Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus, may your love always be the

foundation of our life. Free us from fear &
selfish- concern that we may freely give our
self in loving service to others, even to the
point of laying our life down for their sake.
Amen.
 A HUMAN ACT is an act that is
deliberately performed by one
possessed of the use of reason.
Deliberately performed means that it is
done freely and knowingly.
 A human act is a conscious, voluntary and free
act (alam mo, gusto mo, at malaya mong
ginawa). Thus, you hold responsibility for
your actions. If your act turns out to be good
then you deserve the good consequences that
come after. If your act turns out to be evil, you
are held accountable for the negative impacts.
 There are certain factors or modifiers
that affect human acts. They as well
determine the degree of our moral
responsibility over the results of our
actions. These are ignorance, passion,
fear, violence, and habit.
 Ourgoal is not to simply justify
our wrong doings using these
obstacles. We become better
persons if we overcome Ignorance,
Passion, Fear, Violence and Habit.
 Ifwe are ignorant (vincible), we
must strive to know, to learn. Being
knowledgeable and learned lead us
to choose the right actions. There is
no excuse for a learned and wise
man.
 If
our temptations
(passions/cravings) are so strong,
we must strive to quell them. A
reasonable person cannot be
overcome by emotions.
 Slightfears must not make us
do evil things. This is where
our bravery is tested. In the
existence of grave fears, true
courage is tested.
 Our violent environment, realistically speaking,
hamper our moral development. We often times
grow to become violent persons because of it.
However, to grow morally, we must choose to
overcome violence by nonviolence. We must
strive to act righteously even in the presence of
violent forces.
Good habits must be
kept. Bad habits must
be changed.
 Every human act is done for an
end. An end is a purpose or goal. It
is that for which an act is
performed. It is the final cause of
an act.
Fundamental Concepts
in Ethics (Part 3)
Daren Dawn C. Avila, EdD
Instructor
MORAL STANDARDS
 Lesson Objectives
01 02 03
- ARTICULATE THE - EXPLAIN HOW -
DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN MORAL & ETHICS DIFFERS
NON-MORAL FROM LAW,
STANDARDS; RELIGION, &
CULTURE.
Why the need to distinguish
MORAL STANDARDS
from NON-MORAL
STANDARD ones?
 Different societies have different moral beliefs an
beliefs are deeply influenced by own culture & context.
 Example: the wearing of Hijab (Muslims) & women in
the west
 Different cultures have different moral standards. The
danger here is that, one culture might impose their
cultural standards on others which will result to clash
to cultural values & beliefs that may lead to violence.
 How can we address this cultural
conundrum?
 People have to understand the difference
between moral standards & non moral
one, to identify fundamental ethical
values that may guide our actions.
 Non-moral standards – we have
no right to impose on others
 Moral Standards – force others
to act accordingly… ex. Not
killing!
 Moral Standards
 These are norms that individuals or groups have about
the kinds of actions believed to be morally right or
wrong, as well as the values placed on what we
believed to be morally good or morally bad.
 It normally promote “the good” that is, the welfare &
well being of humans as well as animals & the
environment.
Characteristics of Moral
Standards
1. Moral standards deal with matters that we
think can seriously harm or benefit human
beings. Whether human dignity is respected
or degraded, work conditions are safe or
dangerous, and products are beneficial or
detrimental to our health are matters that
affect human well-being.
2. Moral standards have universal validity. They
apply to all who are in the relevantly similar
situation. If it is morally wrong for a person A to
do act X, then it is wrong to do X for anyone
relevantly similar to P. This characteristic is
exemplified in the moral rule: “Do not do unto
others what you would not have them do unto
you”.
3. Moral standards are generally thought to
have a particularly overriding importance, that
is, people feel they should prevail over other
values. For an instance, a violation of the
moral rule against killing or stealing is more
important than an error in grammar or a
travelling violation in basketball.
4. Moral standards are not established by the
decisions of authoritarian bodies, nor are they
solely determined by appealing to consensus or
tradition. The validity of moral standards lies on
the adequacy of reasons that support or justify
them. So long as these reasons are adequate, the
standards remain valid.
Sources of Authority
 ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE
 Etiquette refers to the set of rules or customs that determine the
accepted behaviors in a particular social group.
 Etiquette is concerned with proper behavior. It is arbitrary and
more culture-based.
 Violating the rules can lead society to consider you ill-mannered,
impolite, or even uncivilized – but not necessary unethical or
immoral.
 ETHICS AND LAW
 Law is an ordinance of reason, promulgated by
legitimate authority, to be adhered by all, for the
purpose common good.
 Positive Law. This refers to the different rules and
regulations that are posited or put forward by an
authority figure that require compliance. Examples:
constitution, republic acts, ordinances.
 As a basis of ethics, the law has the benefit of
providing us with an objective standard that is
obligatory and applicable to all. But, should we
equate ethics or morality with law?
 Law and morality are different. Breaking the
law is not always an immoral act, just as
following the law is not necessarily doing what
is morally right.
 Ex. Suppose one of your family members suffered a
heart attack and he/she needed to be brought to the
hospital immediately. You took him/her in your car and
rushed to the hospital driving at a speed of 120 kph.
Although you are prohibited by law to drive at more
than 60 kph on that road, it does not seem morally
right for you to follow the law and drive at that speed
limit knowing that doing so will jeopardize the life of
your loved one.
 Take note as well that an action that is legal can
be morally disturbing. We might find that there are
certain ways of acting which are not forbidden by
law but are ethically questionable to us. For an
instance, abortion may be legal in a particular
country, but the question whether it is morally
right to commit it remains an issue especially for
pro-life advocates.
 Case Scenario!
 A toddler had been run over by a couple of vehicles. It was
witnessed by Juan, Pedro, and Maria. No one among them helped
the child. Later on, the child died.

 Can Juan, Pedro, and Maria be criminally charged for the death of
the toddler? Can they be legally sanctioned? Are they morally
liable?
ETHICS AND RELIGION
 Ethics is often identified with religion. In
various societies around the world, religion
has so much influenced the moral life of
the people so as to be seen as
indistinguishable from morality.
 Should morality be based on religion???

 Although religion gives moral basis

and direction to people, thinking
that morality depends on religion
raise some problems:
1. Can we really be certain about what God wants us to
do? On the practical level, we realize the presence of a
multiplicity of religions. Each faith demands
differently from its adherents, which would result in
conflicting ethical standards. There should be a basis
of morality that transcends religious boundaries, lest
we fail to carry out an objective rational moral
discussion with people from other religions.
2. The moral directives given by world’s great religions are general
and imprecise. People encounter moral dilemmas in particular
situations or contexts that demand specific moral precept. For
example, a certain religion would restrict “blood” for it is impure.
This restriction includes the prohibition of getting blood transfusion.
In certain health concerns, this restriction would raise the issue of
whether or not it is God’s will that a person must refuse blood
transfusion even if that person’s life is at stake. What do religions say
regarding more complex yet specific moral issues of today’s world
such as artificial reproduction, genetic engineering or the use of
animals in research?
3. As rational beings, we are doing ourselves a
disservice if we simply base our judgment of
right and wrong on what our religion dictates. We
merely have to know what our religion says
about a certain moral issue and conform to it. But
are we leading a rational life if this is how we
view morality? What is our rational ability for?
“Religion can guide us in making moral
judgment and leading a moral life, but
morality should transcend religion.
Ultimately, it is a matter of reason rather
than mere adherence to religion.”
 Closing Prayer
Dear Lord, we thank you for this time
together. We ask that you bless us with
your presence and guidance as we
continue to learn from one another. We
pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.