CHAPTER 1

The Ethical Dimension of

Human Existence
 What is the
Value
of one’s life?
VALUE
- the regard that something is held to deserve; the
importance, worth, or usefulness of something.

ETHICS
- I
ETHICS
- Is about matters such as the good thing that we
should pursue and the bad thing that we should
avoid.
Recognizing the notions of good and bad, and right or
wrong, are the primary concern of ethics. In order to
start, it would be useful to clarify the following points.

KINDS OF VALUATION
-Our first point of clarification is to recognize that there
are instances when we make value judgments that are
not considered to be part of ethics.
For instance,
• I could say that this new movie I had just seen was a
“good” one because I enjoyed it. Or,
• A song I had just heard on the radio was a “bad” one because it
had an unpleasant tone.
 THIS ARE NOT PART OF A DISCUSSION OF ETHICS.
• I may have an opinion as to what is the “right” dip (sawsawan) for
my chicken barbecue. Or,
• I may maintain that it is “wrong” to wear leather vest over Barong
Tagalog.
 THESE ARE VALUATIONS THAT FALL UNDER THE
DOMAIN OF AESTHETICS.
The word “AESTHETICS” is derived from the Greek word
aesthesis (sense or feeling) and refers to the judgments of
personal approval or disapproval that we make about what we
see, hear, smell, or taste.
In fact, we often use the word “TASTE” to refer to the personal
aesthetic preferences that we have on these matters, such as

Taste in music Taste in clothes

We can also consider how a notion of right and wrong actions can
easily appear in a context that is not a matter of ethics. This
could also be when learning how to bake.
For instance,
• I am told that the right thing to do would be to mix the dry
ingredients first, such as flour or sugar before bringing in any
liquids, like milk or cream;

This the right thing to do in baking, but not one that

belongs to a discussion of ethics.
 This could also be when learning how to play basketball.
I am instructed that it is against the rules to walk more
than two steps without dribbling the ball; again, obeying
this rule not to travel is something that makes sense only in
the context of the game and is not an ethical prohibition.
 We derive from the Greek word techne the English
words “technique” or “technical” which are often used to
refer to a proper way of doing things, but a technical
valuation or (right and wrong technique of doing things)
may not necessarily be an ethical one as these examples
show.
Recognizing the characteristics of aesthetics and technical
valuation allows us to have a rough guide as to what belongs to a
discussion of ethics. Ethics may involve valuations that we make in a
sphere of human actions, characterized by certain gravity and
concern the human well-being or human life itself.
therefore, matters that concern life and death such as

CAPITAL
WARS PUNISHMENTS ABORTION

POVERTY INEQUALITY SEXUAL

IDENTITY
Are included in discussion of ethics.