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 Law

Sources of Authority
Religion

Culture
 Law

Sources of Authority
Religion
Several common ways of thinking about ethics are based
on the idea that the standards of valuation are imposed
by a higher authority that commands our obedience. In
the following section, we will explore three of such ideas:

Culture
the authority of laws, the authority of one’s religion, and
the authority of one’s own culture.
 Law

gionSources of
Authority

ure
 Law

Sources of Religion
Authority

ure
 Law

Sources of Religion
Authority

Culture
 Law
01
01
Law is an ordinance of reason promulgated for the Laws are passed by “one who has charge of
common good by one who has charge of society (St. society” – because they can only be valid if
Thomas Aquinas). It is supposed that law is one’s guide they are only be valid if they are the legitimate
to ethical behavior. exercise of authority. Accordingly, only those
who have the power and responsibility to
govern have the power to enact the law.
Laws are “ordinance of reason” because they are
rational deliberations intended to guide men towards
what is good for them and for society. They direct
men to perform certain activities as good for them
and for society. The main objective or purpose of the
laws is the attainment of the common good.

Laws are necessary to man. They regulate

Laws are “promulgated” –
that they are made known to
the people who are bound to
observe them.
human activity. Without laws, there will be
anarchy and chaos, because each one will act
according to his wishes without regard for the
common good. Without laws, Man will not
realize his ultimate purpose in life.
 Law
01
01
Law is an ordinance of reason promulgated for the Laws are passed by “one who has charge of
common good by one who has charge of society (St. society” – because they can only be valid if
Thomas Aquinas). It is supposed that law is one’s guide they are only be valid if they are the legitimate
to ethical behavior. exercise of authority. Accordingly, only those
who have the power and responsibility to
govern have the power to enact the law.
Laws are “ordinance of reason” because they are
rational deliberations intended to guide men towards
what is good for them and for society. They direct
men to perform certain activities as good for them
and for society. The main objective or purpose of the
laws is the attainment of the common good.

Laws are necessary to man. They regulate

Laws are “promulgated” –
that they are made known to
the people who are bound to
observe them.
human activity. Without laws, there will be
anarchy and chaos, because each one will act
according to his wishes without regard for the
common good. Without laws, Man will not
realize his ultimate purpose in life.
 Law
01
01
Law is an ordinance of reason promulgated for the Laws are passed by “one who has charge of
common good by one who has charge of society (St. society” – because they can only be valid if
Thomas Aquinas). It is supposed that law is one’s guide they are only be valid if they are the legitimate
to ethical behavior. exercise of authority. Accordingly, only those
who have the power and responsibility to
govern have the power to enact the law.
Laws are “ordinance of reason” because they are
rational deliberations intended to guide men towards
what is good for them and for society. They direct
men to perform certain activities as good for them
and for society. The main objective or purpose of the
laws is the attainment of the common good.

Laws are necessary to man. They regulate

Laws are “promulgated” –
that they are made known to
the people who are bound to
observe them.
human activity. Without laws, there will be
anarchy and chaos, because each one will act
according to his wishes without regard for the
common good. Without laws, Man will not
realize his ultimate purpose in life.
 Law
01
01
Law is an ordinance of reason promulgated for the Laws are passed by “one who has charge of
common good by one who has charge of society (St. society” – because they can only be valid if
Thomas Aquinas). It is supposed that law is one’s guide they are only be valid if they are the legitimate
to ethical behavior. exercise of authority. Accordingly, only those
who have the power and responsibility to
govern have the power to enact the law.
Laws are “ordinance of reason” because they are
rational deliberations intended to guide men towards
what is good for them and for society. They direct
men to perform certain activities as good for them
and for society. The main objective or purpose of the
laws is the attainment of the common good.

