GEthics

• CULTURE- It is a complex phenomenon. It contains all nearly all aspects of shared human experiences.
• True- Being part of a social group not only feeds our need to be accepted, but also increases the human beings chance to survive.
• SYMBOLS- can be anything that a group of people find meaningful. For example, in religious groups,  cross is a symbol for Christianity while the crescent is for Islam.
• LANGUAGE- a complex symbol that enabled human to communicate either verbally or through writing. Ilocano, Bisaya, and several other native languages were already spoken in pre-colonial Philippines.
• BELIEFS- assumptions or convictions held to be true by an individual or a group of people. These assumptions/ convictions  could be about event, people, or things. For example, ancient civilizations attributed events to spirits and gods. This is now what we call “superstitious beliefs”.
• VALUES- culturally acceptable standards of behavior. It is what a person considers important or beneficial in life. For example, women are equally valued and held central roles in  society just as did the men (Perez 2013).
• NORM- informal guideline by a particular group of people or social unit about what is considered normal or correct/ incorrect social behavior.

  For instance, the Filipino norm  trait is called “pakikisama”
• FRANZ BOAZ- German-American anthropologist first articulated this in 1887, “. civilization is not something absolute, but… is relative, and… our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goes.”
• ALAN LOCKE- First  to use the term “cultural relativism”, Philosopher and social theorist  in 1924.
• CULTURAL RELATIVISM- explains why one behavior or practice is completely acceptable by a particular group of people, while it is taboo in another. It refers to the idea that values,  knowledge, knowledge and behavior of people must be understood within its own cultural context, and not by the standards of other cultures. Hence, all moral and ethical standard that is “better” among all others.
• Dr. James Rachels- (1941 – 2003), in his book, The Elements of Moral Philosophy, laid out five claims of cultural relativists as to why right or  wrong  is only a matter of cultural standards.

  
  

  1. Different societies have different moral codes.

  2.The moral code of a society determines what is right or wrong. There is no

  objective standard considered better than others.

  3. There are no universal moral truths.

  4. The moral code of a particular society has no special status. It is but one

  among many.

  5. It is arrogant for one culture. There should be tolerance among cultures.
• The Advantages of Cultural Relativism

  1. It warns us from assuming that our preferences are the absolute rational standard.
  2. It teaches us to keep an open mind and to be more amenable in discovering the truth.
• The Dangers of Cultural Relativism

  1. We cannot call out societal practices that promote harm.
  2. We cannot justifiably criticize our own culture’s harmful practices.
  3. The idea of social progress becomes doubtful.
• Universal Values

  1. Caring for the young.
  2. Murder is wrong.
  3. Tell the truth.
• The Filipino culture is a mix of both Eastern and Western cultures. The beliefs and Traditions of the pre-colonial Philippines was mainly indigenous Malay heritage (Baringer, 2006). the Americans shaped the modern Filipino culture and this is primarily manifested by the wide use of the English language in the Philippines today. It was from These influences that formed the Filipino character. The brief occupation of the British (1762 – 1764) and the Japanese (1942 – 1945) however had no cultural influence in the Philippines at all.
• Dra. Patricia B. Licuanan- Wrote that the strengths and weaknesses of the Filipino character are rooted in factors.

  1. The home environment
  2. The social environment
  3. Culture and language
  4. History
  5. The educational system
  6. Religion
  7. Economic environment
  8. The political environment
  9. Mass media, and
  10. Leadership and role models
• Home Environment- Filipino children are taught to value family and give primary importance. The Filipino social environment is characterized by depending on one another to survive. This dependence on relationships and the struggle for survival make Filipinos group oriented (1994).
• Culture and Language- depicts openness to foreign  elements with no basic consciousness of our cultural core (Licuanan, 1994). The Filipino colonial mentality such as the importance of English language in our educational system, the wider following of Hollywood movies, foreign soap operas/TV shows, and foreign songs/singers over Filipino movies, shows, and music is a manifestation of attachment of foreign elements.
• History- regarded as the culprit behind our colonial mentality. Unfortunately, most of Filipino elite are of no help in setting an example of overcoming colonial mentality because they are even more westernized in their ways. Present day media on the other hand reinforces these colonial influences.
• Educational System- also instrumental in molding the strengths and weaknesses of the Filipino character. Schools are highly authoritarian. Early on, children learn that well-behaved and obedient students are praised and rewarded. This Teaches passivity and conformity. The Filipino is also religious. Religion taught us Optimism and resilience. However, it also instilled in us a fatalistic attitude. Since religious communities are also highly authoritarian, this further reinforced our being passive and a conformist (Licuanan), 1994).
• Economic Environment- The hard life drove Filipinos to work hard and take risks such as leaving our families to work abroad. For instance, the fact that political power is mainly in the hands of the elite and the absence of a strong govt presence enhanced the Filipino’s already extreme family centeredness (Licuanan, 1994).
• Role Models- Filipinos highly respect authority, we lean on our leaders and role models. Any person with authority is looked up to. Thus, when our leaders violate the law and when
• Strengths of Filipino Character

