REASONING

• Why do we decide to consider this way of

acting as acceptable while that way of
acting (opposite) is unacceptable?
 FOLLOW-UP QUESTION:

Is fear of punishment and desire for reward

can be spoken of as giving someone a
reason for acting a certain way?
REASONING

•
One can rise above the particulars of a
specific situation going beyond whatever
motivation or incentive is present in any
instance.
(Example: Cheating)
REASONING

• Can only motivate us

• Not a determinant of the rightness and wrongness

of a certain way of acting or of
the good or the bad actions
 THINKING ON A LEVEL OF
ABSTRACTION
• DETACHING ITSELF FROM A PARTICULAR
SITUATION

• RECOGNIZING PROPER REASONS FOR ACTING OR NOT

ACTING IN A SPECIFIC WAY

• EXAMPLE: CHEATING (CHEATING IS WRONG)

PRINCIPLES

• BEYOND REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS, IT IS

POSSIBLE FOR OUR MORAL VALUATION TO BE
BASED ON PRINCIPLES.

• RATIONALLY ESTABLISHED GROUNDS BY

WHICH ONE JUSTIFIES AND MAINTAINS HER
MORAL DECISIONS AND JUDGMENTS.
HOW EXACTLY DO WE ARRIVED AT
ANY PARTICULAR CLAIM?
MORAL THEORY
• Is a systematic attempt to establish the validity of
maintaining certain moral principles.

• Can also be referred to FRAMEWORK defined as a theory

of interconnected ideas and a structure through which we can
evaluate our reasons for valuing a certain decision or
judgment.
SOURCES OF AUTHORITY
• STANDARDS OF VALUATION ARE IMPOSED BY A
HIGHER AUTHORITY THAT COMMANDS OUR
OBEDIENCE.

• AUTHORITY OF THE LAW, AUTHORITY OF ONE’S

RELIGION AND AUTHORITY OF ONE’S OWN CULTURE
LA
W
• POSITIVE LAW- refers to the different rules and
regulations that are put forward by an authority figure that
require compliance.

• ACTS THAT WE CONSIDERED AS UNETHICAL

AND FORBIDDEN BY LAW ( MURDER OR THEFT)
CAN ONE SIMPLY IDENTIFY
ETHICS WITH THE LAW?
LA
W
• PROHIBITIVE NATURE OF THE LAW

• The law does not tell us what we should do or

pursue, ONLY WHAT TO AVOID.
 HOW ABOUT CERTAIN WAYS OF
ACTING WHICH ARE NOT FORBIDDEN
BY THE LAW BUT ARE ETHICALLY
QUESTIONABLE?
• CONTRACTUALIZATION (BENEFITS &
JOB SECURITY)

• TODDLER WHO HAD BEEN RUN OVER

BY VEHICLES
RELIGION

• DIVINE COMMAND THEORY

- The divinity called God, Allah or Supreme
Being commands and one is obliged to obey her
creator.
• writings and individuals or figures
RELIGION

• More or less clear code of

prohibitions
• “ Thou shall not kill”
• “Thou shall not steal”
RELIGION
• NOT SIMPLY PROHIBITIVE, BUT IS ALSO
PROVIDES IDEALS TO PURSUE ( Forgive those who
sinned against him)

• DOES NOT ONLY PROHIBITS BUT

CAN COMMAND ABSOLUTE
OBEDIENCE
PRESENCE OF MULTIPLICITY OF RELIGION
- Differences of adherence resulting to conflicting
ethical standards.
• CONCEPTUAL LEVEL
- We may find an instance wherein we could believe
that God is commanding us to kill our fellow human
beings.
CULTUR
E
• CULTURAL RELATIVISM
- What is ethically acceptable or unacceptable
is
relative to or dependent on one’s culture.
- reality of differences
JAMES RACHELS’
CRITICISM
• WE CANNOT SAY THAT ANYONE MORAL CODE IS THE
RIGHT ONE BECAUSE OF DIFFERENCES

• WE ARE IN NO POSITION TO JUDGE ANY OF WRONG

ACTS.

• WE MAY NOT BE SATISFIED WITH THE THOUGHT OF

NOT
BEING ABLE TO CALL OUR OWN CULTURE INTO QUESTION
 • DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE WHAT
EXACTLY DEFINES ONE’S CULTURE DUE
TO UNIQUE PRACTICE OR WAY OF LIFE.

SOURCE: Bulaong, Jr., O., et. al,. (2018). Ethics: Foundations of Moral Valuation. Rex Book Store, Inc.