► What are your learnings or

realizations after studying the

human person in relation to
morality?
 FREEDOM COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY
(With power comes great responsibility)
► B.F. Skinner, a modern psychologist, believes that all
human behavior is learned. He thinks that we are
conditioned to act the way we do by the environment. So,
for him man is not totally free.
► It is true that a lot of what we are, is determined by
heredity (did not choose our family) & environment (did
not choose our birthplace & country).
► It is also true, however, that we have a certain degree of
freedom to change what we are, to improve what we are,
to do new things.
► Is a drunk person responsible for what he
does while in the state of intoxication?
► If your mother was run over by a drunk
driver, will you absolve the driver of
moral responsibility?
► Will you hurt a mentally ill person who
grabs your food when you are about to
eat it?
 OBSTACLES TO AUTHENTIC FREEDOM:
► 1.) BIOLOGICAL – inherited handicaps & defects as well as
external substances like drugs & alcohol. Drug addicts deprive
themselves of freedom of action. Because of the craving for &
dependence on narcotic drug, they become more insistent &
insatiable. Acts performed in a state of complete intoxication,
fogging by drugs & the like are not human acts either. If a
person does not attend at all to what he is doing, he does not
accomplish a human act. The loss of will gradually affects
the entire domain of free decision.
► An addict, however, should not refuse to take necessary
therapeutic measures to cure one of the deadly habit. (Filipino
Christian Morality – Ismael Ireneo Maningas)
►  
► A chief cook who caused the food
poisoning of the guests by unknowingly
serving them the meat which was
double dead already. It had been sold
to him by greedy merchants and
received by one of his staffs who does
not know the texture of fresh meat.
► 2.) PSYCHOLOGICAL – psychological or interior
compulsions, including those originating in the
unconscious
► A. IGNORANCE – There is no violation of the moral
law (not civil law) in an action which is done
without the knowledge of law or its value.
► But it is the obligation of every responsible person to
keep himself in touch with the teachings of God
through the Church, to be aware of the provisions &
revisions of the civil law & to seek information that
significantly affects one’s duties. (Filipino Christian Morality –
Ismael Ireneo Maningas)
► A fanatic & extremist Moslem follower who
obeyed Osama Bin Laden in blowing up the
Twin Towers on September 11, 2001
► An employer who rejected a qualified job
applicant because he was a homosexual
► B. ERROR – The origin of errors, prejudices, false
opinions & convictions may lie in deficient
education, the influence of bad company, the
reading of misleading books & papers etc.
► pernicious outburst of fanatic nationalism, hatred
for minority groups, other races & nations, the rash
of superstition, lynch justice
► Man is challenged to overcome the errors
which hold him under their sway in personal
search for truth, to escape the negative
influence of those forces which misguide him,
and to reach views based on sound reasons.
► For false convictions bring with them false
attitudes to life. (Christian Ethics – Karl H. Peschke)
► C. INATTENTION – While ignorance & error are habitual privations of
knowledge & true insight, inattention is an actual, momentary
privation of knowledge. One is morally responsible to an act
performed when there’s full attention to what one is doing.
► The same principles apply to those drawn up for ignorance ...
1) If a person does not attend at all to what he is doing, he does not
accomplish a human act. Acts performed in a state of complete
intoxication, fogging by drugs & the like are not human acts either.
► 2) If a person is only half-attending to what he does, the acts he
performs are only imperfect human acts.

► An addict, however, should not refuse to take necessary

therapeutic measures to cure one’s deadly habit. (Filipino Christian
Morality – Ismael Ireneo Maningas)

►
► If a driver bumped you while driving because he
was thinking about his medical discovery that he
has a stage 4 cancer, will you absolve him from
moral responsibility?
► If I give you a lower grade than what you really
deserve for your reflection paper because I was
distracted by ‘BABY SHARKY’(puppy) while
reading your reflection paper, am I absolved
from moral responsibility?
