COURSE OUTLINE (First Part)

I.INTRODUCTION

A.WHAT is PHILOSOPHY

Etymological: (Greek) “Philos” and “sophos” love and wisdom

Literal: philosophy means love of wisdom

I.Descriptions/Definitions of Philosophy

a. Philosophy is a search for meaning or a quest for understanding

b. It is a reasoned pursuit of fundamental truths
c. Is a study of principles of conduct
d. It seeks to establish standards of evidence to provide rational methods of resolving conflicts,
and to create techniques for evaluating ideas and arguments
e. It develops the capacity to see the world from the perspective of other individuals
f. It enhances one’s ability to perceive the relationships among the various fields of study.
g. Deepens one’s sense of the meaning and variety of human experience

II. Basic Themes of Philosophy:

a. Truth
b. Reality
c. Values

III. Importance of Philosophy

a. (Persuasive power) Helps develop one’s ability to be more convincing of himself and others
b. (Communication skills) Helps one to express properly one’s vies, enhances one’s ability to
explain difficult and challenging reading materials, helps one to eliminate ambiguities and
vagueness from one’s writing and speech
c. (Creativity and Originality) Enhances writing skills through the use of philosophical reasoning
and imaginations
d. (Problem solving) It helps one to distinguish fine differences between views and to discover
common ground between opposing positions

B. WHAT IS ETHICS

Etymological: (Greek) “ethos” custom, habit, character or disposition

Ethics is a system of moral principles. They affect how people make decisions and lead their lives. It is
concerned with what is good for individuals and society and is also described as moral philosophy. It
involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior; thus ethics
is often referred to as the study of morality. It is considered as a science insofar as it embodies a
systematized knowledge arranged with its accompanying explanation. It is a practical science for it
consists of principles and laws that are applied in daily living. If ethical theories are to be useful in
practice, they need to affect the way human beings behave. Some philosophers think that ethics does
do this. They argue that if a person realizes that it would be morally good to do something then it would
be irrational for that person not to do it. But human beings often behave irrationally - they follow their
'gut instinct' even when their head suggests a different course of action. However, ethics does provide
good tools for thinking about moral issues. Ethics covers the following dilemmas:

how to live a good life

our rights and responsibilities
the language of right and wrong
moral decisions - what is good and bad?
Our concepts of ethics have been derived from religions, philosophies and cultures. They infuse debates
on topics like abortion, human rights and professional conduct.

Approaches to ethics

Philosophers nowadays tend to divide ethical theories into three areas:

Meta-ethics deals with the nature of moral judgment. It looks at the origins and meaning of ethical
principles.

Normative ethics is concerned with the content of moral judgments and the criteria for what is right or
wrong.
Applied ethics looks at controversial topics like war, animal rights and capital punishment

Ethical Viewpoints
1. Cosmocentric – Reflects on the relation of man to nature. This results from their man’s
amazement and wonder of how to live in relation to environment.
2. Theocentric – Focuses on the relation of man to God/gods. It originates from proving God/gods
as the beginning and end of man’s life.
3. Anthropocentric – Focuses on the use of human reasoning and abilities. Results from outting
the humanperson as the center of everything.

What ethics is not (Moral VS Non-Moral Standards)

Ethics and feelings: Most of the time people equate ethics to feelings. But ethics is not just a matter of
following one’s feelings. A person who follows his or her feelings may deviate from doing what is right.

Ethics and religion but speaks about it. Religions advocate ethical standards. But this applies only to
people who are religious. Ethics is applicable to any person regardless of religion, race, and gender.

Ethics and law. Being ethical is not the same as following the law. The law often incorporates ethical
standards to which most citizens subscribe. But laws similarly can deviate from what we consider as
ethical. What is legal is not necessarily ethical., but what is ethical is worth legalizing.
Ethics and society. Standards of behavior in society can deviate from what is ethical. Culture for one
varies and the practice of one’s culture may not necessarily make it ethical.

ACTION
Classification of action
Moral – Actions or events which require the goodness of the object chsen, the intention or the end in
view and the circumstances all together
Immoral - Actions or events where moral categories do apply and are considered to be wrong according
to the code of ethics.
Non-Moral- Actions or events where moral categories cannot be applied
Amoral- Actions or events exhibiting indifference to and not binding by the moral rules or codes of
society.

Human Acts and Acts of man

Human Acts
Under the control of the will ths done knowingly and willingly. They are performed by choice after
deliberation and decision.

Acts of man
Bodily actions performed without deliberation and in the absence of the will.

Two considerations of ethics

1. Ethics of Being – Character development – Involves the integration of virtues, values and
personhood - Axiology
2. Ethics of Doing - Practical Application- Ability of a person to put into action ethical convictions -
Praxis

Minimum Requirement for Morality

1. Knowledge – Awareness or being conscious of one’s actions including its possible consequences.
This provides framework for deliberating about the most appropriate technique/s by which the
good can be attained.
2. Freedom of the Will This is the power which human beings have in determining their actions
according t the judgment of their reasons. This will always involve a choice or an option of
whether to do or not to do a creation action
3. Voluntariness- act of consenting or accepting certain action whether it is done whole-heartedly
or not. There are four modes to this.
a. Perfect voluntariness- actualized by a person fully aware and who fully intends an act
b. Imperfect voluntariness – seen in a person who acts without the full awareness of his action
or without fully intending the act
c. Conditional Voluntariness – is manifested by a person whois forced by his circumstances
beyond his control to perform an action by which he would not do in normal conditions.
d. Simple voluntariness – Is exhibited by a person doing an act willfully regardless whether he
likes to do it or not.
Determinants of Morality
1. Object - This is the good toward which the will deliberately directs itself.
2. Intention- This is concerned with the goal of an action
3. Circumstances- These include the consequences. They contribute in creating or diminishing the
moral goodness or wrongness of an act

Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

References

Elements of Morality by James Rachel

Ground and Norm of Morality by Ramon C Reyes
Ethics the Philosophy of Life by Felix Montemayor

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ST2019