Module 1: Lesson 1 ➢ Social Philosophy

THE STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY AND ETHICS ➢ Political Philosophy

Philosophy Epistemology

The term philosophy is taken from two Greek It is the branch of philosophy that deals with
words, philos and sophia which literally mean the theory of knowledge – its sources, kinds,
love of wisdom. It seeks to find out the true and reliability. It is concerned with the
meaning of life and the importance of it, the definition, sources kinds, and criteria of
desire to understand the existence of knowledge possible, and the degree to which
everything. each is certain.

Philosophical methods may be used in the study Metaphysics

of any subject or the pursuit of any vocation.
It is a branch of philosophy that deals with the
Philosophical training enhances one’s problem-
nature of existence. It is customarily divided
solving capacities, one’s abilities to understand
into Ontology and Metaphysics proper.
and express ideas, and one’s persuasive powers.
Ontology deals with the question of how many
Main Divisions of Philosophy
fundamentally distinct sorts of entities compose
➢ Practical Philosophy the universe, and Metaphysics proper, which
describes the most general traits of reality.
➢ Speculative Philosophy
Cosmology
Speculative Philosophy
It is the scientific study of the universe on the
It is the division of Philosophy that is primarily
largest scales of space and time, particularly the
good for contemplative understanding. It
propounding of theories concerning its origin,
provides knowledge of a subject or area for the
nature, structure, and evolution.
sake of knowledge.
Anthropology
Practical Philosophy
It is the study of man and his destiny. It reflects
It is the division of philosophy that is good for
upon man in order to understand him in his
real life application. It provides knowledge to be
entirety, grasping the fundamental principles of
used or applied in concrete actions or
his existence in the world and his behavior.
situations.
Aesthetics
➢ Epistemology
It is a philosophical inquiry about beauty in all of
➢ Metaphysics
its forms. It also deals with the question of
➢ Cosmology whether such qualities are objectively present
in the things they appear to qualify, or exist only
➢ Anthropology in the mind of the individual.
➢ Aesthetics Theodicy
➢ Theodicy It is the branch of philosophy that deals with
➢ Rational Philosophy the study of Supreme Being, defined as both
omnipotent and good in the light of evil in the Difference between Ethics and Morality
world.
Etymologically, there is no difference between
Rational Philosophy ethics and morality, because both Ethics and
Morality comes form the Latin word mos or
It is primarily concern with the principles of
moris, which means custom.
living things, especially that of man, focusing
mainly on the relevance of the soul and self- However, there is a slight difference between
knowledge which arises from common sense ethics and morality. Ethics provides man with
and natural reason. theoretical knowledge of the morality of human
act while morality actualizes the theory.
Social Philosophy
Morality is nothing else but doing of ethics.
It is a branch of philosophy that deals with the
Division of Ethics
study of the nature of society, relation between
the individual, and social interaction that takes ➢ General Ethics
place in the given community.
➢ Special Ethics
Political Philosophy
General Ethics
It is a branch of philosophy that deals with the
It presents truths about human acts, and from
study of the ultimate foundation of the state,
these truths deduce the general principles of
the nature of legitimate authority, the form of
morality. General ethics is applied to individual
government, and the perfect form of society.
in relation to himself, to God and to his fellow
Branches of Practical Philosophy man.

