OVERVIEW

In former times,

nothing seemed more plausible and more

certain than morality. It was a tower of

strength where men sought refuge in the

midst of all the doubts and conflicts of life. This was especially the case during the age of

enlightenment. Men were beginning to believe less absolutely in the religion handed down to

them, but they all clung all the more to morality. Metaphysical speculation and theoretical

endeavors to reveal the innocent essence of things encountered growing opposition, yet

morality was welcomed as something superior to all complications, and valuable to all. It was

held to be the pivot of Archimedes, which gives stability to the whole of life.

In our days, morality has ceased to be a matter of such unquestionable certainty and has

been drawn into the wave of disintegration which is passing over our minds. Formerly, the

scientific definition and accurate conception of morality were matters of contention; but it is how

the fundamental idea of morality that is questioned.

MODULE SCHEDULE

Week 1 and 2 Module 1

The Moral Agent
 Orientation of the Course Synchronous Via Zoom
 The Moral Agent Asynchronous
 Standards and Dilemmas Asynchronous

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 Recall rules that they have to follow

 Explain why they have to follow rules
 Brainstorm rules that they have to follow during synchronous and asynchronous
sessions.
 Define morality
 Explain the difference between moral and non-moral standards
 Detect oral dilemma
 Explain why only human beings can be ethical

INPUT INFORMATION

Orientation of the Course

Can you imagine a game without rules? Think of three words associated with a game

without rules and write on the blanks.

______________________ ______________________ ______________________

You are right! When we are playing games we must follow the rules.

But it seems that people don’t like rules

as they represent a kind of restrictions, but in

fact life can’t be organized without rules.

People always need rules and laws to be able

to live and deal together. All the rules and laws

have the same purpose. They organize the

relations between individuals and the society to make what is right and wrong clear and

what would happen if someone breaks the rules. Rules are designed to ensure fairness,

safety and respect for other people’s right.

Rules and Its Importance

Rules refer to asset of guidelines which have been put in place in different

countries and communities and have been accepted by all. Rules are useful tools in

guiding and monitoring the interactions of humans in the society. A rule is a prescribed

guide for conduct or action. Rules help guide actions toward desired result.
 When used appropriately, rules provide a sense of predictability and consistency

for people, thereby promoting physical, moral, social, and emotional safety. At the heart of

ethics is a concern about something or someone other than us and our desires and self-

interest.

Rules are important because they tend to protect the weaker class in the society as

they might be in a disadvantageous position if rules are broken. When rules are used in

the right way, they provide a stable environment and human co-existence in a society

which leads to peace and development.

In lieu of the face to face modality in learning that we are accustomed to, because

of the pandemic, we have changed the way we learn in full circle to ensure continuity of

education. We have to tap the power of the internet and the comfort of our homes as our

classrooms. Nevertheless, we still have to come up with rules during synchronous and

asynchronous sessions to make sure that we are heading a single direction; processes

are organized correctly and are regulated.

The Subject: Ethics

Ethics or moral philosophy may be defined in a provisional way, as the scientific

study of moral judgments. Ethics is the discipline concerned with what is morally good and

bad, right and wrong. The term is also applied to any system of theory or moral values or

principles.

The subject of Ethics consists of by the fundamental issues of practical decision

making, and its major concerns include the nature of ultimate value and the standards by

which human actions can be judged right or wrong.

At its simplest, ethics is a system of moral principles. They affect how people make

decisions and lead their lives. Ethics is concerned with what is good for individuals and

society and is also described as moral philosophy.

The term is derived from the Greek word ethos which can mean custom, habit,

character or disposition. Our concept of ethics has been derived from religions,
philosophies and cultures. They infuse debates on topics like abortion, human rights and

professional conduct.

It’s your turn to give your own definition of ethics. Write your definition on the space

provided.

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Why study ethics?

Serious students of Ethics will find this work both profitable and interesting to the

highest degree.

Student’s understanding of moral problems will be widened, as he or she becomes

acquainted with the thoughts of other men upon problems of good and evil, justice and

injustice, virtue and vice, the rights and duties of the individuals and of society.

His or her critical faculties will be trained. He or she will know the reasons for his or

her moral convictions and also the moral conviction of the others. Reverence for duty will

be deepened. On the whole, one will become more tolerant, but moral judgment in

becoming more discriminating will not become laxer.

The study of Ethics will enable a person to understand better what his or her

conscience is, how it was acquired, and how far it is likely to be able to trust to its

deliverances with safety, and how he can improve it and make it more intelligent.

