THE MORAL AGENT:

DEVELOPING VIRTUE
AS A HABIT
OBJECTIVE
Identify the types of human values
Discuss the different cardinal and
theological virtues
VALUES
 VALUES refers to the principles, beliefs, and
standards that guide and influence an individual's or a
group's behavior, decisions, and actions.

 VALUES or good moral values once they are

habitually practiced, they turned into virtues.
 VALUE the origin of the term values comes
from the Latin word ‘Valere’ which means to be of
worth.

Somewhere, some other dictionary states that

value is that which renders anything useful, worthy or
estimable. It is price, worth or importance of a thing.
"Value means primarily, to price, to esteem, to
appraise, to estimate. It means the act of
cherishing something holding it clear and also,
the act of passing judgment upon the nature
and amount of its value as compared with
something else."

-JOHN DEWEY-
 HUMAN VALUES
Human values are the virtues that
guide us to take into account human
element when one interacts with one other
human being. They are our feelings for the
human essence of others. It's both what we
expect others to do to us and what we aim
to give to other human beings. These
human values give the effect of bonding,
comforting and reassuring.
Moral Values

Moral values help us distinguish between what's

right and wrong, good or bad for you as well as society.
Moral values are principles that govern our lives and
beliefs that make us realize the importance of life, the
goals that we want to attain or accomplish in life.
Types of Moral Values (Kathy Slattengren, 2018)
a. Acceptance: having an objective attitude toward others' ideas and practices that
differ from your own.

b. Compassion: understanding the suffering of others or self and wanting to do

something about it

c. Courage: willingness to do difficult things.

d. Equality: believing everyone deserves equal rights and to be treated with respect.

e. Fairness: acting in a just way, sharing appropriately

f. Generosity: willingness to give resources, help or time to others

g. Honesty: being truthful and sincere

h. Integrity: sticking to your moral and ethical principles and values

i. Kindness: being considerate and treating others well

j. Perseverance: persisting in a course of action, belief or purpose

k. Politeness: using good manners, acting in socially acceptable ways

l. Respect: showing consideration for the worth of someone or something

m. Responsibility: being reliable in your obligations

n. Self-control: staying in control of your words and behavior

 FORMATION OF MORAL
VALUES

Moral values are the standards of good and evil,

which govern an individual's behavior and choices.
Individual's morals may derive from society and
government, religion, or self. When moral values
derive from society and government, they, of
necessity, may change as the laws and morals of the
society change.
VIRTUE AND ITS FORMATION
• Human beings are aware of various moral values of which
they have the option to practice. Once these values are
applied in order to lead a good life, one is living in virtue, a
habitual good character.
• In essence, values and virtues are inversely related. If one
intends to live a virtuous life, he/she must nurture that
value leading to attaining the relative virtue by habitually
practicing the same value. With these, we can say that
virtues are good moral habits which make the person even
better to perform those good actions well and
consequently function well as human beings.
 For the Greek wisdom, knowledge is inborn,
while virtue is the knowledge and practice of good
habit, virtue is likewise a natural endowment. Since
virtue is inborn in the mind and knowing is the source
of all wisdom, so the only way to acquire virtue is
simply to recall “good” restored in the mind.
Formation of virtue then is the acquisition of the true
knowledge in the mind which is the "good". Knowing
and practicing virtue is knowledge to one's self.
a. Cardinal Virtues
 Prudence is the virtue of knowing what to do under peculiar
circumstances which enables one to see the best means to approach
a given situation.

 Justice is a virtue of giving anyone his/her due under no condition.

 Temperance is the virtue of curbing or managing the sensitive

appetites.

 Fortitude is a virtue of keeping resolute in the face of overwhelming

odds.
a. Theological Virtues

 Faith is the virtue of believing in God's word without seeing

20XX
presentation title
 Hope is the virtue of keeping trust in Divine Providence.

 Charity is the virtue of loving God and His creatures. The

greatest virtue in Christianity.
Moral Development
 Moral development occurs as we grow and helps us choose between right
and wrong.
 The theory of Lawrence Kohlberg states that the moral development of
most people begins with a desire to avoid personal punishment and may
evolve over time to a desire to make the world a better and more just
place for all people. It is also a process through which we develop proper
attitudes and behaviors towards other people in society based on the
existing norms, rules or laws.
 Moral decision is relative to actual experiences that we are confronted
with particularly on moral issues that we encounter in our lives. With that,
we gradually develop our moral skills in deciding upon difficult moral
situations in reference to what one has experienced through which one's
moral principle is challenged.
 STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT
Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development
Cognitive in nature, Kohlberg's theory focuses on the thinking process that occurs
when one decides whether a behavior is right or wrong. Thus, the theoretical emphasis is
on how one decides to respond to a moral dilemma, not what one decides or what one
actually does.

Kohlberg identified three levels of moral reasoning: pre-conventional, conventional,

and post-conventional. Each level is associated with increasingly complex stages of moral
development.
 Stages of Moral Development
LEVEL 1: PRE-CONVENTIONAL MORALITY – is concerned with concrete
consequences to individuals, focusing on pursuing concrete interest, while
avoiding sanctions.

Stage 1- Punishment-Obedient Orientation

The child is good in order to avoid being punished . If a person is
punished, they must have done wrong.
Stage 2- Individualism and Exchange
at this stage , child/individual recognize that there is not just one
right view that is handed down by the authorities. Different individuals
have different view points.
LEVEL 2: CONVENTIONAL MORALITY – is where people start to internalize
moral standards but not yet question them. Standards are based on the
social norms of the groups a person is part of.

Stage 3- Good Interpersonal Relationship

Children want the approval of others and act in ways to avoid
disapproval. Emphasis is placed on good behaviour and people being “nice”
to others.
Stage 4- Law-and-order Orientation
The child becomes aware of the wider rules of society, so
judgements concern obeying the rules in order to uphold the law and to avoid
the guilt.
LEVEL 3: POST-CONVENTIONAL MORALITY – a person’s sense of morality is
defined in terms of more abstract principles and values. People now
believe that some laws are unjust and should be change and eliminated.

Stage 5- Social Contract Orientation

The individual becomes aware that while rules/laws might exist
for the good of the greatest number, there are times when they will
work against the interest of particular individuals.
Stage 6- Universal Ethical Principles
moral reasoning is based on abstract reasoning using universal
ethical principles. Generally, the chosen principles are abstract rather than
concrete and focus on ideas such as equality, dignity, or respect.
THANK YOU!