MORAL THEORIES

A moral theory consists of more or

less connected claims arranged to
determine what a morally good or
right action or stance is, and what
it is that makes it either right or
good.
Virtue ethics is a moral
philosophy that teaches that an
action is right if it is an action
that various persons would
perform in the same situations.
Virtue ethics is arguably the
oldest ethical theory in the
world, with origins in Ancient
Greece.  A virtue itself is a
disposition to act, think and feel
in certain ways.
Virtue - conduct that agrees
with what is morally right.
KABUTIHAN

Virtue ethics outs emphasis on

developing good habits of
character and avoiding bad
character traits or vices.
Basically, the virtues are the
freely chosen character traits that
people praise in others. People
praise them because: (1) they are
difficult to develop; (2) they are
corrective of natural deficiencies
and (3) they are beneficial both to
self and society.
The ancient Greek list four ‘cardinal virtues’
namely: wisdom, courage, moderation and
justice. The Christian teaching, on the other
hand, recommends faith, hope, charity and
love. Other suggests virtues which are
associated with humanity namely, grace,
mercy, forgiveness, honor, restraint,
reasonableness and solidarity.
MORAL PHILOSOPHY ACCORDING
TO SOCRATES, PLATO AND
ARISTOTLE
Socrates – He indicates that
pleasure and pain fail to provide
an objective standard for
determining moral from immoral
since they do not exist apart
from one another, while good
and evil do.
 Socrates states no one
chooses evil; no one
chooses to act in
ignorance. He believes no
one would intentionally
harm themselves.
https://philosophy.lander.edu/ethics/
socrates.html#:~:text=Socrates%20states%20no%20one
%20chooses,one%20would%20intentionally%20harm
%20themselves.
Plato – It centers in his Theory of
Forms which pertains to
objectively existing immaterial
entities that are the proper object
of knowledge. For Plato, those
who comprehend the Good will
always do good actions. Bad
actions are performed out of
knowing the Good.
 Theory of Forms asserts that the physical
world is not really the 'real' world;
instead, ultimate reality exists beyond
our physical world. 
Plato's Theory of Forms asserts that the
physical realm is only a shadow, or
image, of the true reality of the Realm
of Forms.
https://study.com/learn/lesson/plato-theory-forms-realm-physical.html#:~:text=Plato's%20Theory%20of%20Forms
%20asserts%20that%20the%20physical%20realm%20is,in%20the%20Realm%20of%20Forms.
Aristotle – Three general descriptions, which
are interrelated, can be used to depict
Aristotle’s ethics. First, his ethical system
may be termed ‘self-realizationism’. In his
philosophy, when someone acts in line with
his nature or end (telos) and thus realizes his
full potential, he does moral and will be
happy. Second, his moral philosophy focuses
on happiness (eudaimonia) or the good for
the man and how to obtain it.
Finally, his moral philosophy is aretaic or
virtue-based. Whereas act-oriented ethics
is focused mainly on what we should do, a
virtue is interested basically in what we
should be, that is, the character or the sort
of person we should struggle to become.
Aristotle also mentions four basic moral
virtues: courage, temperance, justice and
prudence.
THOMAS AQUINAS’ ETHICS
Also called the Angelic Doctor and the
Prince of Scholastics, Thomas Aquinas
(1225-1274) is an Italian philosopher and
theologian who ranks among the most
important thinkers of the medieval time
period.
In Ethics, Aquinas depends so heavily on
Aristotle. Like the Greek philosopher,
Aquinas believes that all actions are
directed towards ends and that happiness is
the final end.
The Natural Law. Central also in Aquinas
ethics is his typology of laws. By the term
‘law’, he means an ordinance of reason for
the common good, promulgated by
someone who has care for the community.
Aquinas’ laws should also be understood in
terms of “rules and measures” for people’s
conduct and as “rational patterns of
forms.”
For Aquinas, there are four primary types
of law which includes the following:
Eternal Law refers to the rational plan
of God by which all creation is ordered. As
God is the supreme ruler of everything, the
rational pattern or form of the universe
that exists in His mind is the law that
directs everything in the universe to its
appointed end.
 Natural Law is that aspect of the
eternal law which is accessible to
human reason.
Human Law refers to the
positive laws. For natural law to
be adhered to, more exact and
forceful provisions of human law
are helpful.
 Divine Law serves to
complement the other types of
law. It is a law of revelation,
disclosed through sacred text or
Scriptures and the Church which is
also directed toward man’s
eternal end.
 He mentions at least three aspects
through which the morality of an act can
be determined – in terms of its (1)
species, which refers to kind of action
whether good, bad or neutral; (2)
accidents, which refers to the
circumstances surrounding the action; and
(3) end, which stands for the agent’s
intentions.