Culture in

Moral
Behavior and
Developing
Virtue as a
PHL B- Ethics
The Presenters
Bautista, Russel D.
Medina, Quincy T.
Baluyut, Yanlee M.
Daylig, Arlan N.
Castillo, Jefferson M,
LET’S PLAY!
IPUTOK MO!
IPUTOK MO!
Instruction: The section will be divided into two. The
reporter will flash jumbled letters which the students
will arrange.
Each set of game, a representative of the group is
required. If the representative knows the answer
he/she will shout the word “BANG” to give him/her
the time to answer.
EULUCT
R
EULUCT
R
CULTURE
VEONCNTION
VEONCNTION
CONVENTION
OALCIS
OALCIS
SOCIAL
LULUTAC
R
LULUTAC
R
CULTURAL
ARTILVIESM
ARTILVIESM
RELATIVISM
ATICEHL
ATICEHL
ETHICAL
IPIOFLIN
IPIOFLIN
FILIPINO
SINAA
SINAA
ASIAN
SOSNECCQEUNE
SOSNECCQEUNE
CONSEQUENCE
ORML
A
ORML
A
MORAL
SALEVU
SALEVU
VALUES
RVUTEI
RVUTEI
VIRTUE
EAHRCCATR
EAHRCCATR
CHARACTER
CATS
CATS
ACTS
NISSIIDOPTOS
NISSIIDOPTOS
DISPOSITIONS
Culture in
Moral
Behavior and
Developing
Virtue as a
PHL B- Ethics
 Lesson
behavior to cultureObjectives
• Articulate what culture means and attribute facets of your personal

• Recognize and appreciate the differences of moral behavior in

different culture.
• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of cultural relativism
• Analyze crucial qualities of the Filipino moral identity in your moral
experiences
• Identify universal values and explain why universal values are
necessary for human survival
• Recall defining moments in your moral formation and the relationship
between individual act and moral character you find in your moral
formation
Culture is
all around
us.
Culture in Moral Behavior
• Culture is used to denote that
which is related to the arts and
humanities.

• Culture denotes the practices,

beliefs, and perceptions of a given
society
other definition of culture
Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience,
beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religions, notion of
time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material
objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the
course of generations through individual and group striving.
Share one practice in
your home you find
worth having and
emulating
and explain why?
• Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience,
beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religions, notion of
time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material
objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the
course of generations through individual and group striving.
 tell to the class an
attitude in school which
you find bad and wrong
and why?
• Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behaviour acquired
and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human
groups, including their embodiments in artefacts, the essential core of culture
consists of traditional ideas and especially their attached values, culture systems
may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action on the other hand as
conditioning influence upon further action.
• Culture is the sum total of the learned behaviour
of a group of people that are generally considered
to be the tradition of that people and are
transmitted from generation to generation
 • Culture in its broadest sense is cultivated
behaviour; that is the totality of a person’s
learned, accumulated experience which is socially
transmitted, or more briefly, behaviour through
social learning.
Cultural knowledge
Culture’s
Role in
Moral
Behavior
• A culture is a ‘way of life’ of a group of people, and
this so called way of life actually includes moral
values and behaviors, along with knowledge, beliefs,
symbols that they accept, ‘generally without thinking
about them, and that they are passed along by
communication and imitation from one generation to
the next
 In our society, we learn to
evaluate what is (morally) good and bad and to
judge when an unusual action
is appropriate or inappropriate (Manebog &
Pena, 2016).
 People learn moral and aspects of
right or wrong from transmitters of culture:
respective parents, teachers, novels,
films, and television.
Culture in Moral Behavior
• it is iprobable to live in a society
without being affected by its
culture.
• Social learning is the process by
which individuals acquire
knowledge from others to which
they belong as a normal part of
childhood.
Culture
Relativis
m in
Ethics
Culture Relativism in Ethics
• Cultural Relativism is the most famous and dominant
form of moral relativism. Moral Relativism
fundamentally believes that no act is good or bad
objectively. It also submits that different moral
principles apply to different persons or group of
individuals.

• Cultural Relativism defines ‘moral’ as what is ‘socially

approved’ by the majority in a particular culture. It
maintains that an act is ethical in a culture that approves
of it, but immoral in one that disapproves of it.
Cultural relativists claim the following:

1. Different societies have different moral

codes.

2. The moral code of a society determines

what is right or wrong within that society.

3. There are no moral truths that hold for all

people at all times.
Cultural relativists claim the following:

4. The moral code of our own society has

no special status; it is but one among
many.

5. It is arrogant for us to judge other

cultures. We should always be tolerant of
them
Cultural
relativis
m: an
analysis
1. Valuable lessons from ethical
relativism
• In proposing that there’s no
independent standard in Ethics,
moral relativism does encourage
tolerance. Without a doubt,
tolerance is necessary for people of
different cultural origins to co-exist
and live peacefully in a society.
1. Valuable lessons from ethical
relativism
• The theory also teaches us to be open
minded, thereby being more open to
discovering truth. Cultural relativism
warns against being judgmental as it
reminds us that some of our beliefs and
practices are mere conventional, and
thus not absolutely and exclusively
correct.
2. The theory’s ethical faults
• Cultural relativism discourages analytical
thinking and independent decision-making
in Ethics as it requires unsuspecting
compliance and subscription to social
norms. The theory teaches that to be
ethical, folkways and cultural norms should
be followed uncritically.
2. The theory’s ethical faults
• Cultural Relativism is inconsistent in promoting
tolerance while teaching that no culture is morally
superior or more progressive than others.

• The theory is practicable only if people do not belong

to more than one institution.

• Moral relativism is fundamentality self-defeating.