Finally, while a book on Ethics can by no means prescribe for anyone what should

be the vocation in life, or the avocations, it can be at least proffer some considerations,

from the standpoints of self-realization, self-sacrifice, and service, that ought to help

anyone in making such decisions.

 LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Individual Activity 1

Why are rules important to social being? What would happen if there

are no rules in our society? On a bond paper, draw your idea of a society without rules.

Explain your drawing.

Individual Activity 2

Think of a game that you used to play. Identify the rules involved in

playing the game? What will happen if there were no rules in that game? List down your

answers in your answers on the space provided.

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Group Task/Online Collaboration

Work within your group and list down rules that must be followed during synchronous

sessions. Create an e-poster using PowerPoint and post it in your FB group chat and FB

closed group.
 Journal ….Jot down your thoughts!

What is ethics? What

Whatare the reasons
is ethics? What why we reasons
are the should study ethics?
why we should study ethics?

INPUT INFORMATION

The Moral Agent

Morality can be defined as the standards that an individual or a group has about
what is right and wrong. or good and evil. Morality is not imposed from outside, but innate
and can even be unconscious. We have a fundamental urge to connect. Ultimately, it is
our moral qualities that force us to live in harmony with the unconscious; doing so is the
highest form of morality.

Morality is an informal public system applying to all rational persons, governing

behavior that affects others, and has the lessening of evil or harm as its goal.

Morality is a complex concepts and philosophical beliefs by which an individual

determines whether one’s actions are right or wrong. Often, this concepts and beliefs are
generalized and codified in a culture or group, and thus serve to regulate the behavior of
its members. Conformity to such codification is called morality, and the group may
depend on widespread conformity to such codes for its continued existence.

Man as a Moral Agent

What is a moral agent? A moral agent is _____________________.

- a being that is capable of acting with reference to right and wrong.

anyone that can be held responsible for behavior or decisions.

-someone who has rights and responsibilities

-an intelligent being who has the power of choosing and chooses to act according
to his choice

-a living creature that is able to comprehend abstract moral principles and apply
them to decision making.

-someone who has self-consciousness, memory, moral principles and other

values and the reasoning faculty which allows him to devise plans for achieving
objectives and weighing options.
 -someone who lives in scarcity rather than paradise

-someone who lives in a society with others who they consider to have moral
rights.

-one who possesses the means of judging rightly and power to act accordingly.

Now that you have come across the characteristics of a moral agent, assess
yourself, do you consider yourself as a moral agent? Why or why not?

Standards and Dilemmas

To call something “right” in the abstract tells us little. To tell what the criteria are for
making that assessment, we need a context. Otherwise, we simply don’t know what it
means, how to value judgments and prescriptive judgements although both normative
maybe either moral or non-moral. This statement does not tell us what makes judgments
moral, of course, other than that they are made on moral ground; that is a difficult and
controversial issue.

Differences Between Moral and Non-Moral Standards

A moral standard refers to the norms which have about the types of actions we
believe to be morally acceptable and morally unacceptable. Specifically, moral standards
deal with matters which can either seriously harm or seriously benefit human beings.
Some ethicists equate moral standards with moral values and moral principles.

A non-moral standard on the other hand refer to the rules that are unrelated to
moral or ethical considerations. Either these standards are not necessarily linked to
morality or by nature lack ethical sense.

Basic examples of non-moral standards include;

a. rule of etiquette

b. fashion standards

c. rules in games

d. various house rules

Etiquette refers to the norms of correct conduct in polite society or more generally, to
any special code of social behavior or courtesy. The rules of etiquette are prescriptions
for socially acceptable behavior. If you violate them, you will be most likely be called ill-
mannered, impolite or even uncivilized.

Statutes are laws enacted by legislative bodies. The law that defines and prohibits theft
is a statute. Congress and state legislators enacts statues.

Somewhere between etiquettes and law lies professional code of ethics. These are the
rules that govern the conduct of members of a given profession.
Characteristics of Moral Standards

The following six (6) characteristics of moral standards further differentiate them from
non-moral standards:

1. Moral standards involve serious wrongs or significant benefits. It deals with matters
which can seriously impact, that is, injure or benefit human beings.

2. Moral standards ought to be preferred to other values. If a moral standard states that a
person has the moral obligation to do something, then he/she is supposed to do it even if
it conflicts with other non-moral standards and even with self-interest.

3. Moral standards are not established by authority figures. Moral standards are not
invented, formed, or generated by authoritative bodies or persons such as the nation’s
legislative bodies.

4. Moral standards have the trait of universalizability. Simply put, it means that everyone
should live up to moral standards.

