Chapter I - Understanding Morality and Moral Standards

CHAPTER I –
UNDERSTANDING
MORALITY AND
MORAL
STANDARDS
Recall and share to the class a
rule that you have to follow at
school and the reason behind
such rule.
What if there were no rules?
What are the possible
consequences?
Are rules
important?
Lesson 1-
The Importance of
Rules
Rules are meant to set order in
society
• Rules like the Philippine Constitution and other

laws included are meant for man.
• The Sabbath is made for man and not man for
the Sabbath.
• Everyone is subject to rules or else court chaos.
Rules are intended for human
persons. They are meant to help
persons choose and do what is
good.
 Rules are meant to help you grow in freedom, to grow

in your ability to choose and do what is good for you
and for others.
 If there are rules or laws that restrict your ability or
strength to do good, they are suffocating laws and
ought to be abolished.
Those who do what is good don’t even feel the presence of a
rule that prevents them from doing what is not good. It is those
who intend to do the opposite of what is good that feel the
suffocating and limiting presence of a rule.
 If you are a law-abiding citizen, you do not have any

problem about the rules or the law.
 It is like saying one no longer needs the rule because
one has become mature and wise enough to discern
what ought to be done.
An ideal state of Chinese sages, ( Confucius, Lao
Tzu) referred to as the state of no-more rules, no-
more laws, because people discern to what is good.
 So, when the society is ideal, when all persons

are good and do only what is ideal, then there
will be no more need for rules and laws.
 No longer in need of a government because
they can govern themselves.
Lesson 2
Moral and Non-Moral
Standards
Classify the following into groups : Moral
Standards and non-moral standards
 No talking while your mouth is full

 Do not lie
 Wear black or white for mourning; never red.
 Don’t steal
 Submit school requirements on time
 When you speak, pronounce words correctly
 Don’t cheat others
 Don’t kill
Etymology and Meaning of
Ethics
The term “ethics” comes from the Greek word “ethos”

meaning “custom” used in the works of Aristotle
The term “moral” is the Latin equivalent.
Based on the Greek and Latin etymology of the word “ethics”,

ethics deals with morality. When the Roman orator Cicero
exclaimed, “O tempora o mores” (Cicero, 1856) (Oh, what time
and what morals), he may have been trying to express dismay of
the morality of his time.
Ethics or Moral Philosophy
 Is a branch of philosophy which deals with moral standards,

inquires about the rightness or wrongness of human behavior.
Moral
 Is the adjective describing a human act as either ethically right

or wrong.
What are moral standards?
 Are norms or prescriptions that serve as the frameworks for

determining what ought to be done or what is right or wrong
action, what is good and bad character.
Examples:
 Do not lie.
 Don’t steal.
 Don’t cheat others.
 Do not kill.
Moral standards are either consequence
standard (Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism)
or non-consequence standard (Aristotle’s

virtue ethics, St. Thomas, natural law, or
Immanuel Kant’ good will or sense of
duty).
Consequence Standards
 Itdepends on results or outcome.

 An act that results in the general welfare, in
the greatest good of the greatest number, is
moral.
 To take part in a project that results in the
improvement of the majority of people is,
therefore, moral.
Non-Consequence Standards
 Are based on the natural law. Natural law is the law of

God revealed through human reason.
 This standard has sense of duty that you wish would be
followed by all.
 Respect for humanity, treatment of the other as a
human person, an act that is moral, springs from a
sense of duty.
Non-moral Standards
 Originate from social rules, demands of etiquette and

good manners. They are guides of action which should be
followed as expected by society.
Examples:
 No talking when mouth is full.
 Males should be the one to propose marriage not females.
 Submit school requirements on time.

