Ethics GGCAST For Proofreading

Course Title
Course Description This course deals with the principles of ethical behavior
in modern society at the level of the person, society, and
in interaction with the environment and other shared
resources.
Units / Credit Equivalent 3 units

Course Outcomes The course will:
A. Competencies
1. Identify the ethical aspect of human life, using
appropriately the terms that are relevant to ethical
thinking, and.
B. Skills
2. Identify, engage, and critique the different ethical
theories and models such as Utilitarianism, Natural Law,
Kantian deontology, and Aristotelian Ethics
C. Values
3. Identifying the difficulties in certain commonly-held
notions on ethics
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the students are expected to:
1. Be able to discuss the importance of ethics in any business undertaking.
2. Propose a community project that will benefit the vulnerable sector of the society
(e.g. children, women, elderly).
3. Recognize the philosophical assumptions that are embedded in moral ideas and in
philosophical works in order to define one’s moral responsibility in contemporary
society..
4. Reflect on and evaluate ethical arguments from diverse sources in order to
communicate effectively with others who might have a different opinion from one’s
own..
TEMPLATE 2: Course pack Structure

Module Intended Learning Lessons Writer
Outcomes
1 At the end of the ● Value
module, the students:
1. Identify the ● Sources of
ethical aspect of Authority
human life and ● Senses of the Self
scope of ethical
thinking
2. Define and
explain the terms
that are relevant
to ethical
thinking; and
3. Evaluate the
difficulties that
are involved in
maintaining
certain
commonly-held
notions on ethics
2 1. Discuss the ● The Principle of

basic principles Utility / Principle of
of utilitarian
ethics;
2. Distinguish the Greatest
between two Number
utilitarian ● Justice and Moral
models: the Rights
quantitative
model of Jeremy
Bentham and the
qualitative model
of John Stuart
Mill; and
3. Apply
utilitarianism in
understanding
and evaluating
local and
international
scenarios.
TEMPLATE 3: Module Template

(Will be used individually during the self-paced write shop)
Module No. & Title Module 1: The Ethical Dimension of Human Existence
Module Overview Hi there, how are you today?
In this module you will learn the ethical dimension of Human

Existence. This includes topics related to value, sources of
authority and senses of the self. We will be dealing with ethics,
doing what is good and bad, or right and wrong.
Module At the end of this module, you are expected:

Objectives/Outcomes 1. Identify the ethical aspect of human life and scope of
ethical thinking
2. Define and explain the terms that are relevant to ethical
thinking; and
3. Evaluate the difficulties that are involved in maintaining
certain commonly-held notions on ethics
Lessons in the module This module will tackle the following topics:
Lesson 1: Value
Lesson 2: Sources of Authority
Lesson 3: Senses of the Self
TEMPLATE 4: The Lesson Structure
Module No. Module 1 – The Ethical Dimension of Human Existence
and Title
Lesson No. Lesson 1 – Value
and Title
Learning 1.Identify the ethical aspect of human life and scope of ethical thinking
Outcomes
Time 1 week
Frame
Introduction Welcome, how are you feeling today? Are you excited to have our lesson
for today? If you are then, relax and enjoy.
Ethics, generally speaking, is about matters such as the good

thing that we should pursue and the bad thing that we should avoid; the
right ways in which we could or should act and the wrong ways of acting.
It is about what is acceptable and unacceptable in human behavior. It
may involve obligations that we are expected to fulfill, prohibitions that
we are required to respect, or ideals that we are encouraged to meet.
Ethics as a subject for us to study is about determining the ground for
the values with particular and special significance to human life.
Reading . . .
Activity
In August 2007, newspapers’ reported what seemed to be yet
another sad incident of fraternity violence. Cris Anthony Mendez, a
twenty-year-old student of the University of the Philippines(UP), was
rushed to the hospital in the early morning hours, unconscious, with large
bruises on his chest, back, and legs. He passed away that morning, and
the subsequent autopsy report strongly suggests that his physical
injuries were most probably the result of “hazing” (the term colloquially
used to refer to initiation rites in which neophytes may be subjected to
various forms of physical abuse). What exactly happened remains an
open question, as none of those who were with him that night came
forward to shed light on what had transpired. Needless to say, none of
them came forward to assume responsibility for the death of Cris.
Even as the leaders of the Sigma Rho fraternity publicly
denounced the death of Cris, those members of theirs who had been
with him that night vanished, avoiding and refusing to cooperate with
legal authorities. Meanwhile, UP students and the general public
clamored for justice. In a move that surprised the student body, the UP
chancellor called on all fraternities to justify their continued existence.
Meanwhile, the case of the tragic death of Cris Anthony Mendez was left
unresolved. It remains that way up to this day.
No one knows just what exactly happened. No charges have
been filed, no definitive testimony has been forthcoming. But there is
more to this for us than just a criminal mystery. Pondering on the death
of Cris, we may find ourselves asking questions such as “What is the
value of one’s life?” or perhaps even “Is there any good fraternities?”
These questions that concern good and bad, or right and wrong - and
these are questions concerning value - are the king of questions that we
deal with in ethics.
What have you learned from the reading? Let us answer the questions
Analysis “What is the value of one’s life?” and “Are there any good fraternities?”.
Should we impose ethical values and formation for those kinds of
organizations? What do you think happened to Cris? What is the
relevance of the story to our topic? If you were Cris, what should have
been done?
Life is precious and we should give value to it. Each fraternity or

sorority has its own commitment to reach common goals and aspirations
for life. Joining in a fraternity could have positive or negative impact
especially to the students. Before you enter the organization you’ll have
to go through their initiation process. Think before you act for every
action there are underlying consequences.
Abstraction
Recognizing the notions of good and bad, and right and wrong,
are the primary concern of ethics. There are instances when we make
value judgments that are not considered to be part of ethics and it's
important to clarify the following points.
Kinds of Valuation
1. Aesthetics - derived from the Greek word aisthesis (“sense” or

“feeling”) and refers to the judgments of personal approval and
disapproval that we make about what we see, hear, smell, or
taste.
2. Etiquette - Approval or disapproval concerning certain actions

which can be considered relatively more trivial in nature.
Concerned with right and wrong actions.
3. Technique - Refer to a proper way (or right way) of doing things,
but a technical valuation (or right and wrong technique of doing
things) may not necessarily be an ethical one.
Capital Punishment
WAR Abortion
INEQUALITY Sexual Identity
POVERTY
Ethics - 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. Matters that concern life and death such as war, capital
punishment, or abortion and matters that concern human well-being
such as poverty, inequality, or sexual identity are often included.
Ethics and Morals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAkqh9pfVkc
Descriptive and Normative
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQOiHKT46zk
Issue, Decision, Judgment, and Dilemma

Please click the link to watch the video
MORAL ISSUES
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwfqwo_WP9s
What Are Moral Dilemmas?
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwOQ7ZqDWN4
Moral Decision Making | Concepts Unwrapped
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ2l89wEIwM
Integrating Ethics: "Ethical Judgment"
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsaKYCV3YsU
Reasoning
- What reason do we give to decide or to judge that a certain
way of acting is either right or wrong?
Please click the link to watch the video

Principles of moral reasoning :: Deontology, Teleology and Ontology
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dJ4T4xstmc
Kohlberg’s 6 Stages of Moral Development
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bounwXLkme4
Plato's Apology of Socrates: 10 key points
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehT60zSk8tg
Application
Look for an article that tackles an ethical issue. Cut it and paste in a long
bond paper. At the back of the bond paper write your answer to the
following questions:
a. What makes this a matter of ethics?
b. What is your own ethical judgment on this case?
c. What are your reasons for this judgment?
Closure
What have you learned today?

Choose two questions from the list and write the answer to your journal.
Daily Dozen
1.) The thing that made the most sense to me today was…
2.) One thing that I just don’t understand is…
3.) When someone asks me what I did in Ethics today, I can say…
4.) One thing I would like more information about is…
5.) I need more examples of…
6.) I enjoyed…
7.) The most important concept that we discussed today was…
8.) Today’s class would have been even better if we had…
9.) I was confused by…
10.) The thing we did in class today that best fit my learning style was…
11.) The one thing the teacher did today that worked well for me was…
12.) The one thing the teacher did today that did not work well for me
was…
Thank You Everyone! That’s the end of module one and now let us
proceed to the next module.
Lesson No. Lesson 2 – Sources of Authority

and Title
Learning 2. Define and explain the terms that are relevant to ethical thinking;
Outcomes
Time 1 week
Frame
for today? If you are then, relax and enjoy.
Several common ways of thinking about ethics are based on the

idea that the standards of valuation are imposed by a higher authority
that commands our obedience. In the following section, we will explore
three of such ideas: the authority of the law, the authority of one’s
religion, and the authority of one’s own culture.
Film Viewing
Activity PK Peekay 1080 HD BluRay Aamir Khan ( Subtitle )
Can you explain PKs nakedness in the movie? What are the life
Analysis lessons that you have learned? Can you discuss the different religious
beliefs that you have seen in the movie and how are they different? In
General, what is the movie all about?
There are sensitive issues presented in the film such as culture,
faith, religions, rituals, beliefs but the main theme is about religion. The
Indian society has different religion practices and a diverse cultural
fabric. Many people said that it attacks and mocks religions. It does not
mock or attack any Religion but rather it is an eye opener for us people
to not be blinded by the lies in front of us. It teaches us to pray, have
faith and that God is real and always there to help us. The problem is
with mankind.
Just like the main character of the movie, PK, we enter into this
world naked. Nakedness of PK in the film symbolizes lack of knowledge.
At the very beginning we are not knowledgeable of all the things around
us and we cannot distinguish what is right or wrong. And as we grow
older we tend to ask a lot of questions and believe that the answer given
to us by the people surrounding us is correct.
Sources of Authority
Abstraction
1. LAW - one’s guide to ethical behavior. We Filipinos are
constrained to obey the laws of the land as stated in the country’s
criminal and civil codes.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xki2fRA0bY8
Positive Law - refers to the different rules and regulations that