► Attention is imperfect if it is disturbed & diminished,
though not completely extinguished, by some
obstacle. e.g. if somebody is in a state of
semi-wakefulness, partial intoxication, violent passion,
distraction by other occupations. (Christian Ethics – Karl H.
Peschke)
► What do you think you will do if you are a
husband who caught your wife making love with
another man?
► D. VIOLENCE – Violent acts are dominated by the
emotion. The freedom of reasoning cannot
function because of the strong emotions. (Filipino
Christian Morality – Ismael Ireneo Maningas)
► An ex-bf uploaded on the internet the naked
picture of his former girlfriend who dumped him
for another guy without a good reason.
► Is it easy to overcome your emotions like anger?
► Rolito Go who shot a student driver to death
during a heated discussion when he entered a
one-way road.
► A student slashed the tire of his unfair teacher in
order to get even.
► E. UNBRIDLED FEELINGS or DISORDERED PASSIONS – As our
common human experience tells us, the emotions are not
always properly ordered. At times, we love what is not right
& good, and we hate that which should be loved.
► The immoral act caused by weakness committed under the
spell & lure of passion is not as grave as the immoral act
caused by malice, which the will freely consents to with
cold & dispassionate calculation.
► The impulse of passion & concupiscence which precede the
free decision of the will may be devoid of moral guilt.
► It is, however, a matter of practicing the good
habit of prudence which means trying to
anticipate the consequences of every action.
► (The Essential Moral Handbook - Kevin J. O’Neil & PeterBlack); (Filipino
Christian Morality – Ismael Ireneo Maningas); (Christian Ethics – Karl H.
Peschke)
► Hit and run driver because of his excessive fear
that the people will maul him as a cultural
reality in the Philippines.
► psychological fear of a teen-ager girl being
raped by a man with a knife which somehow
paralyzed her in a way
► reverential fear to any authority like the
parents or much older relatives, teachers,
priests & superiors
► threats such as losing a job (termination) or
promotion
► physical punishment (mauling, torture & death)
► F. FEAR – Fear which arises entirely from without may
weaken or destroy the freedom of the will, to the
extent that it produces partial or total paralysis of the
powers of the soul. In some instances, sheer exterior
force or threat of force can so completely unsettle
people inwardly that they are no longer masters of
their own inner acts & even less of their external
actions. (Filipino Christian Morality – Ismael Ireneo Maningas)
► Baron Geisler holding the breasts of
Cherry Pi Picache while shooting their
teleserye
► gossiping about a fellow student every
now & then
► G. DEEP-ROOTED BAD HABITS – There are times when
people try their best to be faithful with all their good
resolutions. But because of vices, their actions often run
contrary to their resolutions.
► They may not be morally responsible because these vices
work to lessen their individual freedom.
► However, it is their obligation to try their very best to
repudiate their vices, perhaps with the help of virtuous
persons or rehabilitating institutions. (Filipino Christian Morality –
Ismael Ireneo Maningas)
► A young uneducated woman prostituting
herself in order to feed her two children
► An orphaned poor child who lives a
hand-to-mouth existence stealing water
meters in order to sell to junk shops
► Small time drug pushers selling drugs to
provide food for his family.
► 3.) SOCIAL PRESSURES – cultural, economic & political
pressures which impede the right to freedom
A. Mass Suggestion/Peer pressure – the same with the origin
of errors, prejudices, false opinions & convictions may lie in
deficient education, the influence of bad company, the reading
of misleading books, papers & articles in social media etc.
► B. Economy – Economy which is solely driven by profit. Our
capitalistic system coupled with corruption has led to the
unjust distribution of goods among the citizenry. Around five
percent only of our Filipino population controls the bulk of our
resources. Poverty has diminished their potentials for growth
in many aspects of life
► A barangay captain is forced to support a corrupt
mayor even to the point of buying votes because he
depends on him for financial & political support
► C. Political – Politics of personality & patronage is
characterized by a relationship based on power. The
holder & wielder of power dictates & blind obedience
is expected of those over whom power is exercised.
