ELEMENTS OF A MORAL EXPERIENCE

A. The Moral Agent

The Person as the only
Moral Being
Who is liable or
responsible?
Why is it that I am always
morally responsible or
liable?
The Human Person is
the only Moral Being

Reasons…
 The Human Person is the only Moral Being

a being of
action

 A person acts and knows his acts.

 Because he knows his acts, he knows that he is
responsible for his actions.
The Human Person is the only Moral Being

Intellect

 It enables a person to think, analyze and reflect.

 His intellect enables him to know what is right or
wrong and good or bad actions.
The Human Person is the only Moral Being

Freewill

 It is the capacity to make choices and decisions.

 It equips a person with the power to choose
either good or bad and right or wrong actions.
Culture in Moral
Behavior
Culture and its role in Moral
Behavior
Does your community affect
your behavior?

What are those behaviors?

Culture and its role in Moral Behavior

Culture is a system of codes that gives the world

meaning and shapes the behavior of people….

Examples:
• The things we eat and how we prepare food,
• how we talk and what language we use,
• what we make and how we make and utilize things,
• how we understand the meaning of life and death,
• and how we recognize the ultimate meaning of life.
Culture and its role in Moral Behavior

Conception of the good is shaped by culture

as it is the basic system of codes that shapes
human behavior.

But does culture serve as the sole basis of the

conception or understanding of what is good?
 The Challenge of
Cultural Relativism
1. What difficulties will you encounter if
you follow Cultural Relativism?
2. What can we learn from Cultural
Relativism?
 Cultural Relativism

RIGHT or GOOD
As what the society or culture dictates as good, it is
considered as already good

…what the people normally do, within their

cultural and personal context, is good.
Cultural Relativism
WRONG or BAD

…If the society or culture dictates that an act or

practice is wrong, then it is indeed wrong
…judging another culture by an objective
standard is also wrong
Problems of Cultural Relativism:

Not all cultures and conception of

the good reflect the good or what
ought to be.

Some cultures can be destructive to

human beings.
Problems of Cultural Relativism:

Every culture evolves.

Cultures will eventually influence

one another and practices change.
Problems of Cultural Relativism:

There is a sense of
universality among all
people.
What can we learn from Cultural
Relativism:
What can we learn from Cultural Relativism:

1. Cultural Relativism warns us about the

dangers of assuming all our preferences are
based on some absolute rational standard…

2. Cultural Relativism can help open and

broaden our minds. It provides an antidote
for close-minded dogmatism.
The Moral Agent:
Developing Virtue as Habit
Development of the
Moral Character:
“Watch your thoughts for they
become words.
Watch your words for they
become actions.
Watch your actions for they
become…habits.
Watch your habits, for they
become your character.
And watch your character, for it
becomes your destiny!”
- Margaret Thatcher
Development of the Moral Character:

Circularity between individual acts

and moral character

Acts build character

Individual Acts
while character directs
acts.

Individual acts emanate

from moral character
while moral character is
formed by individual
Moral Character acts.
Character Study:
 Character Study:______________________________

INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS CHARACTER