are posited or put forward by an authority figure that require
compliance.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASpcFTUGfxM
Deontology - Immanuel Kant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWZi-8Wji7M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoHJhwh4mVQ
2. RELIGION - one is obliged to obey God in all things.
Divine Command Theory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRHBwxC8b8I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2oEAd70jLw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlETz4b40yU
Natural Law Theory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_UfYY7aWKo
3. CULTURE - exposure to different societies and their cultures

makes us aware that there are ways of thinking and valuing that
are different from our own, that there is in fact a wide diversity of
how different people believe it is proper to act.
○ Differences
● Aesthetic (Japanese vs. Indian Art)
● Religious (Buddhism vs. Christianity)
● Etiquette (Conflicting behaviors regarding dining
practices)
Cultural Relativism
- what is ethically acceptable or unacceptable is relative to, or that
is to say, dependent on one’s culture.
- conform to what we experience, which is the reality of the
differences in how cultures make their ethical valuations
- By taking one’s culture as the standard, we are provided a basis
for our valuations
- Teaches us to be tolerant of others from different cultures, as we
realize that we are in no position to judge whether the ethical
thought or practice of another culture is acceptable or
unacceptable.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzT-RDrWbZo
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=518FR6SbY_k&t=15s
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nUn2DyORqk
Application Create a collage of different cultures in the Philippines. How are they
different? Provide comparison.
Closure

Daily Dozen
6.) I enjoyed…
was…
That’s all for today. See you in the next lesson.
Lesson No. Lesson 3 – Senses of the Self

and Title
Learning 3. Evaluate the difficulties that are involved in maintaining certain
Outcomes commonly-held notions on ethics.
Time 1 week
Frame
for today? If you are then, relax and enjoy. Can anyone give a recap of
what we have discussed on the last topic?
It is sometimes thought that one should not rely on any external

authority to tell oneself what the standards of moral valuation are, but
should instead turn inwards. In this section, we will look into three
theories about ethics that center on the self: subjectivism, psychological
egoism, and ethical egoism.
Activity
Watch the movie entitled “Seven Sundays”.
Analysis
Based on the movie, is looking after the benefit of your own family over
all other aspects considered as another form of egoism? Discuss.
Abstraction
SUBJECTIVISM
● Individual thinking person(the subject) is at the heart of all moral
valuations.
● Individual is the sole determinant of what is morally good or bad,
right or wrong.
○ No one can tell me what is right and wrong
○ No one knows my situation better than myself
○ I am entitled to my own opinion
○ It is good if I say that is good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E3_kVg4sbY
https://prezi.com/ddlgr0wc_kbp/ethical-subjectivism/?fallback=1
PSYCHOLOGICAL EGOISM
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXoGatDZfvI
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpHggd-3_rM
- Human beings are naturally self-centered, so all our actions are
always already motivated by self-interest.
ETHICAL EGOISM
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXoGatDZfvI
- differs from psychological egoism in that it does not suppose all
our actions are already inevitably self-serving.
- We should make our own ends, our own interests, as the single
overriding concern.
- Act in a way that is beneficial to others, but we should do that only
if it ultimately benefits us.
Application
Create a drawing that shows your emotion about your family in a short
bond paper. Write your explanation at the back of the paper.
Cut a photo of you. Describe yourself. What is your role in the family?
Closure

Daily Dozen
6.) I enjoyed…
was…

MODULE ASSESSMENT
1. Are clothes a matter of pure aesthetic taste, or does it make sense for clothes to
become a subject in a discussion of ethics? Why? How about other forms of
adornment, such as tattoos and piercings?
2. Brainstorm and come up with a list of common Filipino values. Consider the
strengths and weaknesses of these.
3. Imagine that you are a legislator. What rules or laws that currently prohibit certain
acts or practices would you want to amend or repeal? Also, are there certain acts
or practices currently permitted by the law that you would want to prohibit? Think
of this on the level of your school, your city, and the nation.
In this module, we have established the scope and the rationale for a discussion
of ethics. We explored various domains of valuation in order to distinguish what makes a
particularly grave type of valuation a moral or ethical one. We clarified some of the terms
that will be used in the study of ethics. We have also explored a number of problematic
ways of thinking of ethics; some give a too simplistic answer to the question of our
grounds or foundations for moral valuation, while others seem to dismiss the possibility
of ethics altogether.
In the following modules, we will explore a number of different moral theories that
have been handed down to us by the history of philosophy. These are various approaches
from thinkers who have presented to us their own unique way of thinking on how to
determine the moral principles that should be maintained. We will first explore
Utilitarianism, which establishes that the best consequences for everyone concerned
might be our measure for determining what is right. We then turn to a different notion in
the Natural Law Theory, which puts forward the idea that we can base our notion of good
and bad on something more intrinsic that the consequences of our actions - that is our
human nature itself.
Module No. & Title Module 2:
In this module you will learn the basic principles of utilitarian

ethics. You will be able to distinguish between two utilitarian
models: the quantitative model of Jeremy Bentham and the
qualitative model of John Stuart Mill. Also, apply utilitarianism
in understanding and evaluating local and international
scenarios.

Objectives/Outcomes 1. Discuss basic principles of utilitarian ethics.
2. Distinguish between two utilitarian models: the
quantitative model of Jeremy Bentham and the
qualitative model of John Stuart Mill.
3. Apply utilitarianism in understanding and evaluating
local and international scenarios.
Lessons in the module This module will tackle the following topics:
Lesson 1: Principle of Utility / Principle of the Greatest Number
Lesson 2: Justice and Moral Rights

Module No. and Title Module 2 – Utilitarianism
Lesson No. and Title Lesson 1 – Principle of Utility / Principle of the Greatest
Number
Learning Outcomes 1. Discuss basic principles of utilitarian ethics.
2. Distinguish between two utilitarian models: the
quantitative model of Jeremy Bentham and the
qualitative model of John Stuart Mill.
Time Frame 2 weeks
Introduction Welcome, how are you feeling? Are you excited to have our
lesson for today? If you are then, relax and enjoy. Can
anyone give a recap of what we have discussed on the last
topic?
In the book An Introduction to the Principles of Morals

and Legislation (1789), Jeremy Bentham begins by arguing
that our actions are governed by two “sovereign masters” -
which he calls pleasure and pain. These “ masters” are given
to us by nature to help us determine what is good or bad and
what ought to be done and not; they fasten our choices to
their throne.
The principle of utility is about our subjection to these
sovereign masters: pleasure and pain. On one hand, the
principle refers to the motivation of our actions as guided by
our avoidance of pain and our desire for pleasure. It is like
saying that in our everyday actions , we do what is
pleasurable and we do not do what is painful . On the other
hand , the principle also refers to pleasure as good if , and
only if , they produce more happiness than unhappiness.
This means that it is not enough to experience pleasure , but
to also inquire whether the things we do makes us happier .
Having identified the tendency for pleasure and avoidance of
pain as a principle of utility , bentham equates happiness
with pleasure .
Nature has placed mankind under the governance of
two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them
alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to
determine what we shall do. On the other hand, the standard
of right and wrong, on the other, the chain of causes and
effects, are fastened to their throne. They govern us in all we
do, in all we say, in all we think: every effort we can make to
throw off our subjection, will serve but to demonstrate and
confirm it. In words a man may pretend to abjure their
empire: but in reality he will remain subject to it all the while.
The principle of utility recognizes this subjection, and
assumes it for the foundation of that system, the object of
which is to rear the fabric of felicity by the hands of reason
and of law.
Activity
On January 25, 2015, the 84th Special Action Force

(SAF) conducted a police operation at Tukanalipao,
Mamasapano in Maguindanao. Also known as Oplan
Exodus, it was intended to serve an arrest warrant for Zulkifli
bin Hir or Marwan, a Malaysian terrorist and bomb-maker
who had a $5 million bounty on his head. This mission
eventually led to a clash between the Philippine National
Police’s (PNP) SAF, on the one hand, and the Bangsamoro
Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) on the other. Although the police
operation was “successful” because of the death of Marwan,
the firefight that ensued claimed sixty-seven lives including
forty-four SAF troopers, eighteen MILF fighters, and five
civilians. However, the relatively high number of SAF
members killed in this operation caught the attention of many
including the Philippine media and the legislature.
In one of the Congress investigations that followed
this tragic mission, then Senate President Franklin Drilon
and Senator Francis Escudero debated the public hearing of
an audio recording of an alleged conversation that attempted
to cover up the massacre of the PNP-SAF commandos.
Drilon questioned the admissibility of these recordings as
evidence under the Anti-Wire Tapping Law whereas
Escudero cited the legal brief of the Free Legal Assistance
Group (FLAG) arguing that the Anti-Wire Tapping Law
protects only the recording and interception of private
communications. Drilon cited Section 4 of the Anti-
Wiretapping Act (RA 4200) and explained that “any
communication or spoken word, or the existence, contents,
substance, purport, or meaning of the same or any part
thereof, or any information therein contained obtained or
secured by any person in violation of the preceding sections
of this Act shall not be admissible in evidence in any judicial,
quasi-judicial, legislative or administrative hearing or
investigation. “Senator Grace Poe, previous chairperson of
the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs,
argued otherwise. “Sinabi na ni Senator Drilon na ito daw ay
illegal, na hindi daw pwede, na ako daw ay pwedeng maging
liable kung ito daw ay ipapakinig ko sa Senado, ako naman,
ano ba itong mga batas na ito?... Ang mga batas na ito ay
para malaman natin ang katotohanan at magkaroon tayo ng
hustisya. Itong mga anti-wiretapping or mga recording na
ganito, kung hindi pwedeng ilabas sa publiko, pwede naming
gawing basehan sa executive session.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iK_WBlX
2w0
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M97_S2lb
3fA
Analysis
Senator Poe’s response leads us to ask: Can the

