ETHICS 3-4

• Dilemma - is a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives especially equally undesirable ones (Dictionary. Com, 2017)
• A moral dilemma is a situation where:

  1. There are two or more actions that you can possibly do
  2. There is a moral reason/s for doing such actions.
  3. You cannot do all the possible actions presented to you. You only need to choose one.
• Three levels of Moral Dilemma, Personal moral dilemma, Organizational moral dilemma, Structural moral dilemma.
• Personal moral dilemma - is when your decision in a situation where there is moral conflict is the cause of either your own; that of another person; or a group of people's potential harm.
• Organizational moral dilemma - is when a member or members of the organization is in a situation where there is a moral conflict and the decision will potentially harm either some members of the group or the entire organization such as company, cooperative, and associations itself.
• Structural moral dilemma - is when a person or group of persons who holds high level positions in the society faces a morally conflicting situation wherein the entire social system is affected. Example: Controversy at DepEd and CHED whether the Senior High School will be abolished or retained and Tertiary Education will be for two years only instead of four, that all General Education Subjects will be offered in Senior High and all Board Education subjects will be in the tertiary level.
• Freedom

  • is a condition in which people have the opportunity to speak, act, and pursue happiness without unnecessary external restrictions.
  • is important because it leads to enhanced expressions of creativity and original thought, increased productivity, and an overall high quality of life.
• St. Thomas Aquinas - said that the fundamental difference between animal ethics and human ethics is that animals behave instinctively while humans behave rationally.
• Instinctive Behavior - is a hard-wired, inborn, characteristic response to specific environmental stimuli such as the altruistic behavior (unselfish) of social animals (Spink, 2021).
• Characteristic of Instinctive Behavior;

  • Hard-Wired
  • Inborn
• Researchers found that the animal's intent of self-sacrifice is more on ensuring reproductive success called kin selection rather than out of true self-less motive (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009). Example is the suicidal attacks of worker honeybees in defense of their colony against intruders.
• reciprocal altruism - where the animal will provide for another animal's need because it expects the similar act in a similar manner at a later time. Example: Chimpanzees scratching each other's back (Trivers, 1971).
• Rational behavior - is a decision-making process where the person acts in ways that best achieve his/her needs in accordance with his/her set preferences, priorities, and principles (Information Resources Management Association, 2015). is tied to moral standards. Moreover, the human person in his/her decision making process is free to decide what to do and free to act on his/her decisions. Thus, only human beings can be ethical because only humans have the capacity for free moral judgment.
• Rational Behavior Sets

  • Preferences
  • Principles
  • Priorities
• only human beings can be ethical because only humans have the capacity for free moral judgment.
• C.S Lewis

  • likened morality to a fleet of ships. Although each ship must sail well on its own, each must coordinate with the other ships at all times to stay in information to avoid collisions. The fleet must have a destination or purpose for the journey
  • However, there is one crucial difference between a ship and a person - a ship is under the command of a captain, and a person is someone free to decide his course of action.
• Lord Acton

  • an English Catholic historian said that freedom is so precious that God will not take over and take control of the person's life even when that person badly misuses his freedom.
  • Whatever influences the person's view of his ultimate purpose, one aspect is clear - only a person can understand his ultimate end. Enlightenment cannot be enforced.
• Ethical decision-making refers to the process of evaluating and choosing among alternatives in a manner consistent with ethical principles. In making ethical decisions, it is necessary to perceive and eliminate unethical options and select the best ethical alternative
• This is when a person is put into a situation where he must make a moral decision.
• moral decision - is a choice made based on a person's ethics, manners, character and what he believes is proper behavior. These decisions tend to not only affect ones well-being, but also the well-being of others
• Based on the emphasis on process, a good decision is one that is made deliberately and thoughtfully, considers and includes all relevant factors; is consistent with the individual's philosophy and values; and can be explained clearly to significant others.
• According to Aristotle, a human person is a being with inborn properties that he uses to direct his own development toward self-fulfillment. One of the inborn properties of the human person is freedom.
• Philosophical Insights on Freedom

  • Freedom is a Gift
  • Freedom is Complementary to Reason.
  • Freedom is absolute.
  • Freedom demands responsibility
• Freedom is a Gift

  • According to Gabriel Marcel, freedom is the ability to act significantly. Free acts are significant because they help to make us who we are as human beings.
  • Freedom is not merely the ability to make arbitrary choices because we are not free if everything that we can choose to do is insignificant in the first place.
  • Freedom is the ability to make significant choices. Freedom is a gift given to us by God (Hernandez, 2009).
• Freedom is a Gift

  • According to Gabriel Marcel, freedom is the ability to act significantly. Free acts are significant because they help to make us who we are as human beings.
  • Freedom is not merely the ability to make arbitrary choices because we are not free if everything that we can choose to do is insignificant in the first place.
  • Freedom is the ability to make significant choices. Freedom is a gift given to us by God (Hernandez, 2009).
• Freedom is Complementary to Reason.

  • Aristotle's ethical doctrine asserted that freedom and reason are complementary.
  • For him, the human person as a moral agent must exercise practical rationality in order to determine how to pursue his/her ultimate end (telos).
  • Self- direction, rather than bare spontaneity, is the crucial characteristic of the free person.
  • He considered freedom and reasons as necessary faculties for consciously making sense of things (events, occurrences, phenomena, situations), (Walsh, 1997).
• Freedom is Complementary to Reason.

  • Aristotle's ethical doctrine asserted that freedom and reason are complementary.
  • For him, the human person as a moral agent must exercise practical rationality in order to determine how to pursue his/her ultimate end (telos).
  • Self- direction, rather than bare spontaneity, is the crucial characteristic of the free person.
  • He considered freedom and reasons as necessary faculties for consciously making sense of things (events, occurrences, phenomena, situations), (Walsh, 1997).
• Freedom is absolute

  • Jean Paul Sartre's concept of freedom is not the freedom to do something or anything.
  • For him, the human person is absolutely free. Freedom sets the human person apart from other creatures. In fact, animals also have a notion of freedom.
  • When they are caged, they try to escape from their cages. This kind of freedom is called freedom from restrictions. It is freedom for survival, a primitive form of freedom.
• Freedom is absolute

  • Jean Paul Sartre's concept of freedom is not the freedom to do something or anything.
  • For him, the human person is absolutely free. Freedom sets the human person apart from other creatures. In fact, animals also have a notion of freedom.
  • When they are caged, they try to escape from their cages. This kind of freedom is called freedom from restrictions. It is freedom for survival, a primitive form of freedom.
• Freedom demands responsibility

  • Lao Tzu advocated that a person can and should choose to act, but his/her actions should be that which result in harmony.
  • His idea was that in any society, the exercise of one's freedom is not absolute. The person is free to do anything; but it is not without consequence of one's actions (Gallinero, 2014).
  • Responsibility as a moral quality serves as a voluntary check and balance of one's freedom. Without proper balance limitless freedom is a dangerous as an extremely controlling social group. Great social injustice have resulted from such radical mindsets.
• Freedom demands responsibility

  • Lao Tzu advocated that a person can and should choose to act, but his/her actions should be that which result in harmony.
  • His idea was that in any society, the exercise of one's freedom is not absolute. The person is free to do anything; but it is not without consequence of one's actions (Gallinero, 2014).
  • Responsibility as a moral quality serves as a voluntary check and balance of one's freedom. Without proper balance limitless freedom is a dangerous as an extremely controlling social group. Great social injustice have resulted from such radical mindsets.