construed to be a cardinal virtue because it is the triumph over the
passions.
Accordingly, man has aite for passion (pleasures). The failure to control the temptation
to commit mistake is associated with pleasure and it always involves freedom (the
capability of man to choose).
MORAL COURAGE AND VIRTUE

Aristotle, courage is a virtue but not a cardinal one.

Virtues are either virtues of thought (intellectual virtue) and virtue
of character (moral value).
Aristotle believes that moral virtues are not innate characteristics.
This is in contrast with Plato’s ideas being innate.
Courage is a virtue is because it is developed through a habit.
The moral virtues are also dependent upon the golden mean.
 FIVE COMPONENTS

1. Presence and recognition of a moral situation. not all moral situations are easily perceivable. The
first step for moral courage is to determine the presence of a moral situation.
2. The making of a moral choice. When an individual has recognized the moral situation, the moral
agent is compelled to make a decision from which his moral act is based. “Only those individuals
with moral strength or excellence of character can act according to their moral reasoning.”
3. Recognition of the moral behavior. Our consistency to act virtuously is based on a good habit,
which habit has formed part of our character.
4. The individuality requirement. The concept of individuality component is not in isolation of the
socious or group morality. We often act upon the consensus of the majority or group but our action
is always in the context of individual responsibility.
5. The f component. Miller said that facing fear is crucial to moral courage because this is the point
where the individual is highlighted.
THANK YOU!