Laws are necessary to man. They regulate

Laws are “promulgated” –
that they are made known to
the people who are bound to
observe them.
human activity. Without laws, there will be
anarchy and chaos, because each one will act
according to his wishes without regard for the
common good. Without laws, Man will not
realize his ultimate purpose in life.
 Law
Law is an ordinance of reason promulgated for the
common good by one who has charge of society (St.
Thomas Aquinas). It is supposed that law is one’s guide
to ethical behavior.
Laws are “ordinance of reason” because they are
rational deliberations intended to guide men towards
what is good for them and for society. They direct
men to perform certain activities as good for them
and for society. The main objective or purpose of the
laws is the attainment of the common good.
Laws are “promulgated” –
that they are made known to
the people who are bound to
observe them.
Laws are passed by “one who has charge of
society” – because they can only be valid if
they are only be valid if they are the legitimate
exercise of authority. Accordingly, only those
who have the power and responsibility to
govern have the power to enact the law.
Laws are necessary to man. They regulate
human activity. Without laws, there will be
anarchy and chaos, because each one will act
according to his wishes without regard for the
common good. Without laws, Man will not
realize his ultimate purpose in life.
 Classification of Law

1. Eternal Law
• Are those promulgated, or made known
to us, by special command of
God/Instituted by the will of God.
• Is the design of God, as a Supreme
Creator, to direct all created things to
their respective proper ends.
• God’s eternal plan and providence for
the universe. Example: The Decalogue of
Moses- Ten Commandments
Classification of Law

2. Natural Law/Moral Law

• (God as the author - THE ALL- WISE) Is the
Eternal law as known to man by his reason.
• Is recognized by all men regardless of creed,
race, culture or historical circumstances.
• Man’s reason shows him the natural order
as a thing to be conserved and not
disturbed. By his rational nature, man is
aware of a general law: “Conserve the
natural order”, or in other words, “Do good
and avoid evil”. This is the fundamental
expression of the Natural Law.
Properties of the Natural Law
It is obligatory- it is imperative
because it is a duty that ought to be
fulfilled.
It is recognizable – it enables man to
recognize self- evident principles,
such as: ‘’Do good and avoid evil”.
It is immutable or unchangeable – it
is immutable because man’s
essential nature can never be lost as
long as man is man.
Indispensable- no one is dispensed or
excused in the observance of the natural
law. Because the origin of the natural law
is God. Natural law is identical with God’s
will. Evidently, man has no authority over
a law of this status. This means that if
there is in dispensation of this law, there
is a violation in God’s law.
 That every sane adult must know that
good is to be done and evil avoided, and
must recognize the obviously good things
as good and evident evils as evil.
In the Philippine, Filipinos are constrained
to obey the laws of the land as stated in
the country’s criminal and civil codes.
Making this even more particular, in Cebu,
residents are constrained to follow any
provincial laws or city ordinances. One
can easily imagine this becoming even
more localized to the barangay or village
level, where local or municipal layers of
obligation are there for residents to
follow.
 Human
Positive Law
 The Laws of the
State
embodied in the Constitution. Example:
Everyone must pay his due taxes, obey
traffic rules.
 The Laws of the
Catholic Church
embodied in the Canon Law. Example: Attend
mass every Sunday, love God above all. Etc.
 Properties of Human Positive Laws

1
Human laws must conform to divine laws. This is because all
legitimate authority emanates from God. No human authority
may willfully contradict God’s will.
Human laws must promote the common good. This common good is spelled out in terms of prosperity, health, peace and
order, intellectual and moral growth- for the whole society. 2
Human laws must promote the common good. This common
good is spelled out in terms of prosperity, health, peace and
order, intellectual and moral growth- for the whole society.