government infringe individual rights? If it is morally
permissible for the government to infringe individual rights,
when can the government do so? Does it become legitimate
to sacrifice individual rights when considering the greatest
benefit for the greatest number of people?
This case exposes the aftermath of the Mamasapano

incident and the Senate investigations. The Senate inquiry
proceedings raised questions on the possibility of
wiretapping and the intrusion to one’s right to privacy. While
the 1987 Philippine Constitution does protect one’s right to
private communication, it did provide some exemptions to its
inviolability. These exemptions include a lawful order of the
court and/or issues involving public safety and order. In fact,
RA 4200 (or the Anti-Wire Tapping Law) and the RA 9372
(or the Human Security Act of 2007) both provided
exemptions to the inviolability of the right to privacy in
instances of treason, espionage, rebellion, and sedition.
While this is certainly a legal issue, can it also constitute a
moral concern? By raising the distinction between moral and
legal issues and concerns, do you think that these two are
different? To simplify things, let us put aside the question of
law and let us assume that you were asked to decide
whether wiretapping is morally permissible or not. On what
instances is wiretapping morally permissible and on what
instances is it morally permissible?
When considering the moral permissibility of
wiretapping, we calculate the costs and benefits of
wiretapping. If we calculate the costs and benefits of our
actions, then we are considering an ethical theory that gives
premium to the consequences of actions as the basis of
morality and as such is utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is an
ethical theory that argues for the goodness of pleasure and
the determination of right behavior based on the usefulness
of the action’s consequences. This means that pleasure is
good and that the goodness of an action is determined by its
usefulness. Putting these ideas together, utilitarianism
claims that one’s actions and behavior are good in as much
as they are directed toward the experience of the greatest
pleasure over pain for the greatest number of persons. Its
root word is “utility,” which refers to the usefulness of the
consequences of one’s action and behavior. When we argue
that wiretapping is permissible because doing so results in
better public safety, then we are arguing in a utilitarian way.
It is utilitarian because we argue that some individual rights
can be sacrificed for the sake of the greater happiness of the
many. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill
(1806 - 1873) are the two foremost utilitarian thinkers.
Abstraction
The Principle of Utility
- is about our subjection to those sovereign masters:
pleasure and pain.
- Increase happiness and decrease pain.

- https://prezi.com/08pr9lueqm45/benthams-
utilitarianism/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JYleoDvX3U
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iygKLQsinU
Utilitarianism
- Part I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvmz5E75ZI
A&t=14s
- Part II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDk23Q0S9
E
- Part III
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoCuVa9Ue
R4
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOT-
IfUzOwk&list=PLvhZUh2C6AWfiXl7OK3KWqwyetU3
W5qLj
- in order to use the algorithm you need to consider the
following factors
Principle of the Greatest Number
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFdeCp9rPVA
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIK3T6MRs2k
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mzn7aceecc
- Equating happiness with pleasure does not aim to
describe the utilitarian moral agent alone and
independently from others.
- This is not only about our individual pleasures,
regardless of how high, intellectual, or in other ways
noble it is, but it is also about the pleasure of the
greatest number affected by the consequences of our
actions.
- Utilitarianism is interested in the best consequence for
the highest number of people.
Watch the Twilight movie series. And give a reflection based
Application on the principles of utility for each movie.
1. Twilight (2008)
2. The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
3. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)

4. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011)
5. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2012)

Closure

Choose two questions from the list and write the answer to
your journal.
Daily Dozen
3.) When someone asks me what I did in Ethics today, I can
say…
6.) I enjoyed…
7.) The most important concept that we discussed today
was…
10.) The thing we did in class today that best fit my learning
style was…
11.) The one thing the teacher did today that worked well for
me was…
12.) The one thing the teacher did today that did not work
well for me was…

Lesson No. and Title Lesson 2 – Justice and Moral Rights
Learning Outcomes 3. Apply utilitarianism in understanding and evaluating local
and international scenarios.
Time Frame 1 week
Introduction Welcome, how are you feeling today? Are you excited to
have our lesson for today? If you are then, relax and enjoy.
Can anyone give a recap of what we have discussed on the
last topic?
Utilitarianism is intended with the best consequence

for the highest number of people. It is not interested with the
intention of the agent. Moral value cannot be discernible in
the intention or motivation of the person doing the act; it is
based solely and exclusively on the difference it makes on
the world’s total amount of pleasure and pain. This leads us
to question utilitarianism’s take of moral rights. If actions are
based only on the greatest happiness of the greatest
number, is it justifiable to let go of some rights for the sake
of the benefit of the majority?
Film Viewing
Activity
Reading…
Animal Rights and Welfare
Peter Singer, in his book Animal Liberation, argues

that animals are equal candidates for moral respect; this
does not mean equal treatment as it does equal
consideration. While Rene Descartes argues that animals
are incapable of feeling pleasure and pain because they do
not have any minds, Bentham and Mill argues otherwise. For
them, animals are capable of feeling pleasure and pain and
are thus to be included in whatever moral deliberation we are
to make, especially when the decisions we make affect them.
The animal’s capacity for suffering is a vital characteristic
that entitles them to equal consideration. While animal
intelligence is another moral issue to confront, it cannot be
denied that animal behaviorists have established that
animals do feel physical pain. While other researchers
simply dismiss this as an act of anthropomorphizing, the vast
research on animal consciousness is worth considering at
this point. Should animals have moral rights?
Utilitarianism recognizes that animals do feel physical
and emotional pain. But this does not mean that we are not
allowed to cause animals pain. When causing animal pain
obtains a greater happiness to the majority of humans and
nonhuman animals, then doing so to sentient creatures can
be morally permissible. For this reason, utilitarians
nowadays rarely use the term animal rights as they do talk
about animal welfare. If human rights, according to Bentham,
are “nonsense upon stilts,” then the same is true with animal
rights. These rights are not absolute especially when it would
be detrimental to the society. Mill do talk about rights to
security, liberty, and justice, but he also argues that
“particular cases may occur in which some other social duty
is so important, as to overrule any one of the general maxims
of justice.” This can mean that, as a utilitarian, the pain and
pleasure of nonhuman animals must be taken into
consideration when there are no concerns that would justify
their pain for the sake of the greatest happiness of the
greatest number. In this case, when animals are used for the
development of household products and cosmetics, they are
condemned by utilitarians. However, when they are used for
medical experimentation that can lead to cure for a
debilitating or terminal illness, they are acceptable to a
utilitarian. Do you agree with this?
In view of Bentham’s and Mill’s assertion of the
Analysis greatest happiness of the greatest number, do you think that
animal rights and welfare should even be a concern in the
Philippines where millions of Filipinos below the poverty
threshold are struggling to have a decent life? Is the concern
for animal rights and welfare a first world problem?
Read the articles.

The moral status of animals
● https://opinion.inquirer.net/80255/the-moral-status-
of-animals
● https://www.change.org/p/philippine-animal-welfare-
society-animals-should-be-treated-like-a-family-
member-not-as-an-enemy-or-food
RA8485: THE ANIMAL WELFARE ACT OF 1998
http://pawsphilippines.weebly.com/animal-welfare-laws.html
Justice and Moral Rights

Abstraction
What is a right?
- According to Mill, rights are a valid claim on society
and are justified by utility.
- interests that serve general happiness
- right to free speech
- right to religion
- right to due process
- A right is justifiable on utilitarian principles inasmuch

as they produce an overall happiness that is greater
than the unhappiness resulting from their
implementation.
Legal Rights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zg4-hb4WYo
Moral Rights take precedence over Legal Rights.
Understanding Law and Rights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8sj_WPeZew
Rights theory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6ZIMF1Ma5k
What is Justice?
- Mill understands justice as a respect for rights
directed toward society’s pursuit for the greatest
happiness of the greatest number.
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0CTHVCkm90
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjwYcZR9fIg
Justice theory
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVWysuaMH7M
Rights vs Justice Theory
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L0Il6m3y9c
What Are Rights? Duty & The Law | Philosophy Tube

● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIslPhzI3uc
Application
Look for two (2) or more episodes of TULFO or IPAGLABAN

MO regarding justice and moral rights. Give your insights
about the episode. Is right and justice being served? How?
Closure

your journal.
Daily Dozen
say…
6.) I enjoyed…
was…
style was…
me was…
well for me was…
MODULE ASSESSMENT
1. Are all pleasures commensurable? Can they be evaluated on a single scale? Can
some goods, like friendships, be balanced against other good, like money?
2. Mill revises utilitarianism by arguing for “higher” pleasures. Which pleasures are
higher?
3. Do you agree that happiness is the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain,
and that all actions are directed toward pleasure?
4. Is it justifiable to build a basketball court because there are basketball fans, than
to build a hospital because there are fewer sick people?
5. When is it justifiable to torture suspected criminals?
Bentham and Mill see moral good as pleasure, not merely self-gratification, but
also the greatest happiness principle or the greatest happiness for the greatest number
of people. We are compelled to do whatever increases pleasure and decreases pain to
the most number of persons, counting each as one and none as more than one. In
determining the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people, there is no
distinction between Bentham and Mill. Bentham suggests his felicific calculus, a
framework for quantifying moral valuation. Mill provides a criterion for comparative
pleasures. He thinks that persons who experience two different types of pleasures
generally prefer higher intellectual pleasures to base sensual ones.
Mill provides an adequate discourse on rights despite it being mistakenly argued
to be weakness of utilitarianism. He argues that rights are socially protected interests that
are justified by their contribution to the greatest happiness principle. However, he also
claims that in extreme circumstances, respect for individual rights can be overridden to
promote the better welfare especially in circumstances of conflict valuation.
Module No. & Title Module 3: Natural Law
In this module you will recognize how Thomas Aquinas

made us of ancient Greek concepts to provide a rational
grounding to an ethical theory based on the Christian faith. You
will be able to identify the natural law in distinction from, but
also in relation to, the other types of law mentioned by Aquinas:
eternal law, human law, and divine law. Also, apply the
precepts of the natural law to contemporary moral concerns.