3. Rachels’ evaluation of cultural
relativism
• Philosophy professor James
Rachels (1941-2003) made a
compelling assessment of
Cultural Relativism.
The
Cultural
Differenc
es
The Cultural Differences
Argument
Rachels explained that
cultural relativists’ approach is to
argue from facts about the
differences between cultural
outlooks to a conclusion about the
status of morality
Thus we are invited to accept reasoning like
these:

• The Greeks believed it was wrong to

eat the dead, whereas the Callatians
(an Indian Tribe) believed it was right
to eat the dead. Therefore eating dead
is neither objectively wrong. It is
merely a matter of opinion, which
varies from culture to culture.
Thus we are invited to accept reasoning like
these:

• The Eskimos see nothing wrong with

infanticide, whereas we believe
infanticide is immoral. Therefore,
infanticide is neither objectively right
nor objectively wrong. It is merely a
matter of opinion, which varies from
culture to culture.
Rachels call these cultural
differences argument. It is
nonetheless unsound because
its conclusion does not follow
from its premise
Against cultural differences argument, this
counter-argument could be submitted:

• People in some societies (e.g.

Primitive Tribes) believe that the Earth
is flat, whereas Europeans hold that
truth that the Earth is spherical. This
argument is obviously unsound
because some societies might simply
be wrong in their beliefs
The Disagreements among
Cultures
There are many factors, Rachel further explains,
which work together to produce the customs of a
society. Since the difference in customs may be
because of some other aspects of social life, then
it’s wrong to conclude that there is a disagreement
about values and morality just because customs
differ. Therefore there may be less ethical
disagreements that there appears to be
The Case of Eskimos and Callatians

• It is not that Eskimos have less

affection for their children or less
respect for human life. An Eskimo will
always protect its babies if conditions
permit. But they live in a harsh
environment where food is in short
supply that “life is hard, and the
margin of safety is small”
The Bad Consequences of Cultural relativism

• We could no longer say that the customs

of other societies are morally inferior to
our own

• We could decide whether actions are

right or wrong just by consulting
standards of our society

• The idea of moral progress is called to

doubt
ASIAN AND
FILIPINO
UNDERSTANDIN
G OF MORAL
BEHAVIOUR
Because culture has an impact on
morality, people from different cultures
appear to have seemingly, but not
essentially different sets of ethics. This
is particularly apparent in ethics of
groups of people from the Eastern or
Asian Culture as compared to those
from Western culture
FILIPINO MORAL
CHARACTER
Filipino cultural morality
has a “smooth
interpersonal relatioship”
(SIP) with others
The definition of smooth
interpersonal relationship with
others in the Philippine culture
is principally supported by and
anchored on at least 6 basic
Filipino Values.
PAKIKISAMA
maintains good public
relationship.
Hello
pu!
HIYA
feeling of lowliness,
inhibition of shyness
which is experienced as ihhh makarine
somewhat distressing.
AMOR PROPIO
to make having self-worth and
pride, not allowing oneself to
be belittled or demeaned by ma-pride
others, ya jo!
UTANG NA LOOB
eternal debt to others who do a
favor for you.
wala akong
(Debt of the heart)
entry teh!
sorreh
FILIPINO
HOSPITALITY
innate in entertaining their
guests. upo ka, kape
tayo!
RESPECT FOR
ELDERS
has unique ways of expressing
respect. po, opo.
ay kagaling mu
jo!
UNIVERSAL
VALUES
Universal values are a set of
core principles or beliefs that
are shared by people across
different cultures, societies,
and historical periods.
Example of Universal Values
JUSTICE
is a universal value that
emphasizes the importance of
fairness, impartiality, and the
equitable distribution of
resources and opportunities.
COMPASSION
is a universal value that promotes
empathy, understanding, and
kindness towards others,
particularly those who are
suffering or in need.
INTEGRITY
is a universal value that
emphasizes the importance of
honesty, truthfulness, and
adherence to a set of moral and
ethical principles.
RESPECT
FOR LIFE
is a universal value that
acknowledges the intrinsic value
of all living beings, regardless of
their species, race, or
background.
DEVELOPING
VIRTUE AS A
HABIT
Moral Character
and Virtues
is a universal value that
emphasizes the importance of
fairness, impartiality, and the
equitable distribution of
resources and opportunities.
Character
was derived from the Greek word
“charakter” that literally means
mark impressed in a coin.
According to the Greek
Philosopher Aristotle, there are
two distinct Human
Excellences, written in his
book Nichomachean Ethics.
Excellences of Thought

epistemic or intellectual virtues

such as technical expertise
accomplishment and practical
wisdom.
Excellences of Character
• often translated as Moral Virtue(s)

• Qualities that makes a person the

person the sort of ethically admirable
individual he/she is.
Moral
Character
Moral Character
• refers to the existence of lack of
virtues, such as integrity, courage,
fortitude, honesty, and loyalty.
• means that you are a good person,
or a good citizen.
Moral Character

an individual's disposition to think,

feel, and behave in an ethical versus
unethical manner
The Circular of Acts
and Character
There are some ACTS THAT
BUILD character and moral
character itself. But not all acts
helps to build moral character.
A person’s actions determine
his/her moral character, but
moral character itself generates
acts that help in developing
either VIRTUE or VICE
For Aristotle, the function of
human being consists in
activities which manifest the
best states of his rational
aspects, that is, the virtues.
 Moral Characters as
Dispositions

The moral characters that constitute a

person’s moral character are
characteristically understood as
behavioral and effective dispositions
A person’s actions determine
his/her moral character, but
moral character itself generates
acts that help in developing
either VIRTUE or VICE