There is no place for dissent. Freedom of thought &
action is gravely compromised.
► What are some of the Filipino values?
► D. Cultural Mores – The values & standards of a
culture that determine or prescribe the participant’s
ways of thinking and behavior.
► Although these prescribed modes are always
intended for the survival of the culture, the resulting
behaviors may not always be humanizing.
► Like all cultural values, Filipino values are
ambivalent. Although the culture considers them
basically good, values can have positive & negative
consequences in practice.
► 1.Utang-na-loob – debt of gratitude; mere reciprocity
which does not cultivate freedom of thinking & doing
► will vote for a political candidate who helped one financially even if the
candidate is corrupt
► 2. Pakikisama – the value of belonging and loyalty to
one’s group
► drinking until the wee hours with dabarkads in the morning even if the
wife is sick & left alone in the house
► a high school student who stood as a look out for the group responsible
for blowing up the toilet bowl inside the comfort room
► a teen-ager who tried shabu after being teased by friends as kill joy for
not trying it
► 3. Hiya – a painful emotion arising from a relationship with
an authority figure or with society, inhibiting self-assertion
in a situation perceived as dangerous to one’s ego; A person
who lives in shame in the Filipino context has lost his
freedom & dignity as a member of the community
► voting for a candidate who is corrupt and incompetent because he is a
“kumpare” or “ninong”
► 4. Bahala Na – recklessness is a rejection of a
well-informed decision; operates in actual Filipino behavior
as a kind of fatalistic or crisis or shrinking of personal
responsibility
► cutting a class to join one’s friends who will watch a concert
► Having a night life even if there’s an exam on the following day
 CONCLUSION:
► Most of these factors diminish our freedom. As a result,
it also diminishes our moral imputability & our
responsibility. But take note that the word used is
diminish & not remove.
► The degree of responsibility is lesser because of
obstacles to freedom but we are still responsible by
our failure to develop good habits or to seek help that
will keep us from committing immoral deeds.
► Freedom means that despite all external pressures &
prior causes which can & do influence our choices, we
retain at least some options to choose or not to
choose & to choose one thing rather than another.
  
SUMMARY
► POINTS: to freedom which can diminish or
There are obstacles
totally remove the moral responsibility of a person.
► A. Biological:
► Inherited handicaps or defects; External Substances
► B. Psychological:
► Ignorance; Error; Inattention; Violence; Unbridled Feelings;
Fear; Deep-rooted Bad Habits
► Social Pressure:
► Social; Political; Cultural
 “SILENCE OF THE LAMB” by Michael Tan
► Marivic Isidro Genosa was first found guilty of parricide (she
shot her husband and bludgeoned him to death) by a court in
Ormoc, Leyte. …according to the court who tried her she
deserved the death penalty. She was a battered woman.
► The court said that on Nov. 15, 1995, Genosa “did willfully,
unlawfully and feloniously attack, assault, hit and wound one
Ben Genosa, her legitimate husband. . .” The court added that
because Genosa had done this “with treachery and evident
premeditation,” she deserved the death penalty.
► DO YOU AGREE WITH THE COURT’S DECISION?
WHY?
► Fortunately, Genosa was able to appeal, with lawyer
Katrina Legarda coming in for the defense. With the help
of her lawyers and psychologists, Genosa was able to prove
she was suffering from the “battered woman syndrome,”
with the following signs:
► (1) the woman believes that the violence inflicted on her is
her own fault;
► (2) the woman is unable to place the responsibility for the
violence elsewhere;
► (3) the woman fears for her life and for her children’s and
► (4) the woman believes her abuser is omnipresent and
omniscient.
► In addition, Dr. Dino Caing testified that Genosa had consulted
him at least six times for injuries related to domestic violence
and another 23 times for “severe hypertension due to
emotional stress.”