Objectives/Outcomes 1. Recognize how Thomas Aquinas made us of ancient
Greek concepts to provide a rational grounding to an
ethical theory based on the Christian faith
2. Identify the natural law in distinction from, but also in
relation to, the other types of law mentioned by
Aquinas: eternal law, human law, and divine law.
3. Apply the precepts of the natural law to contemporary
moral concerns.
Lessons in the This module will tackle the following topics:
module Lesson 1: Thomas Aquinas
Lesson 2: The Greek Heritage
Lesson 3: The Essence and Varieties of Law

Module No. and Module 3 – Natural Law
Title
Lesson No. and Title Lesson 1 – Thomas Aquinas
Learning Outcomes 1. Recognize how Thomas Aquinas made us of ancient
Greek concepts to provide a rational grounding to an
ethical theory based on the Christian faith
Time Frame 1 week
Introduction Welcome, how are you feeling? Are you excited to
have our lesson for today? If you are then, relax and enjoy.
Can anyone give a recap of what we have discussed on the
last topic?
In October 2016 , newspapers reported that

Pantaleon Alvarez, speaker of the house of representatives
, was intending to draft a bill which would amend the
country’s family code , thereby allowing for the legalization
of same-sex unions . This would result in the possibility of
two men together or two women together being identified as
a couple with rights guaranteed & and protected by the law.
However , as one news paper report revealed , even before
anything could be formally proposed , other fellow legislators
had already expressed to the media their refusal to support
any such initiative .
The reasons given in the news article very , ranging
from the opinion that seeing two men kiss is unsightly, to the
statement that there is something “irregular” about belonging
to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT)
community, end to the judgment that two people of the same
sex being together is unnatural.
We are used to hearing people justify doing
something by making the appeal that what they maintain is
what is “natural,” and therefore acceptable. Likewise ,
people would judge something as unacceptable on the basis
that is supposedly “unnatural”. Thus, we are no longer
surprised when we hear people condemn and label many
different things as “unnatural”: Maybe receiving blood
transfusions , eating meat , or , as our news report shows ,
engaging and sexual relations that one might consider
deviant. We also realized that sometimes we might find
ourselves astonished or perplexed as to what different
people might consider “unnatural.”
In order to proceed , it is therefore necessary to ask:
“What do the words natural and unnatural mean?”
Sometimes, the word “natural” seems to be used to refer to
some kind of intuition that a person has , one which is so
apparently true to him that is unquestioned. For example , a
woman may claim that it is simply “ unnatural” to eat any
kind of insect, and what this means is that she personally
finds herself averse to the idea of doing so. In other
instances , the word is used to try to justify a certain way of
behaving by seeing its likeness somewhere in the natural
world. For example, a man my claim that it is ok for him to
have more than one sexual partner, since, in a pride of lions,
the alpha male gets to mate with all the she-lions. in yet
other instances , the word “natural” is used as an appeal to
something instinctual without it being directed by reason.
For example, a man may deem it all right if he were to
urinate just anywhere because after all he sees it as “
natural” function of humans. Lastly, we also easily find
people using the word “natural” to refer to what seems
common to them given their particular environment. For
instance, a Filipina may suppose that eating three full meals
of rice and ulam every day is what is “natural” because
everyone she knows behaves in that way.
Given these varied meanings of the term natural , we
need to find a more solid and nuanced way to understand
the term. In this chapter , we will explore how Thomas
Aquinas provides this , emphasizing the capacity for reason
as what is essential in our human nature. This understanding
of human nature anchored on our capacity for reason will
become the basis of natural law theory , a theory which will
provide us a unique way of determining the moral status of
our actions .
Please watch this movie clip

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR9gyloyOjM
Activity
1. Interview a Gay or a Lesbian and ask them there

point of view with regards to same sex marriage. List
down the pros and cons of their statements.
2. List down Famous Celebrity Same-Sex Couples
Who Have Tied the Knot. How are they now? How
are their lives after the marriage?
Analysis
Philippines: Supreme Court Rules on Same-Sex

Marriage
- https://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-
news/article/philippines-supreme-court-rules-on-
same-sex-marriage/
- https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/news/same-
sex-marriage-in-the-philippines-a2292-20200107
(Jan. 24, 2020) On January 6, 2020, the Philippines’

Supreme Court announced it had dismissed a motion to
reconsider its September 2019 ruling denying a petition to
approve same-sex marriage in the country, effectively
concluding this case “with finality.”
The petition had essentially requested that the Court
declare unconstitutional on equality grounds certain
provisions of the Philippine Family Code that define marriage
as a union between a man and a woman.
The Court indicated in its ruling that the petitioner’s
request was too limited in scope, as there are a wide variety
of other statutes besides the Family Code that similarly treat
marriage as a heterosexual institution. Thus, it stated that the
petitioner should have made a direct argument against those
other statutes as well, which he failed to do.
In the absence of such arguments, the Court stated
that granting the petitioner’s request would cause the Court
to arrogate to itself quasi-legislative powers, as this would be
necessary in order to amend all the statutes that inevitably
would have to be changed to accommodate his petition. The
Court thus explained that such a task should be done by the
Philippine Congress through the pertinent legislative
process.
In addition, the Court stated that petitioner had failed
to demonstrate that he was directly affected by the
provisions he deemed unconstitutional, as he did not request
(and thus was not denied) a license to enter into a same-sex
marriage, and consequently could not establish the proper
standing to file his lawsuit.
Furthermore, the Court indicated that petitioner had
failed to abide by the principle known as the “hierarchy of
courts,” according to which he should have filed his case in
a trial court (which he did not do), where factual and
evidentiary matters are properly processed. Instead, the
petitioner filed his lawsuit directly in the Supreme Court,
which, being the Philippines’ highest court, may not
appropriately process and discharge those procedural
matters.
In its decision announced in January 2020, the Court
stated that “no substantial arguments were presented to
warrant the reversal of the questioned decision,” and thus,
“no further pleadings or motions will be entertained” on this
matter.
A Rundown on the History of Same-Sex Marriage in
the Philippines
Abstraction
- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLY8q61ZdXI)
A full consideration of Aquinas’s ethics would require

us to explore his discussion of other matters, such as how,
in our pursuit of happiness, we direct our actions toward
specific ends. We might explore the following:
Good or Bad
Habits
Actions
Emotions
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGyK4kflUfU
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfXzbRdzsSc
We are called to heed the voice of conscience and

enjoin to develop and maintain a life of virtue.
Application Journal
I. Go online and look for an instance of what might be
“fake news.” See whether you are able to determine
the veracity of the news report. Detail your findings and
opinion below.
II. In view of Aquinas’s assertion that reason is what
makes us uniquely human and that being reasonable
opens up both an epistemic concern for truth and also
a social concern of being in relation with others,
provide an assessment on the value or disvalue of
post-truth phenomena such as fake news or alternative
facts.
III. Consider other topics within the realm of media ethics.
Select one and give an initial presentation of the
significance of discussing this topic.
Closure

your journal.
Daily Dozen
say…
6.) I enjoyed…
was…
style was…
me was…
well for me was…
Thank You Everyone! That’s the end of module one and now
let us proceed to the next module.
Lesson No. and Title Lesson 2 – The Greek Heritage
Learning Outcomes ● Identify the natural law in distinction from, but also in
relation to, the other types of law mentioned by
Aquinas: eternal law, human law, and divine law.
Time Frame 1 week
Introduction
NEOPLATONIC GOOD
God creates. This does not only means that He brings
about beings , but it also means that He cares for , and thus
governs, the activity of the universe and of every creature.
This central belief of the Christian faith , while inspired by
divine revelation, has been shaped and defined by an idea
stated in the work of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, ,
which had been put forward as thousand years before
Aquinas. He is credited for giving the subsequent history of
philosophy in one of its most compelling and enduring ideas:
the notion of a supreme and absolutely transcendent good.
Activity
I would like you to watch the movie entitled “In the

Beginning from creation to the commandments” or “The
Bible in the Beginning”
Analysis
It is God's will and love that are the cause of all things;
to every existing thing, God wills some good. Creation
therefore is the activity of the outpouring or overflowing of
God's goodness. However, while beings are good because
they are created by God the goodness possessed by being
remains imperfect. For Aquinas only God in the fullness of
His being and goodness is perfect. But once again God did
not create us to simply be imperfect and to stay that way as
He leaves us alone. . Instead God in His infinite wisdom
directs how we are to arrive at our perfection .
God communicates to each being His perfection and
goodness. every create shared an strives to its own
perfection; thus the divine goodness is the end of all
actions. All things come from God and are created by Him
in order to return to Him.
The Republic by Plato | In-Depth Summary & Analysis
Abstraction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4fydrydX5o
Plato's Republic
- https://prezi.com/wyyavxzvdajx/platos-republic/
The Idea of the Good
- A good which is prior to all being and even the cause of
all being - will become a source of fascination and
inspiration to later thinkers even to this day.
PHILOSOPHY - The Good Life

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oJs5u_GAYA
What is Neoplatonism?
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA1dC2nEM5o
Neoplatonism
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvWGXXTk5UE&t=9
2s
The Good and the One

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KLPrLrR67o
Aristotelian Being and Becoming
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYqpJfo6ZE4
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnDsKkbRhLw
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gzjS9VdOoo
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xviV0-AD0-8
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv41KG2GTN0
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AzrbXjDLiM
Application Create an Essay about these questions.