  1. Pakikipagkapwa-tao
  2. Family Orientation
  3. Joy and Humor
  4. Flexibility, Adaptability, and Creativity
  5. Hard work and Industry
  6. Faith and Religiosity
  7. Ability to survive
• Weaknesses of Filipino Character

  1. Extreme Personalism
  2. Extreme Family-Centeredness
  3. Lack of Discipline
  4. Passivity and Lack of Initiative
  5. Colonial Mentality
  6. Kanya-Kanya Syndrome
  7. Lack of Self-Analysis and
• Philosophy came from two Greek words: Philia- love and Sophia- wisdom Ergo , Philosophy means love of wisdom
• Philosophy- the science of all things through the highest causes obtained by natural reason.
• Methods of Philosophy

  1. Philosophy as Speculation/Speculative Thinking
  2. Philosophy as Critical Thinking/ Analysis
  3. Philosophy as Reflective Inquiry
• Branches of Philosophy

  1. Metaphysics- refers to the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of reality.
  2. Epistemology- refers to the study of validity of human knowledge.
  3. Axiology- refers to the philosophical study of value - and as humans we value two things: beauty and human conduct.
  4. Aesthetics- concerned with the analysis of aesthetic experience and the idea of what is beautiful (objective beauty).
  5. Ethics- concerned on moral conduct. As a normative study, it deals with norms or standards of right and wrong applicable to human behavior.
• Branches of Philosophy (Theoretical)

  1. Cosmology is the study of the origin, evolution and ultimate fate of the entire universe.
  2. Ontology is the study of the nature of existence of things. Also, referred as the theory of being. Ontology is actually a branch of metaphysics.
  3. Psychology is defined as a science that studies human and animal behavior.
  4. Theodicy investigates the nature, being and the attributes of God not based on the bible and divine revelation but by logical abstractions and reasoning.
• Branches of Philosophy (Practical)

  1. Hermeneutics as the methodology of interpretation is concerned with problems that arise when dealing with meaningful human actions and the products of such actions, most importantly texts.
  2. Semantics is the study of the meaning of words in its linguistic forms, their functions and their relationship to other words.
  3. Logic is defined as the science of correct reasoning.
• ETHICS- Deals with principles of ethical behavior in modern society at the level of the person, society and in interaction with the environment and other shared resources.
• Morality- Pertains to the standards of right and wrong that an individual originally picks from the community.
• Branches Of Ethics

  1. Normative Ethics- in which actions are judged by merits, allowing societies to develop codes of conduct for behavior.

  The Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto

  you”, is a classic example of normative ethics, since you are

  determining morality through your actions.

  
  

  2. Descriptive Ethics- it ask what people think is moral. It does not actually claim that things are right or wrong, but simply studies

  how individuals or societies define their morals. It defines morals in terms of their cultural or personal significance.
• The Study of Ethics will enable a person to understand better what his conscience is, how he acquired it, how far he is likely to be able to trust

  to its deliverances with safety, and how he can improve it and make it more intelligent.
• Morality- standards that an individual or a group has about what is right and wrong, good or evil. Informal public system applying to all rational persons, governing behavior that affects others, and has lessening of evil or harm as its goal. It is a complex of concepts and philosophical beliefs by which an individual determines whether his or her actions are right or wrong.
• THE TERM MORALITY CAN BE USED EITHER

  1. Descriptively (Descriptive Sense)- to refer to certain codes of conduct put forward by a society or a group (such as religion),or accepted by an individual for his/her own behavior or;
  2. Normatively (Normative Sense)- to refer to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons.
• 1. People experience a sense of moral obligation and accountability.
  2. Moral Values and Moral Absolutes Exist
  3. Moral Law Does Exist
  4. Moral Law is known to Human

  Moral law is also called the Law of Nature because early philosophers thought that generally speaking, everybody knows it nature.

  5. Morality is Objective

  6. Moral Judgements must be supported by Reasons.
• Moral Agent being that is “capable of acting with reference to right and wrong” . An intelligent being who has the power of choosing, and scope to act according to his choice. they can be held responsible for their decisions and behaviors, whether they are good or bad.
• Rules are specific sets of norms of behavior, regulations and laws established on purpose to regulate the life in the community.
• Moral Standard- refers to the norms which we have about the types of action which we believe to be morally acceptable and morally unacceptable. Deals with matters which can either seriously harm or seriously benefit human beings. influenced by a variety of factors as the moral principles we accept as part of our upbringing,