Classification of the
Theories of Moral
Standards
(Garner and Rosen
1967)
Consequence (teleological, from tele which means
end, result, or consequence)
 States that an act is right or wrong depending

on the consequences of the act, that is, the
good that is produced in the world.
 For instance, if everyone follows the rule of
the game, everyone will enjoy playing the
game.
Not-only-consequence standard
(deontological)
 Holdsthat the rightness or wrongness of an action

or rule depends on sense of duty, natural law,
virtue and the demand of the situation or
circumstances.
What makes
Standards
Moral?
For theists
 Moral standards are commandments of God revealed to man

through prophets.
 For them, God is the ultimate source of what is moral
revealed to human persons.
For non-theists
 God is not the source of morality. Moral standards are based on

the wisdom of sages like Confucius or philosophers like
Immanuel Kant.
In China, B. C., Confucius taught the moral standard,
“Do unto others what you like others to do unto you” and
persuaded people to follow this rule because it is the right
way, the gentleman’s way.
Later, Immanuel Kant (German philosopher) formulated

a criterion stated as:
“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at
the same time will that it should become a universal law”.
The universal necessity of the maxim, what makes it a

categorical imperative is what makes it obligatory.
The Origin of Moral
Standards: Theists
and Non-Theists
 The theistic line of thought states that moral standards are of
divine origin while 20th century thinkers claim state that they
simply evolved. The issue is:
Are moral standards derived from

God, communicated to man through
signs or revelation, or did they arise in
the course of man’s evolution?
Lesson 3
Moral Dilemmas
ACTIVITY
The Pregnant Lady and the Dynamite
A pregnant woman leading a group of five people out of a cave

on a coast is stuck in the mouth of that cave. In a short time,
high tide will be upon them and unless she is unstuck, they will
all be drowned except the woman whose head is out of the
cave.
Fortunately, (or unfortunately), someone has with him a stick of
a dynamite. There seems no way to get the pregnant woman
loose without using the dynamite which will inevitably kill her;
but if they do not use it, everyone else will drown. What should
they do? (http://psychopixi.com/author/pixil)
What is a Moral
Dilemma?
 Is a decision making problem between two possible moral
imperatives, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or
preferable.
 It is a situation where a person has the moral obligation to
choose between two options both based on moral standards,
but he/she cannot choose both, and choosing one means
violating the other.
 In a moral dilemma, one is caught between two options. It is
a “damn-if-you-do and damn-if-you-don’t situation. One is
in deadlock.
What is a False Dilemma?
 Isa situation where the decision-maker has a moral

duty to do one thing, but is tempted or under
pressure to do something else.
For example,
 A lawyer or an accountant can face an opportunity
to prioritize self-interest over the client’s interest.
What to do when faced
with a Moral Dilemma?
 Ina state of emergency, necessity demands

no moral law. You have to decide based on
your best judgment or choose based on the
principle of lesser evil or greater good or
urgency.

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CHAPTER I –

• Rules like the Philippine Constitution and other

 Rules are meant to help you grow in freedom, to grow

 If you are a law-abiding citizen, you do not have any

 So, when the society is ideal, when all persons

 No talking while your mouth is full

 Wear black or white for mourning; never red.

 Submit school requirements on time

 When you speak, pronounce words correctly

 Don’t cheat others

The term “ethics” comes from the Greek word “ethos”

Based on the Greek and Latin etymology of the word “ethics”,

 Is a branch of philosophy which deals with moral standards,

 Is the adjective describing a human act as either ethically right

 Are norms or prescriptions that serve as the frameworks for

 Don’t cheat others.

or non-consequence standard (Aristotle’s

 Itdepends on results or outcome.

 Are based on the natural law. Natural law is the law of

 Originate from social rules, demands of etiquette and

 Males should be the one to propose marriage not females.

 Submit school requirements on time.

 States that an act is right or wrong depending

 Holdsthat the rightness or wrongness of an action

 Moral standards are commandments of God revealed to man

 God is not the source of morality. Moral standards are based on

Later, Immanuel Kant (German philosopher) formulated

The universal necessity of the maxim, what makes it a

Are moral standards derived from

The Pregnant Lady and the Dynamite

A pregnant woman leading a group of five people out of a cave

 Isa situation where the decision-maker has a moral

 Ina state of emergency, necessity demands

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