● Why should I bother trying to be good?
● What cannot ‘good’ be just whatever I say it is?
Closure

your journal.
Daily Dozen
say…
6.) I enjoyed…
was…
style was…
me was…
well for me was…

Lesson No. and Title Lesson 3 – The Essence and Varieties of Law
Learning Outcomes ● Apply the precepts of the natural law to
contemporary moral concerns.
Time Frame 1 week
Introduction
As rational beings , we have free will . Through our

capacity for reason , we are able to judge between
possibilities and to choose to direct our actions in one way
or the other. Our actions are directed toward attaining ends
or goods that we desire. We work on a project to complete
it. We study in order to learn. My mother bakes in order to
come up with some cookies. Maybe my brother practices
playing his guitar in order to get better at it. It can also be as
simple as the fact that I play basketball because I enjoy doing
so. These are goods, and we are in a certain way to pursue
them, so goods are sometimes referred to as the ends of
actions.
There are many possible desirable ends or goods,
and we act in such ways as to pursue them. However, just
because we think that a certain end is good and is therefore
desirable does not necessarily mean it is indeed good. It is
possible to first suppose that something is good only to
realize later that doing so was a mistake. This is why it is
important for reason to always be part of the process. Acts
are rightly directed toward their ends by reason. But this
does not simply mean that through reason we can figure out
how to pursue something that we already had thoughtlessly
supposed to be good for us; what is necessary is to think
carefully of what really is in fact good for us.
READING..
Activity
Post –Truth
We find the lines blurred between fact and fiction, between news
reports and advertisements. We are accustomed to hearing and
reading fake news. We are inundated by figures and statistics that
we can barely comprehend, much less confirm. We are told to
consider alternative facts and to not take seriously everything we
might hear our political leaders say. We read and revel in and then
repost the most hyperbolic and hysterical statements without
asking ourselves whether we or anyone else should reasonably
maintain this. We are now in the “post-truth” era.
This label of “post-truth” means that we are becoming
more habituated to disregard or at least to devalue the truth. It is
a tendency to think of truth as insignificant in view of other
concerns. This is a significant question in the field of media ethics,
as practitioners in that field – (news reporters, writers,
investigative journalists, and advertisers – ought to ask the
question as to what extent the integrity of their work might be
compromised in view of other interests, such as popularity, profit,
higher viewership, or stronger sales. Yet, this issue is not limited
to people working in the media. It should be recognized as relevant
by anyone who makes use of social media, caught up in
statements and exchanges of dubious worth. It should be
considered by anyone who wants to take seriously Aquinas’ claim
that reason and a concern for truth are what make us human.
Analysis
Abstraction
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6oSJg6wuBg
VARIETIES
Divine Providence
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUhX1mxSazk
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj2pZOEWyqM
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_UfYY7aWKo
Application
Closure

your journal.
Daily Dozen
say…
6.) I enjoyed…
was…
style was…
me was…
well for me was…
1. Are there other ways that the word “natural” is used to justify a particular way of behaving?
How do these approaches compare to the theory of Aquinas?
2. Are there other forms of harm – short of killing another person – that may be taken as a
violation of the natural inclination to preserve one’s being? Justify your answer?
3. Are there current scientific developments – for example, in biology – that challenge the
understanding of nature presented by Aquinas?
4. Is it possible to maintain a natural law theory without believing in the divine source? Why
or why not?

Module No. & Title Module 4: Deontology
In this module you will learn the basic principles of deontology.

You will be able to apply the concepts of agency and autonomy
to one’s moral experience. Also, evaluate actions using the
universalizability test.

Objectives/Outcomes 1. Discuss the basic principle of deontology
2. Apply the concepts of agency and autonomy to one's
moral experience; and
3. Evaluate actions using the universalizability test
module Lesson 1: Duty and Agency
Lesson 2: Autonomy
Lesson 3: Universalizability

Module No. and Module 4 – Deontology
Title
Lesson No. and Title Lesson 1 – Duty and Agency
Learning Outcomes 1. Discuss the basic principle of deontology
Time Frame 1 week
topic?
During the flag ceremony of that Monday morning,

January 24, 2017, The mayor of Baguio City awarded a
certificate from the City Government that commended
Reggie Cabututan for his “extraordinary show of honesty in
the performance of their duties or practice of profession.”
Reggie is a taxi driver who, Just 3 days before the awarding,
drove his passenger, an Australian named Trent Shields, to
his workplace. The foreigner, having little sleep and was ill
the previous day, left his suitcase inside the taxi cab after he
reached his destination. The suitcase contained a laptop,
passport, and an expensive pair of headphones, which Trent
claimed amounted to around P260,000.
Consider closely the moment when Reggie found that
Trent had left a suitcase in his taxi cab: If he were to return
the suitcase, there was no promise of an award from the City
Government of Baguio and no promise of a reward from the
owner. What if he took the suitcase and sold its contents?
That could surely help him supplement his daily wages. Life
as a taxi driver in the Philippines is not easy. A little extra
cash would go a long way to put food on the table and to pay
tuition fees for his children.
Yet, Reggie returned the suitcase without the promise
of a reward. Why? Perhaps, he had previously returned lost
luggage to passengers. Maybe, it was his first time to do so.
Maybe, he received a reward before, or maybe he knows
some fellow taxi drivers who did or did not receive rewards
from passengers after they returned lost luggage. A reward,
in the first place, is not an entitlement. It is freely given as an
unrequired gift for one’s service or effort. Otherwise, it would
be a payment, not a reward, if someone demanded it.
Brainstorming…
Activity
If you were Reggie what would you do? Why did

Reggie return the suitcase? Is it possible that Reggie’s
reason for returning the luggage was not because of any
reward whether psychic or physical? What if Reggie did not
return the suitcase, destroyed the lock, then took and sold
its valuable contents? What is wrong about keeping and
benefitting from the valuables that someone misplaced?
Analysis
Why did Reggie return the suitcase? For now, let us

suppose his main reason was simply because it was right to
return lost property to the rightful owner, no matter how
tempting it is to keep it for oneself. It is possible that Reggie’s
reason for returning the luggage was not because of any
reward whether psychic or physical? “It is simply the right
thing to do,” Reggie might have told himself.
What if Reggie did not return the suitcase, destroyed
the lock, then took and sold its valuable contents? What is
wrong about keeping and benefitting from the valuables that
someone misplaced? “It is his fault; he was mindless and
careless,” Reggie could have thought. As the saying goes:
Finders keepers, losers weepers. On one hand, Reggie
could have mused: “ He will learn to be more mindful of his
things from now on.” Yet, Reggie returned the suitcase
without the promise of a reward.
As we previously said, perhaps, Reggie Believed
that it was the right thing to do. Even if he felt that he could
have benefitted from the sale of the valuable items in the
suitcase, he must have believed the principle that it is right
to do the right thing. Reggie could be holding on to this moral
conviction as a principle of action.
To hold a moral conviction means believing that it is
one's duty to do the right thing. What is duty? Why does
one choose to follow her duty even if doing otherwise may
bring her more benefits?
Abstraction
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWZi-8Wji7M
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsgAsw4XGvU
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lInyN-WD9u4
Reflection Paper
Application

Closure
your journal.
Daily Dozen
say…
6.) I enjoyed…
was…
style was…
me was…
well for me was…

Lesson No. and Title Lesson 2 – Autonomy
Learning Outcomes 2. Apply the concepts of agency and autonomy to one's
moral experience; and
Time Frame 1 week
topic?
Kant claims that the property of the rational will is
autonomy, which is the opposite of heteronomy. These three
greek words are instructive: autos, heteros, and nomos,
which mean “self”, “other”, and “law,” respectively. hence,
when we combine autos and nomos, we get autonomy;
heteros and nomos to heteronomy. Crudely stated,
autonomy means self-law (or self-legislating) and
heteronomy means other law.
Picture Analysis. Present to the student a series of images

Activity and get their opinion about it.
Every day we make countless decisions about

Analysis everything from what to wear in the morning to what to eat
for dinner. In most cases, we never stop to think about why
we're making these decisions nor do we pay much attention
to the fact that no one is helping us to make them. If you stop
and think about it, though, we have not always had the power
to make decisions for ourselves; rather, we are granted this
power as we grow older. The power to make our own
decisions without the interference from others is what's
known as autonomy, and in nearly every sphere of life, it is
incredibly important.
Autonomy is a term used to describe a person's or

government's ability to make decisions, or speak and act on
their own behalf, without interference from another party.
Although it is used in many different contexts, autonomy is
most often an important element of political, philosophical,
and medical conversations.
Although it is a fairly simple idea, autonomy can easily

be misunderstood, depending on the context in which it is
being used. For example, in the case of individual adults, an
autonomous person is someone who's capable of making a
rational and informed decision on their own behalf, but it
doesn't mean that they have the right to do whatever they
want or disobey laws and regulations.
Abstraction
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0uylpfirfM
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSkk4eZxeYs
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acespdtQCOE
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-
autonomy-definition-ethics.html
Application
Closure

your journal.
Daily Dozen
say…
6.) I enjoyed…
was…
style was…
me was…
well for me was…

