WHAT IS MORALITY?
reason and impartial considerations
 It is a system of beliefs about what is
right behavior and wrong behavior
(Rubin, 2015).
 Morality deals with how a person
relates with others and with the world
to promote what is good (Thiroux and
Krasemann, 2009).
 Is the effort to guide ones conduct by
reason (Rachels, 2015).
WHAT IS MORAL EXPERIENCE?
 It is any encounter wherein a person
understands that the values he or she
believes to be important are either
realized or thwarted (Hunt and
Carnevale, 2011). For instance,
when you decide to give a poor
person some money because you
feel that it is right thing to do, is a
moral experience.
RELEVANCE OF STUDYING ETHICS
 It gives a sense of justification in
one’s judgment and helps ensure that
decisions at work are not made
based on purely subjective factors.
WHAT ARE RULES?
Standards that guide human
activities
 A statement that tells you what is or
is not allowed in a particular situation
 Rules are in place to manage harmful
behaviors; prevent chaos; and
encourage stability
 For example, traffic rules, sports
rules
MORAL STANDARDS
 Moral standard is a code of what is
right or wrong without reference to
specific behaviors or beliefs (Lynn,
1997). It deals with matters that the
person thinks have serious
consequence and is based on good
overriding self-interest.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MORAL
STANDARDS
 Moral standards involve behaviors
that seriously affect other people’s
well-being.
 Moral standards take a more
important consideration than other
standards, including self-interest.
 Moral standards do not depend on
any external authority but in how the
person perceives the
reasonableness of the action.
 Moral standards are believed to be
universal.
 Moral standards are based on
objectivity.
 Moral standards are associated with
vocabulary that depicts emotion or
feelings.
NON-MORAL STANDARDS
 Non-moral standards can be
considered as relative standards by
which something or someone is
judged as either good or bad. The
rules of non-moral standards vary
because these rules depend on the
guidelines agreed by a particular
group.
ETIQUETTE
 Is a set of rules on how an individual
should responsibly behave in the
society. Table manners such as the
proper use of utensils and the proper
manner of eating are examples of
etiquette.
POLICY
 It is a clear, simple statement of how
an organization plans to handle its
services, actions, or business.
 Policies are guiding rules to help with
decision making. Example is the
wearing of school uniform and ID.
LAW
 Law is a rule created and enforced by
the government and its agencies to
maintain order, resolve disputes, and
protect a person’s liberty and rights.
Commandment
 It is a rule that is to be strictly
observed because it was said to be
set by a divine entity such as those in
the Ten Commandments (Stahl,
2009).
3 LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMA:
PERSONAL, ORGANIZATIONAL, AND
STRUCTURAL
Personal – a person whose choice will
adversely affect very important people in
your life
Organizational – a business owner whose
choice will adversely affect either the
company or the employees
Structural – a high ranking government
official who needs to choose between
implementing or not implementing a policy
not because it will affect the poor
communities, but not implementing it will also
impact the environment
Dilemma - is a situation in which a difficult
choice has to be made between two or more
alternatives, especially equally undesirable
ones. Thus, when you find yourself facing a
problem but the solutions available to you will
only create another problem or worse create
more problems, then you are in a dilemma.
THREE LEVELS OF 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 dilemma – is when a
member or members of the organization is in
a situation where there is moral conflict, and
the decision will potentially harm either some
members of the group or organization.
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.
According to St. Thomas Aquinas,
the fundamental difference between animal
ethics and human ethics is that animals
behave instinctively while human behavior is
rational.
Rational Behavior - It is a decision making
process where the person acts in ways that
best achieve his or her needs in accordance
with his or her set preferences, priorities, and
principles.
What does “human person” mean?
 A human person is a being with
inborn properties that he or she uses
to direct his or her own development
toward self-fulfillment. One of the
inborn properties of the human
person is freedom.
What is your understanding of freedom?
 Freedom is a gift.
 Freedom is Complementary to
Reason
 Freedom is Absolute
 Freedom demands responsibility