3
Human law must be just and not discriminatory of certain
individuals or groups. All laws must be applied proportionately
to all members of society so that the needs and requirements of
each are served
 Religion
The idea that one is obliged to
obey her God in all things,
expresses a claim that many
people of a religious sensibility
find appealing and immediately
valid. As a foundation to ethical
values, this is referred to as the
divine command theory. The
divinity called God, Allah, or
Supreme Being commands and
one is obliged to obey her Creator
Many of us had been brought up with one
form of religious upbringing or another, so it
is very possible that there is a strong
inclination in us to refer to our religious
background to back up our moral valuations.
However, one concern on this matter is the
presence of a multiplicity of religions in our
society. Each faith demands differently from
its adherents, which would apparently result
in conflicting ethical standards. For instance,
certain religions have prohibitions concerning
what food maybe consumed while others do
not share the same constraints.
 Culture
Our exposure to different societies and their
cultures makes us aware that there are ways
of thinking and valuing that are different from
our own, that there is in fact a wide diversity
in how different people believe it is proper to
act. Therefore, what is ethically acceptable or
unacceptable is relative to, or that is to say,
dependent on one’s culture. This position is
referred to as cultural relativism.
There is something appealing to this way of
thinking because cultural relativism seems to
conform to what we experience, which is
reality if the differences in how cultures make
their ethical valuations. Second, by taking
one’s culture as the standard, we are
provided for the basis of our valuations. Third,
this teaches us to be tolerant of others from
different cultures, as we realize that we are in
no position to judge whether the ethical
thought or practice of another culture is
acceptable or unacceptable. In turn, our own
culture’s moral code is neither superior to nor
inferior to any other, but they would provide
us the standards that are appropriate and
applicable to us.
Cultural relativism is the ability to understand a culture
on its own terms and not to make judgments using the
standards of one’s own culture. The goal of this is
promote understanding of cultural practices that are
not typically part of one’s own culture. Using the
perspective of cultural relativism leads to the view that
no one culture is superior than another culture when
compared to systems of morality, law, politics, etc. It is
a concept that cultural norms and values derive their
meaning within a specific social context. This is also
based on the idea that there is no absolute standard of
good or evil, therefore every decision and judgment of
what is right and wrong is individually decided in each
society. The concept of cultural relativism also means
that any opinion on ethics is subject to the perspective
of each person within their particular culture. Overall,
there is no right or wrong ethical system. In a holistic
understanding of the term cultural relativism, it tries to
promote the understanding of cultural practices that
are unfamiliar to other cultures such as eating insects,
genocides or genital cutting.
TWO DIFFERENT CATEGORIES
OF CULTURAL RELATIVISM
1. Absolute: Everything that happens within a culture must and should not be
questioned by outsiders. The extreme example of absolute cultural relativism
would be the Nazi party’s point of view justifying the Holocaust.
2. Critical: Creates questions about cultural practices in terms of who is
accepting them and why. Critical cultural relativism also recognizes power
relationships.
 Absolute cultural relativism is displayed in many cultures, especially Africa,
that practice female genital cutting. This procedure refers to the partial or total
removal of the external female genitalia or any other trauma to the female
reproductive/genital organs. By allowing this procedure to happen, females are
considered women and then are able to be married. FGC is practiced mainly
because of culture, religion and tradition. Outside cultures such as the United
States look down upon FGC, but are unable to stop this practice from
happening because it is protected by its culture.
 Cultural relativism can be seen with the Chinese culture and their process of
feet binding. Foot binding was to stop the growth of the foot and make them
smaller. The process often began between four and seven years old. A ten-foot
bandage would be wrapped around the foot forcing the toes to go under the
foot. It caused the big toe to be closer to the heel causing the foot to bow. In
China, small feet were seen as beautiful and a symbol of status. The women
wanted their feet to be “three-inch golden lotuses”. It was also the only way to
marry into money. Because men only wanted women with small feet, even
after this practice was banned in 1912, women still continued to do it. To
Western cultures the idea of feet binding might seems torturous, but for the
Chinese culture it was a symbol of beauty that has been ingrained the culture
for hundreds of years. The idea of beauty differs from culture to culture.
 Group Members

Brian Parrilo
 Group Members

Jhen mar genon

 Group Members

KAYTH
GALLENO
 Group Members

JOSHUA AMBAGAN
 Group Members

BERNARD
CORDOVA
 Group Members

Rica minantara
THANK YOU