Lesson No. and Title Lesson 3 – Universalizability
Learning Outcomes 3. Evaluate actions using the universalizability test
Time Frame 1 week
topic?
To figure out how the faculty of reason can be the

cause of an autonomous action, we need to learn a method
or specific procedure that will demonstrate autonomy of the
will. But before explaining this procedure, it will be helpful to
first make a distinction about kinds of moral theories.
Activity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX3DbR5iLyI
Analysis
Whistle-Blowing and the Duty of Speaking Truth to Power
Business ethics is a field of applied moral philosophy

wherein the principles of right and wrong ( as we are learning
about deontology , virtue ethics , utilitarianism , among
others) are made pertinent and relevant to the workplace .
Just because the primary purpose of business is the
proverbial bottom-line called profit, it does not mean that
profit is the only motive .
Recent history in the Philippines has witnessed many
controversial whistle-blowers. Names such as Primitivo
Mijares, Heidi Mendoza, and Rodolfo Lozada Jr. have
become part of the narratives of different ethical scandals in
the past few decades. It happens often in the workplace that
an authority figure violates a law or makes an unethical
decision, such as bribery or extortion, deception, and
exploitation of labor, among others. When it happens that an
authority figure instructs a subordinate to do an unethical act,
the subordinate may not agree with undertaking the act if he
wants to live by certain moral principles. There is a problem
that arises here. On one hand,
Abstraction
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bIys6JoEDw&t=
171s
Reflection Paper to be written in your journal.
Application How does the method called universalizability work?
What are the steps to test if an action is rationally
permissible?
Closure

your journal.
Daily Dozen
say…
6.) I enjoyed…
was…
style was…
me was…
well for me was…
MODULE ASSESSMENT
1. In what way does a rational will distinguish a human being from an animal
insofar as the animal is only sentient?
2. What is the difference between autonomy and heteronomy? What does
autonomy have to do with free will in contrast to animal impulse?
3. What is meant by enlightenment morality as opposed to paternalism? Why
is deontology a kind of enlightenment morality?
Module No. & Title Module 5: VIRTUE ETHICS
In this module you will learn the meaning and basic principles of
virtue ethics and distinguish virtuous acts from non-virtuous acts.
Also, apply Aristotle’s ethics in understanding the Filipino context.
Objectives/Outcomes 1. Discuss the meaning and basic principles of virtue ethics
2. Distinguish virtuous acts from non-virtuous acts; and
3. Apply Aristotle’s ethics in understanding the Filipino
character
module Lesson 1: Happiness and Ultimate Purpose
Lesson 2: Virtue as Excellence
Lesson 3: Moral Virtue and Mesotes
Lesson No. Lesson 1 – HAPPINESS AND ULTIMATE PURPOSE

and Title Lesson 2 - VIRTUE AS EXCELLENCE
Lesson 3 - MORAL VIRTUE AND MESOTES
Time 1 week
Frame
Introductio Welcome, how are you feeling? Are you excited to have our
n lesson for today? If you are then, relax and enjoy. Can anyone
give a recap of what we have discussed on the last topic?
An online news account narrates key officials from both

the legislative and executive branches of the government
voicing out their concern on the possible effects of too much
violence seen by children on television. The newest estimates
that by the time children reach 18 years old they will have
watch around 18,000 simulated related murder scenes. This
prompted then-Department of education Secretary Bro. Armin
Luistro to launch the implementing guidelines of the Children's
Television Act of 1997 in order to regulate television shows and
promote more child-friendly programs. Ultimately, for Bro.
Luistro to regulate television programs would help in the
development of children's values.
According to the news article, the Department of
Education held a series of consultations with various
stakeholders to address the issue of exposure of children to
TV violence. They also implemented the rules and guidelines
for viewing safety and created a television violence rating code
to be applied in all TV programs. Lastly, they also set 15% of
television airtime for shows conducive to children.
Luistro’s claim seems to be based on a particular vision of

childhood development. Children at a young age have not yet
achieved full personal growth and mental development. This
situation makes them particularly vulnerable to possible
undesirable effects of seeing violent images presented on
television. When they see violence on television on a regular
basis, they may consider such violent acts as “normal” and part
of the daily occurrences in life . Much worse is that they might
tend to believe that such acts, since committed by adults, are
permissible. In these situations, the saying “Life imitates art”
and unfortunately becomes uncomfortably true.
Mature individuals are aware that it is vital for children
to go through the process of building their personality, identity,
or character. How does the continuous exposure to violence
on television affect the character that children develop? Is it
possible that constant watching of violence on television
results in aggression among children? What is the role of the
child's environment in her capacity to develop into a good
individual? These questions are real concerns that society
needs to address. Perhaps, it is best to look closely at how
good moral character is developed among individuals. What
elements are involved in order to achieve this? One theory
that can possibly provide a comprehensive understanding of
how an individual can develop moral character in his virtue
ethics.
Virtue Ethics is the ethical framework that is concerned with

understanding the good as a matter of developing the virtuous
character of a person. It focuses on the formation of one’s
character brought about by determining and doing virtuous
acts.
Activity Can you search who Aristotle was?
Give a brief background on his life, and on how he ended-up
being one of the most influential thinkers in his time?
Analysis
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrvtOWEXDIQ
Lesson 1 - HAPPINESS AND ULTIMATE PURPOSE

Aristotle begins his discussion of ethics by showing that every
act that a person does is directed toward a particular purpose,
aim, or what the Greeks called telos. There is a purpose why
one does something, and for Aristotle, a person’s action
manifests a good that she aspires for. Every pursuit of a person
hopes to achieve good.
Example:
1. One eats for the purpose of the good that it gives
sustenance to the body.
2. A person pursues a chosen career, aiming for a good,
that is, to provide a better future for her family.
One must understand that an individual does actions and

pursuits in life and correspondingly each of these activities has
different aims. Aristotle is aware that one does an act not only
to achieve a particular purpose but also believes such purpose
can be utilized for a higher goal or activity, which then can be
used to achieve an even higher purpose and so on.
Aristotle’s discussion about the general criteria in order for one
to recognize the highest good of man;
First, the highest good of a person must be final. As a final, it

is no longer utilized for the sake of arriving at a much higher
end.
Example: When one diligently writes down notes while

listening to a lecture given by the teacher, she does this for the
purpose of remembering, in turn, becomes an act to achieve a
higher aim which is to pass the examinations given by the
teacher, which then becomes a product that can help the
person attain the goal of having a passing mark in the course.
Is not the final end because it is clear that such purpose is
aimed at achieving a much higher goal.
Second, the ultimate telos of a person must be self-sufficient.

Satisfaction in life is arrived at once this highest good is
attained. Nothing else is sought after and desired once this
self-sufficient goal is achieved,, since this is already
considered as the best possible good in life.
Example: The goal of remembering the lessons in the course

is not yet the best possible good because a person can still
seek for other more satisfying goals in her life.
So what is the highest goal for Aristotle? What goal is both final
and self-sufficient?
According to Aristotle, the highest purpose and the ultimate

good of man is happiness, or for the Greeks, eudaimonia.
Happiness for Aristotle is the only self-sufficient aim that one

can aspire for. No amount of wealth or power can be more
fulfilling than having achieved the condition of happiness. One
can imagine a life of being wealthy, powerful, and experiencing
pleasurable feelings and yet, such life is still not satisfying
without happiness. Once happiness is achieved, things such
as wealth, power, and pleasurable feelings just give value-
added benefits in life. The true measure of well-being for
Aristotle is not by means of richness or fame but by the
condition of having attained a happy life.
How does a person arrive at her highest good? According to

Aristotle, if an individual’s action can achieve the highest good,
then one must investigate how she functions which enables
her to achieve her ultimate purpose. If she performs her
function well, then she is capable of arriving at happiness.
How does a human being function which sets her apart from
the rest?
For Aristotle, what defines human beings is her function or

activity of reason. This function makes her different from the
rest of beings. A person’s action to be considered as truly
human must be an act that is always in accordance to reason.
Act following the dictates of her reason. Any person for that
matter utilizes her reason but Aristotle further says that a
person cannot only perform her function but she can also
perform it well.
Example: A dancer becomes different from a chef because of

her function to dance while the chef’s is to cook. Any dancer
can dance but what makes her distinct from an excellent
dancer is that the latter dances very well.
“Madaling maging tao, mahirap magpakatao” can be

understood in the light of Aristotle’s thoughts on the function of
a good person. Any human being can perform the activity of
reason; thus, being human is achievable. However, a good
human being strives hard in doing an activity in an excellent
way. Therefore, the task of being human becomes more
difficult because doing such activity well takes more effort on
the part of the person.
Lesson 2 - VIRTUE AS EXCELLENCE
Achieving the highest purpose of a human person concerns

the ability to function according to reason and to perform an
activity well or excellently. This excellent way of doing things is
called virtue or arete by the Greeks. Being an excellent
individual works on doing well in her day-to-day existence.
What exactly makes a human being excellent?