➢ Logic Special Ethics

➢ Ethics This one is applied ethics. It applies to the

principles of general ethics in different
Logic
departments of human activity, individual and
It is the formal and systematic study of the social. It includes man’s relation to the family,
principles of valid inference and correct to the state and to the world.
reasoning. It is commonly known as the art and
Importance of Ethics
science of correct thinking.
The importance of the study of ethics follows
Ethics
immediately from the meaning of ethics itself.
It is a branch of philosophy that deals with the
Ethics means living in proper way and it is in the
concepts and principles or morality.
development of a good moral character and
It is a normative science of the conduct of virtues that man finds perfection and
human being living in societies; a science which understands his purpose of existence.
judges the conduct to be right or wrong, to be
The Greek triumvirate, the Christian teachings
good or bad.
and majority of Oriental Philosophers affirmed
that the ultimate purpose of human existences
is not acquisition of material possession, power
and prestige but in the development of moral
qualities that make men unique and supreme Ethics and Economics
from all creation.
Economics is the proper allocation and efficient
Confucius laid great emphasis on the cultivation use of available resources for the maximum
of character, the purity of heart and conduct. satisfaction of human needs.
He extorted to the people a good character
His means of livelihood therefore must be
first, which is a priceless jewel and which is the
morally acceptable. He must observe justice
best of all virtues.
and fairness with his fellow being.
Relationship of Ethics to Other Sciences
Ethics and Education
➢ Ethics and Logic
Education liberates men from ignorance not
➢ Ethics and Psychology only from ethical standards but also from laws
that are implemented by the society. Education
➢ Ethics and Sociology
is concerned with the total human
➢ Ethics and Economics development.

➢ Ethics and Education Ethics and Law

➢ Ethics and Law Laws imposed by the society must be fair, just,
and humane. It must be for the welfare of the
➢ Ethics and Art majority of the people and not offensive to
➢ Ethics and Political Science morality. There is a difference between what is
moral and what is legal.
Ethics and Logic
Thee legal covers only the external acts of man;
Logic is the science and art of correct reasoning. the moral governs even the internal acts of
Ethics is the science of good and proper living. man, such as the volitional and intentional
But good living presupposes correct thinking activities of the will and mind.
and reasoning. Doing follows thinking.
Ethics and Art
Ethics and Psychology
Man’s artistic creation must have a noble
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior purpose, which should not be offensive to
and cognitive mental process. Both involve the morality. A piece of art should reflect beauty
study of man, human nature, and human and must inspire every person who sees it.
behavior.
Ethics and Political Science
Ethics and Sociology
Political Science is the study of state and
Sociology is the scientific study of society and government. Politics covers the administration
culture while Ethics is concerned with the moral and management of out government.
order, which also includes social order.
Politics is also concerned with the material
Society exists because of the observance of needs of man while ethics is primarily concern
moral laws that makes sociology dependent on with the spiritual needs of man, these two are
Ethics. Both are complimentary, norms and inseparable.
cultures of the people which are the basis of
ethical standards of a particular society.
Politics is not bad at all, if it used properly; the Character
politicians must set aside their personal interest
It is an evaluation of an individual's
and rather promote the general welfare of the
stable moral qualities. The concept
citizens.
of character can imply a variety of attributes
Module 1: Lesson 2 including the existence or lack of virtues.

INTRODUCTION OF BASIC CONCEPTS Moral Character

AND KEY ELEMENTS OF ETHICS It primarily refers to the assemblage of qualities

that distinguish one individual from another.
Looking closely, human actions ought to be
understood clearly in a very strict sense, Although on a cultural level, the set of moral
because it has something to do with human behaviors to which a social group adheres can
movements that are ruled by one’s freedom. be said to unite and define it culturally as
distinct from others.
Freedom figures closely into action and
inclination. Freedom here, means not only the Moral Courage
ability to act free from outside influences or
It is a result of morally developed will. It is the
independence from the impediments to one’s
capacity to initiate and sustain your resolve
wishes.
whenever you are certain of doing the good.
It is the willful act and decision that gives form
Gawa
and shape to the actions and inclinations of the
human person. The term refers to the free action that is
oriented towards a particular end. For example,
The human person himself/herself is significant
a worker uses his/her free imagination and will
only in considering the result in matters of to
to bring about services and products that
poiein or gawa.
contribute to the well-being of society.
The Key Elements of Ethics
As governed by free decisions making, the
➢ Character creative workers embraces all the information
he/she can gather to effectively realize his.her
➢ Moral Character
purpose.
➢ Moral Courage
Gawi
➢ Gawa and Gawi
The term refers to the free kind of work.
➢ Reason However, instead of focusing on a particular
end like a product or fulfillment.
➢ Feelings
Gawi refers to the kind of acts that human
➢ Freedom beings are used to accomplishing. It does not
➢ Good Acts and Evil Acts only refer to particular acts of a person. A
person’s habitual action or kagawian reveals
truth about himself/herself.
Reason regardless of the consequences of acting in
accordance with those duties.
It sets the course for making ethical and
impartial decions especially in moral situations Virtue Ethics
although it is not the sole determining factor in
It gives primacy of importance not to rules, but
coming up with such decision.
to particular habits of character such as the
Feelings virtue of courage and other types of virtue that
the person is personally inclined to perform.
It provides the individual with an initial
reckoning of a situation, but they should not be Moral Standards
the sole basis for one’s motives and actions.
It refers to the norms which we have about the
Freedom types of actions which we believe to be morally
acceptable and morally unacceptable.
It is the willful act and decision that gives form
and shape to the actions and inclinations of the Specifically, it involve sets of recognized and
individuals. permanently acceptable character or norms
commonly used as primary measure of quality,
Freedom is oriented towards the wherefore,
value, and extent.
the what for, and the whom for, of the doings
of the individuals. Non-moral Standards