5. Moral standards are based on impartial considerations. Moral standards does not
evaluate standards on the basis of interests of certain person or group, but one that goes
beyond personal interests to a universal standpoint in which each person’s interests are
impartially counted as equal.

6. Moral standards are associated with special emotions and vocabulary. Prescriptivity
indicates the practical or action-guiding nature of moral standards. These moral
standards are generally put forth as injunction or imperatives ( such as, Do not kill,” Love
your neighbor”. These principles are proposed for use, to advise, and to influence to
action. Retroactively, this feature is used to evaluate behavior, to assign, praise and
blame and to produce feelings of satisfaction or guilt. which action

If a person violates a moral standard by telling a lie even to fulfil a special purpose,
it is not surprising if he/she starts feeling guilty or being ashamed of his/her behavior
afterwards. On the contrary, no much guilt is felt if one goes against the current fashion
trend. ( Manebog, 2013)

Moral Dilemmas

A moral dilemma is a conflict in which you have to choose between two or more
actions and have moral reasons for choosing each action. What is common to the two
well-known cases is conflict. In each case, an agent regards herself as having moral
reasons to do each of two actions, but doing both actions is not possible. Ethicists have
called situations like these moral dilemmas, the crucial features of a moral dilemma are
these; the agent is required to do each of two or more actions. The agent thus seems
condemned to moral failure, no matter what he or she does, she will do something wrong
(or fail to do something that she ought to do). (Lemmons, 1987)

A moral dilemma is a situation where:

1. You are presented with two or more actions, all of which you have the ability to
perform.

2. There are moral reasons for you to choose each of the actions.

3.You cannot perform all of the actions and have to choose, or actions when there are
three or more choices to perform.

Since there are moral reasons for you to choose each action, and you cannot,
choose them all, it follows that no matter what choice you make, you will be failing to
follow your morals.

For example;

Your friend will suffer if you tell the truth, and you will lose your friendship. But if
you do not tell the truth, you will be a liar and possibly a law-breaker, and your friend will
get arrested for a crime she did not commit.

Moral Dilemmas in the Organization

Ethical dilemmas in the workplace are quite common, and they are not always
easy to answer. The concepts are straightforward but the challenge is in the execution.
Even when organizations have great policies and procedures, and follow the laws and
regulations, there is still a high risk of unethical behavior.

Why do some organizations stumble when it comes to ethics? The answer is

sometimes simple. In many cases, there are mixed messages such as inconsistent
application of policies or a tendency to overlook borderline or even directly unethical
behavior. This is the “it’s not my job” mentality.

Here are some common missteps:

1. Senior leaders fail to “walk the talk”-they are guilty of modelling inappropriate behavior.

What would you feel if a senior leader you know is not doing what he preaches or fails to
walk the talk? You might get disappointed right?

2. Sense of entitlement. I should be allowed to do this! I deserve this!

3. Individuals may also feel the need to be obedient to authority, even if they are being
asked to do something that is wrong.

What about at home? Can you tell some moral dilemmas that you have encountered?

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LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Individual Activity 1
Why do you think only human beings can be ethical? Explain.

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Individual Activity 2

What are the differences between moral and non-moral standards? Cite examples by
writing it down on the space provided for in each column.

Moral Standards Non-Moral Standards

Group Task/Online Collaboration

As a student, did you encounter dilemmas in your school? What did you do? Cite
examples of these dilemmas encountered. Work with your group and gather as many
examples as you can. Collate all the examples and submit it via email.

Journal ….Jot down your thoughts!

Your daughter is suffering from a debilitating disease that has put her in constant
pain and agony. Finally, one day, she decides that she really wants to die. However,
her condition is such that she cannot die on her own. She is begging and pleading, with
you to help her commit suicide. This would of course be illegal. What would you do?
 ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

•Presentation of rules to be observed through e-poster in PowerPoint

posted in FB Closed Group and Group Chat

• Short quiz through Google Form. ( Timed)

GENERALIZATION

In this module, I have learned that

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ASSIGNMENT

Moral law is also called Law of Nature because early philosophers

thought that generally speaking, everybody knows it by nature. In this case, do human

beings know that there is such a moral law? Defend your answer

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LEARNING RESOURCES

 Module

 Supplemental reading materials posted in closed group

 Audio-video Presentation

R EFERENCES

 Leano, R and Gubia-on, A. (2018) Ethics for College Students.

Mindshapers Co, Inc,
 Manebog,Jensen,D.G. Moral and Non-Moral Standard,
Retrieved online at http://our happyschool.com/node/824