Aristotle says that excellence is an activity of the human soul
and therefore, one needs to understand the very structure of a
person’s soul which must be directed by her rational activity in
an excellent way.
The human soul is divided into two parts:
1. Irrational element - consists of the vegetative and

appetitive aspects. the vegetitive aspect functions as
giving nutrition and providing the activity of physical
growth in a person. As an irrational element, this part of
man is not in the realm where virtue is exercised
because, as the term suggests, it cannot be dictated by
reason. The vegetative aspect of the soul follows the
natural processes involved in the physical activities and
growth of a person. Whereas, the appetitive aspect
works as a desiring faculty of man. The act of desiring
in itself is an impulse that naturally runs counter to
reason and most of the time refuses to go along with
reason. Thus, this aspect belongs to the irrational part
of the soul. Sexual impulse, for example, is so strong in
a person that one tends to ignore desiring faculty of man
can be subjected to reason.
2. Rational Faculty - exercises excellence in him. one can

rightly or wrongly apply the use of reason. This faculty
is further divided into two aspects: moral, which
concerns the act of doing, and intellectual, which
concerns the act of knowing. These two aspects are
basically where the function of reason is exercised. One
rational aspect where a person can attain excellence is
in the intellectual faculty of the soul. As stated by
Aristotle, this excellence is attained through teaching.
Through time, one learns from the vast experiences in
life where she gains knowledge on these things. One
learns and gains wisdom by being taught or by learning.
Two ways by which one can attain intellectual excellence:

1. Philosophic wisdom - deals with attaining knowledge
about the fundamental principles and truths that govern
the universe (e.g., general theory on the origins of
things). it helps one understand in general the meaning
of life.
2. Practical wisdom - is an excellence in knowing the
right conduct in carrying out a particular act. In other
words, one can attain wisdom that can provide us with
a guide on how to behave in our daily lives.
Moral virtue, Aristotle says that it is attained by means of habit.

A morally virtuous man for Aristotle is someone who habitually
determines the good and does the right actions. Moral virtue is
acquired through habit. Being morally good is a process of
getting used to doing the proper act. The saying “practice
makes perfect” can be applied to this aspect of a person.
A moral person habitually chooses the good and consistently
does good deeds. it is in this constant act of choosing and
doing the good that a person is able to form her character. it is
through one’s character that others know a person. character
then becomes the identification mark of the person. for
instance, when one habitually opts to be courteous to others
and regularly shows politeness in the way she relates to
others, others would start recognizing her as a well-mannered
person.
Lesson 3 - MORAL VIRTUE AND MESOTES
As stated by Aristotle, developing a practical wisdom involves

learning from experiences. knowledge is not inherent to a
person. knowing the right thing to do when one is confronted
by a choice is not easy. One needs to develop this knowledge
by exercising the faculty of practical reason in her daily life. in
attaining practical wisdom, she may initially make mistakes on
how reason is applied to a particular moral choice or action.
but through these mistakes, she will be able to sustain practical
wisdom to help steer another's ability to know morally right
choices and actions. In other words, she is able to mature and
grow in her capacity of knowing what to do and living a morally
upright life.
As maintained by Aristotle, it is the middle, intermediate, or

mesotes for the Greeks that is aimed at by a morally virtuous
person. Determining the middle becomes the proper tool by
which one can arrive at the proper way of doing things.
Based on Aristotle, a morally virtuous person is concerned with

achieving her appropriate action in a manner that is neither
excessive nor deficient. in other words virtue is the middle or
the intermediary point in between extremes. One has to
function in a state that her personality manifests the right
amount of feelings, passions, and ability for a particular act.
Generally, feelings and passions are neutral which means that,
in themselves, they are neither morally right nor wrong. when
one shows a feeling of anger, we cannot immediately sonstrue
it as a morally wrong act. but the rightness or wrongness of
feelings, passions, and abilities lies in the degree of their
application in a given situation. it is right to get angry at an
offensive remark but it is not right to get angry at everyone just
because you were offended by someone.
In relation to the news article, the government and its agencies
responsible for protecting and assisting the young in their
personal development should act in view of the middle
measure. the government could have dismissed the issue or
could have banned television shows portraying violence. but
such extremes censure the citizen’s freedom of expression
and artistic independence, which can result in another issue.
wisely, the government acted on the side of the middle
measure by going through a series of consultations to address
the issue of television violence-implementing the rules and
guidelines for viewing safety, dedicating 15% of television
airtime for child-friendly shows, and enforcing a television
violence rating code that took into account the “sensibilities of
children.” it seems that the government acted in a manner that
is not deficient and excessive.
In the study mentioned wherein children are beginning to

consider violence as “a way to solve problems,” it seems
apparent that they would like to think that there is somehow a
“good” in an unjust act since it can become a problem-solver.
if violence becomes a tool by which difficult situations are
addressed, then it can be construed by children as bearing
some positive value. Aristotle’s view is contrary to this. as an
act, violence, in itself, is bad. a person cannot employ violence
as if it were a virtue or a middle measure in between vices of
being “deficient” in violence or being “excessive” of the same
act. There is something terribly wrong in such a demonstration.
Aristotle also provides examples of particular virtues and the

corresponding excesses and deficiencies of these. This table
shows some of the virtues and their vices:
Excess Middle Deficiency
Impulsiveness Self-control Indecisiveness
Recklessness Courage Cowardice
Prodigality Liberality Meanness
In the table, Aristotle identifies the virtue of courage as the

middle, in between the vices of being coward and reckless.
Cowardice is a deficiency in terms of feelings and passions.
This means that one lacks the capacity to muster enough
bravery of carrying herself appropriately in a given situation.
Recklessness, on the other hand, is an excess in terms of
one’s feelings and passions. In this regard, one acts with a
surplus of guts that she overdoes an act in such rashness and
without any deliberation. The virtue of having courage is being
able to act daringly enough but able to weigh up possible
implications of such an act that she proceeds with caution.
It is only through the middle that a person is able to manifest

her feelings, passions, and actions virtuously. For Aristotle,
being superfluous with regard to manifesting a virtue is no
longer an ethical act because one has gone beyond the
middle. Being overly courageous (or “super courageous”) for
instance does not make someone more virtuous because
precisely in this condition, she has gone beyond the middle
and therefore has”moved out” from the state that is virtuous.
Therefore, one can always be excessive in her action but an
act that is virtuous cannot go beyond the middle. Filipinos have
the penchant of using superlative words like “over,” “super,” “to
the max,” and “sobra” in describing a particular act that they
normally identify as virtuous. Perhaps, Aristotle’s view on virtue
is prescribing a clearer way by which Filipinos can better
understand it.
Abstraction
Virtue as Requirement for Happiness
Long before the teaching of Christianity about heaven and

eternal happiness and that one needs to be a good person or
virtuous in order to be in heaven, Aristotle already taught that
Happiness requires virtue (NE: 1098a, 16), one should be
virtuous in order to be happy. Aristotle teaches that Happiness
is an activity of the soul in conformity with virtue.
First it is an activity, and thus happy are only those who

participate in this sort of activity. (NE: 1099a, 5) Happiness,
then, is what a human being does, it needs active participation.
You cannot simply wait for happiness without doing anything.
To be happy you have to get involved, you have to be an active
and not passive spectator. Doing no evil does not always make
one a virtuous or good person. A virtuous person does good
and does the right thing.
Second, happiness is in conformity with virtue. A happy person

then must be a good person and no bad person is happy.
Happiness, as I understand Aristotle, is an activity of the soul
of a virtuous person. One can never be happy unless one is
good. Immoral people, regardless of wealth and fame are
unhappy in Aristotle’s understanding.
Virtue as Moderation
Virtue, for Aristotle, like hitting a target while excesses and

deficiency of action and emotion is missing the proper mark or
target. (See.NE: Book 2, 1106b, 25) Virtue is the mean, as it
aims at the median (NE: Book 2, 1106b, 25)
Aristotle says, “…the man who shuns and fears everything and
never stands his ground becomes a coward, whereas, a man
who knows no fear at all and goes to meet every danger
becomes reckless.” (NE: Book 2, 1104a, 20, p.36) Being
coward and being reckless are two extremes of the mean
“Courage”. Indeed, everything that is too much is evil.
In the given example courage is the virtue and the two others
are vices. It requires reason to know which among the three is
the mean or the virtuous one. A courageous man knows when
to attack and when to retreat depending on circumstances.
Thus, morality is an attribute that belongs to the rational alone.
In Book IV of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle lists down various

examples of virtues in relation to each two extremes, to name
a few:
Deficiency (Vice) Mean (Virtue) Excess (Vice)
Pettiness High-Minded Vanity

(one who (When one thinks (When one thinks
underestimate he deserves great he deserves great
himself things and actually things but actually
deserves them) does not deserve
them)
short Temper Gentleness Apathy
Grouchiness Friendliness Obsequiousness
Stinginess Generosity Extravagance
There are types or virtues in Aristotle’s notion, namely, the

virtue of the mind or intellectual virtue and the moral virtue. The
two are highly interrelated; in fact, one needs to be intelligent
or prudent in order to be virtuous.
Virtue, Happiness and Rationality
As already been stated above, Happiness requires virtue (NE:

1098a16), and rational principle (NE: 1098a7). To choose the
mean requires reason since it needs rational capacity to find
out which is the mean in relation to two extremes and the mean
may vary from different people and different circumstances.
This is why, Intellectual Virtue (Prudence) is highly intertwined
with Moral Virtue.
Human being is superior above all other on the basis of human

rational capacity. This rationality gives us the capacity to know
and thus choose for we only choose what we know as good as
we always tend to choose the good; (see Book I, 1094a, 5, p.3)
in fact it is the end of all our choices. (see Book I, 1094a, 20,
p.4) Reason then is the sole ground why human is happy, thus,
without reason no one can be happy. Therefore, happiness is
an activity that is reserved for human alone since only human
is rational. Aristotle concludes, “We are right, then, when we
call neither a horse or an ox nor any other animals happy, for
none of them is capable of participating in an activity of this
kind.” (NE: Book I, 1100, 5)
Virtue as a Character
Aristotle says, “Moral Virtue is formed by habit.” (NE: Book 2,