Good Acts It refers to rules that we have about the types

of actions that are unrelated to moral or ethical
A morally good act requires the goodness of the
considerations.
object, of the intention of the agent, and of the
circumstances together. These refers to the peoples customary, and
habitual ways of doing things. These customary
Evil Acts
ways are accumulated and become repetitive
It is an act that corrupts the action even if the patterns of expected behavior, which tend to
object is good in itself. become permanent traditions.

Approaches to Normative Ethics Derivation of Moral Standards

The foundations of evolving moral systems rest
➢ Consequentialism on a complex cybernetic process that sustains
➢ Deontology and preserves the human species.

➢ Virtue Ethics This is a dynamic process that drives the

creation of moral and ethical standards,
Consequentialism namely: emotion, and rules.
At the heart of consequentialist theories is the Every human action inspires a corresponding
idea that the moral action is the one that reaction whether subtle in nature or violent.
produces the best consequences. Some people are more emotionally reactive
Deontology than others.

According to deontological theories, morality is Emotions can get out of control if not regulated
primarily a function of duties or obligations, by laws, customs, moral codes, professional
codes and even the rules of etiquette.
Rules are considered as an essential stabilizing ➢ Single Agent and Multi-person
force that enhance the survivability of
Dilemmas
individuals, families and nations.
Epistemic Dilemma
Dilemma
It involves situations wherein two or more
It is a situation where a person is forced to
moral requirements conflicted with each other
choose between two or more conflicting
and that the moral agent hardly knows which of
options, neither of which is acceptable. As we
the conflicting moral requirements takes
can see, the key here is that the person has
precedence over the other.
choices to make that will all have results she
does not want. In other words, under the epistemic dilemma,
the moral agent in this situation does not know
Ethical Dilemma
which option is morally right or wrong.
It is a decision-making problem between two
Self-imposed Dilemma
possible moral imperatives, neither of which is
unambiguously acceptable or preferable. This is caused by the moral agent’s wrong
doings.
In ethical dilemma, the complexity arises out of
the situational conflict in which obeying would Obligation Dilemma
result in transgressing another.
This pertains to a particular situations in which
There are three identified conditions that must there are more than one feasible actions is
be present for situations to be considered moral obligatory,
dilemmas:
Single Agent Dilemma
First, the person or the agent of a moral action
is obliged to make a decision about which The moral agent is compelled to act on two or
course of action is best. Here, the moral agent more equally the same moral options but
must choose the best option and act he/she cannot choose both.
accordingly. The Sources of Morality
Second, there must be different courses of ➢ The Object
action to choose from. Hence, as already
pointed out above, there must be two or more ➢ The Intention of the Agent
conflicting options to choose from for moral ➢ The Circumstances
dilemmas to occur.
The Object
Third, no matter what course of action is taken,
some moral principles are always compromised. It is the aim or goal of a certain action.acquired.
To make an act morally good, it’s object or aim
Types of Moral Dilemma must conform to the law of God or the
➢ Epistemic Dilemmas: Self-imposed conscience of the doer of the action must attest
it.
and world-imposed dilemmas

➢ Obligation Dilemmas and

Prohibition Dilemmas
The Intention of the Agent

It refers to the means of attaining the object.

The Circumstances

These pertains to the types of environment,

situation, or condition prevailing when the
action is done.