► Reviewing these new findings, the Supreme Court concluded
that Genosa had acted in self-defense, and reduced her
sentence from capital punishment to six to 14 years. Because
she had already been in prison for more than six years, she was
ordered released.
► The Genosa case has many implications for our courts. Mainly, I was
struck by how Genosa had in fact pleaded self-defense when she
was first tried, but the court ruled that there was no violence
immediately preceding the murder.
► I wonder how many Genosas have been-and will be-victimized by
our judicial system’s lack of understanding of domestic violence.
► Coincidentally, the same day the Supreme Court ruled on Genosa,
Social Weather Stations (SWS) released a survey where 9 percent of
the female respondents said they had experienced physical abuse,
the majority saying this harm was inflicted by their husbands,
boyfriends or live-in partners. In the same survey, 12 percent of
the male respondents admitted they had physically harmed
someone, the majority of whom were their wives, girlfriends and
live-in partners.
► What our lawyers and judges need to understand is that the
degree of violence may vary but because the battering is chronic
and becomes more and more frequent, we eventually get the
battered woman syndrome, and the long-suffering victims’
outburst may not necessarily be triggered by a violent act.
► The syndrome is really similar to what we see in people recruited
into cults. Abusive spouses or partners, like cult leaders, hostage
their victims’ minds by making them totally dependent, so that
even if they are constantly abused, they stay on, sometimes
even blaming themselves for the violence.
► They stay on, too, because their dependency relationships make
them believe their abuser is all-powerful, and that there is no
escape.
► Victims of domestic violence often do not fight back, some
even turning to self-destructive behaviors, including suicide.
Note that if Genosa had been executed, the message that would
gone out to other battered women was that they should just
bear with their suffering.
► Genosa fought back, and the fact that she shot her husband,
and then bludgeoned him with a pipe, tells us it wasn’t just
pent-up anger but fear that was involved, almost a
determination that she would never again suffer from the
abuser.
► The court only saw the victimized woman’s violence,
not the violence inflicted on her by her husband over
the years.
► Her husband’s death has not meant relief for Genosa. She
languished in jail from the time of her arrest in 1995, through
her death sentence in 1998, until the Supreme Court ruled in her
favor. Even with her release, she will still need help to deal with
many old wounds.
► The Genosa decision is important because it can now be
invoked in other trials, hopefully to help more battered women
from being doubly victimized, first by their partners and then
by the courts.
► The Genosa case is particularly instructive because it shows
how our judges are willing to even send a battered woman to
death row. I’ve written in the past about why capital
punishment is so dangerous because it is imposed so
capriciously.
► Note, too, that the doctor saw Genosa 23 times for severe
hypertension. Our medical, nursing, occupational and
physical therapy schools should all be teaching students how
to detect signs of domestic violence, especially the less
visible emotional and mental injuries.
► Health professionals are sometimes too quick to dismiss
complaints like “back pain,” “high blood” and “nerbyos” as
“psychosomatic” when, in many cases, they are idioms of
distress, ways by which battered women are trying to ask
for help.
► Detection is only the first step. Health professionals
need to know where to refer battered spouses. The
congressional spouses’ organization has set up halfway
houses in each region for survivors of domestic violence
but we will need many more of these refuges, as well as
counseling centers.
► The SWS figure showing 9 percent of women suffering
from physical abuse means we may have 2.1 million
people being victimized, many of them bearing the
violence like lambs, in dangerous silence.
 LESSONS FROM THE ARTICLE
“SILENCE OF THE LAMBS”
► What insights can we get from this ‘battered woman
syndrome’?
► Battered Woman Syndrome is a psychological disorder
caused by the abuser. A woman’s moral responsibility for an
immoral action caused by the said syndrome is diminished.
► We need to educate ourselves about things related to
morality by reading news, articles, books etc.