15) His concept of morality focuses on the character of the
person rather than on the action. Virtue is a habit or excellence.
In this sense we judge people not solely by virtue of what they
do at particular circumstances but what they regularly or most
likely do in a given circumstance. Aristotle’s concern is not
mainly on what you do but what sort of person you are. A
reckless person will always fight in times of danger the coward
will always run but the virtuous will do the most reasonable
action to be taken, i.e., courage.
Application Pornography
Sexual ethics is a study of a person’s sexuality and the manner

by which human sexual conduct must be exercised. There are
many instances where sexual behavior must be observed in
order to properly nurture good interpersonal relationships.
Thus, sexual ethics becomes a vital subject that must be
studied by everyone. One particular topic being discussed
within sexual ethics is the issue of pornography. Pornography
is the explicitmanifestation of sexual matters presented in
different forms of media. Pornography normally shows
different illustrations of nudity and sexual acts in print, videos,
and social media outfits. Some people view pornography as
immoral, citing how it treats persons as mere sexual objects
for pleasure. Some people, on the otherhand, view
pornography as a personal way of displaying one’s freedom of
expression, which must be respected by everyone. What is
your view on this?
Perhaps virtue ethics, as a framework for moral valuation, can

be utilized in assessing one’s sexual behavior specifically with
regard to the person’s good character, does watching
pronographic materials reflect such a character? Is there a
virtue that is produced by the behavior of patronizing
ppornography? what do you think will happen with regard to
the character of a person if one habituates that act of watching
pornography? Virtue ethics challenges the person to look at
one’s habits concerning sexual behavior. What would possibly
be affected by such behavior is the person’s appreciation and
valuation of human relationships.
I.
II. Discuss the possible implications (positive or negative) of

the patronage of pornography to the development of one’s
character.
III. Discuss a different topic within the scope of sexual ethics

and explain how this might affect the development of one’s
virtuous character.
Closure

your journal.
Daily Dozen
say…
6.) I enjoyed…
style was…
me was…
12.) The one thing the teacher did today that did not work well
for me was…
MODULE ASSESSMENT
1. What is moral virtue? What is intellectual virtue?
2. What is the difference between moral and intellectual virtue? Explain.
3. Identify some Filipino traits and categorize each as virtue(middle) or vices
(excess or deficiency). Place them on a table.
4. How is a person’s character formed according to Aristotle?
5. Who do you think possesses a moral character in your community? Explain
your answer.
Aristotle’s virtue ethics starts with recognizing that happiness is the ultimate
purpose or telos of a person. As the ultimate purpose,happiness is deemed as the
final and self-sufficient end of a person. It is by realizing the highest goal of a
person that she achieves happiness that is also considered as the greatest good.
Attaining happiness is arrived at when she performs her function, which is to act
in accordance to reason in an outstanding manner. It is in doing her function well
that virtue, excellence, or arete is realized.
To carry out the task of performing her function well, the person has to
understand the structure of the soul where her reason will operate. Aristotle shows
that the human soul is divided into the irrational and rational faculties. The
vegetative aspect of the irrational part of the soul cannot be directed by reason
because it does the natural processes of the soul that are responsible for the
physical growth. The appetitive aspect of the irrational part of the soul, on the other
hand, is driven by impulses which are, in general, contrary to reason but can be
acted out obeying the dictates of reason. Therefore, reason can manage the
appetitive aspect, and impulses can be handled well by a person.
The rational faculty of the soul is the part where excellence can be attained.
Part of the rational faculty of the soul is the intellectual aspect concerned with the
act of knowing. Excellence on this faculty is achieved through learning. One learns
well that is why she gains philosophical and practical wisdom. Philosophical
wisdom is the knowledge of the general principles that constitute reality, while
practical wisdom is the knowledge of determining the appropriate action in a given
situation. One can learn from experience and therefore can gain sufficient
understanding on what to do.
Aristotle points out that having intellectual excellence does not make one
into a morally good person. Knowing the good and being able to determine the
appropriate action in a given situation do not make her do the good automatically.
Practical wisdom, as such, is still in the realm of the intellectual aspect of the soul.
The moral aspect of the rational faculty concerns itself with the act of doing the
good. She becomes virtuous or excellent in doing the good by habitual
performance. To be a morally virtuous individual is a constant carrying out of the
act of goodness. The unethical person, on the other hand, is someone who
habitually performs bad deeds. This habitual action for Aristotle is what forms the
character of the person. Her identity is associated with accomplishing the good or
bad action. Virtue ethics is concerned primarily with the task of developing a good
character.
Aristotle sees the development of one’s character as the constant interaction
between the faculties of the rational part of the soul. Practical wisdom is deemed
as a necessary ingredient in guiding the moral faculty in doing the appropriate
action. Practical wisdom identifies the right action and the moral faculty aptly
executes it. What practical wisdom identifies as the right action according to
Aristotle is the mesotes or the middle measure of an action, feeling, or passion.
The middle is always in between an action, feeling or passion that is deficient or
excessive. Nothing is lacking or is too much from an act that is morally good. For
Aristotle, virtue is the good in between vices.
To sum up, moral virtue, according to Aristotle, is a “state of character”
which habitually acts according to the middle measure that practical wisdom
identifies as the moral choice that should be acted upon, given the concrete
situation that presents to the person. The goal of virtue ethics is to promote the
maturity of the character of the person. Building a good character is a task and
responsibility of every person.
REFERENCES
Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Various translations available. Book IX being most
pertinent.
Baier, Kurt. “Egoism” in A Companion to Ethics. Ed. Peter Singer. Blackwell: Oxford.
1990.
Feinberg, Joel. “Psychological Egoism” in Ethics: History, Theory, and Contemporary
Issues. Oxford University Press: Oxford. 1998.
Garvin, Lucius. A Modern Introduction to Ethics. Houghton Mifflin: Cambrirdge, MA, 1953.
Hargreaves-Heap, Shaun P. and Yanis Varoufakis. Game Theory: A Critical Introduction.
Routledge: London, 1995.
Holmes, S.J. Life and Morals. MacMillan: London, 1948.
Hospers, John. “Ethical Egoism,” in An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis. 2nd Edition.
Routledge, Kegan Paul: London, 1967.
Hume, David. Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals.
Peikoff, Leonard. Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. Meridian: London, 1993.
Popper, Karl. Poverty of Historicism. Routledge & Kegan Paul: London, 1976.
Rachels, James. Elements of Moral Philosophy. Mcgraw-Hill: London, 1995.
Rand, Ayn. Virtue of Selfishness. Signet: New York, 1964.
Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. Harper Collins: New York. 1961.
Sidgwick, Henry. The Methods of Ethics. MacMillan: London, 1901.
Smith, Adam. Wealth of Nations.
Smith, Adam. Theory of Moral Sentiments.
IMPORTANT Reminders:
1. References should be added at the end of each module.
2. Number of modules may vary depending on the number of clustered ILOs that
are significant to the course.
3. Each module could have a maximum of 5 lessons.
4. If there are significant contents/readings necessary for the abstraction part, it
can be put as an annex or appendix of the entire course pack. However, proper
labelling is necessary.
5. Use A4 paper size, Times New Roman font style, size 12, 1.5 inch
left margin and 1inch on the remaining sides. Use single line spacing
in the module contents.
6. The module format should be followed for the project write. The template
and format may be customized should the participating HEIs wish to implement
it in their respective institutions.

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Course Title

Units / Credit Equivalent 3 units

TEMPLATE 2: Course pack Structure

2 1. Discuss the ● The Principle of

TEMPLATE 3: Module Template

Module Overview Hi there, how are you today?

In this module you will learn the ethical dimension of Human

Module At the end of this module, you are expected:

Ethics, generally speaking, is about matters such as the good

Life is precious and we should give value to it. Each fraternity or

1. Aesthetics - derived from the Greek word aisthesis (“sense” or

2. Etiquette - Approval or disapproval concerning certain actions

INEQUALITY Sexual Identity

Ethics - involve valuations that we make in a sphere of human actions,

Ethics and Morals

Issue, Decision, Judgment, and Dilemma

Please click the link to watch the video

What have you learned today?

Lesson No. Lesson 2 – Sources of Authority

Several common ways of thinking about ethics are based on the

Positive Law - refers to the different rules and regulations that

Deontology - Immanuel Kant

Divine Command Theory

Natural Law Theory

3. CULTURE - exposure to different societies and their cultures

What have you learned today?

That’s all for today. See you in the next lesson.

Lesson No. Lesson 3 – Senses of the Self

It is sometimes thought that one should not rely on any external

Watch the movie entitled “Seven Sundays”.

What have you learned today?

That’s all for today. See you in the next lesson.

In this module you will learn the basic principles of utilitarian

Module At the end of this module, you are expected:

TEMPLATE 4: The Lesson Structure

In the book An Introduction to the Principles of Morals

On January 25, 2015, the 84th Special Action Force

Senator Poe’s response leads us to ask: Can the

This case exposes the aftermath of the Mamasapano

- Increase happiness and decrease pain.

3. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)

5. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2012)

What have you learned today?

That’s all for today. See you in the next lesson.

Utilitarianism is intended with the best consequence

Animal Rights and Welfare

Peter Singer, in his book Animal Liberation, argues

Read the articles.

Justice and Moral Rights

- A right is justifiable on utilitarian principles inasmuch

Moral Rights take precedence over Legal Rights.

Understanding Law and Rights

What Are Rights? Duty & The Law | Philosophy Tube

Look for two (2) or more episodes of TULFO or IPAGLABAN

What have you learned today?

That’s all for today. See you in the next lesson.

In this module you will recognize how Thomas Aquinas

Module At the end of this module, you are expected: