John Kenneth C.

Rago

BSCE 2 – Blk. 2

Assignment No.3

Ethics

ACTIVITY 1: ESSAY
Direction: In a letter size paper, write your answer to the following questions

1. Check and discuss your personal growth against the stages of moral development.
There is a saying that “If you want to straighten a bent tree, you should do it
when it was still a young plant” that everyone can relate to. Every household has an
unspoken rule which is; children must fear their own parents as we fear God as our
Creator. This rule can be misunderstood by younger generations yet they will soon
realize the meaning behind of it as they grow up. All these years, I am always grateful to
my parents for being strict. I can say that I am proud of myself thanks to my mother and
my father. If they didn’t scold and punish me for bad things that I have done, I might
grow like a lost fool who thinks he owned the whole world. Their words nurture a son
who have discipline and matured early. They secure my growth as I develop my
branches of skill while strengthening my roots. Without their guidance, I, as tree, can’t
stand tall if a stormy night comes.
As I grow bigger, I see the world much clearer than when I was a stubborn young
plant. Moreover, I understand more things if I listen carefully. Then, I realize that I am
not the only tree that is growing in a small forest. I must not be selfish. I must cut down
the some branches and thin my leaves in order to share the sunlight to other trees and
younger generation.
I am still in a process of metamorphosis. I am not complete nor satisfied for the
achievements that I have reached. I have long way to go and I must pay the debt for the
sacrifices that my parents have done to me and for the goodwill of my acquaintances.
2. By way of summary, compare and contrast simple subjectivism and emotivism.
-Ethical subjectivism and emotivism are both related because of one’s feelings
towards to a certain thing. However, subjectivism interprets ethical sentences as
statements of fact, particularly as reports of the speaker’s attitude. While according to
emotivism, moral judgements are not statements of fact but are mere expressions of
the emotions of the speaker, especially since they are usually feelings-based. It used as
a means of influencing other’s behavior and to express (not report) the speaker’s
attitude.

3. Recall immediate responses to moral dilemmas. Differentiate responses based on

reason and those based on feelings.
-Responses based on reason are usually much more calm and meticulous, while
feelings usually indicate some sort of emotion, unless it is an intuitive feeling, the
emotional feelings evoke some sort of hyper attentive action that may be based on
personal feelings that had been experienced before, a response of “just because” may
not be very reasonable, where a logical explanation may be more believable.

4. Look for stories from news clips (or the news online) that highlight emotional and
rational responses. Discuss your emotional and rational responses to the news.

“In December 2020, Nuezca shot and killed Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her son
Frank, 25, after a heated argument. The shooting was caught on video, which
later went viral.”

“The incident started when Nuezca had gone to investigate the Gregorios who
were setting up a boga – an improvised noisemaker cannon either made of bamboo,
a PVC pipe, or linkage of opened tin cans. When Nuezca tried to arrest Frank Anthony
"Anton" Gregorio, who appeared to be drunk, his mother, 55-year-old Sonia intervened
by holding her son back, which then resulted in a heated argument that escalated until
Nuezca fatally shot the two victims. According to Police Colonel Renante Cabico,
director of the Tarlac Provincial Police Office, Nuezca was "off duty" at the time of the
incident.
The circumstances of the incident was captured on camera: It shows Nuezca (in
civilian clothes), accompanied by his daughter, rushing to the Gregorio family's house.
Nuezca was holding the boga he confiscated. At this point, it then shows Sonia hugging
her 25-year-old son Frank. The woman was trying to prevent her son from engaging in
an argument with civilian police officer Nuezca. People in the background can be heard
begging and crying. At one point, the police told the people not to interfere and wait for
the barangay officials. Nuezca's daughter was also at the scene and intervened by
yelling "my father is a policeman!" to Sonia. As Sonia yelled back "I don't care!" to the
tune of the K-pop song of the same title by 2NE1 Nuezca threatened to kill the woman
right before shooting her in the head; he then shot Frank twice and Sonia again, when
she was already lying on the ground, in front of Nuezca's daughter and the relatives of
the victims.”

[For me, both parties have mistaken. The mother and son provoke Nuezca yet it
is not a reason to shoot and kill them both. If only they calm down and talk sincerely,
this incident won’t happen in the first place. However, Nuezca must pay for his crimes.]

5. You may choose either one:

a. check real-life cases against the 7-step model, a model that uses reason and
impartiality.
b. use the 7-step moral reasoning model to solve a case (moral dilemma).
Making Ethical Decisions: A 7-Step Path
Making ethical choices requires the ability to make distinctions between competing
options.

1. Stop and think: This provides several benefits. It prevents rash decisions,
prepares us for more thoughtful discernment, and can allow us to mobilize our
discipline.
2. Clarify goals: Before you choose, clarify your short-term and long-term aims.
Determine which of your many wants and "don't wants" affected by the decision
are the most important. The big danger is that decisions that fullfill immediate
wants and needs can prevent the achievement of our more important life goals.
3. Determine facts: Be sure you have adequate information to support an
intelligent choice. To determine the facts, first resolve what you know, then what
you need to know. Be prepared for additional information and to verify
assumptions and other uncertain information. In addition:
o Consider the reliability and credibility of the people providing the facts.
o Consider the basis of the supposed facts. If the person giving you the
information says he or she personally heard or saw something, evaluate
that person in terms of honesty, accuracy, and memory.
4. Develop options: Once you know what you want to achieve and have made
your best judgment as to the relevant facts, make a list of actions you can take to
accomplish your goals. If it's an especially important decision, talk to someone
 you trust so you can broaden your perspective and think of new choices. If you
can think of only one or two choices, you're probably not thinking hard enough.
5. Consider consequences: Filter your choices to determine if any of your options
will violate any core ethical values, and then eliminate any unethical options.
Identify who will be affected by the decision and how the decision is likely to
affect them.
6. Choose: Make a decision. If the choice is not immediately clear, try:
o Talking to people whose judgment you respect.
o Think of a person of strong character that you know or know of, and ask
yourself what they would do in your situation.
o If everyone found out about your decision, would you be proud and
comfortable?
o Follow the Golden Rule: treat others the way you want to be treated, and
keep your promises.
7. Monitor and modify: Ethical decision-makers monitor the effects of their
choices. If they are not producing the intended results, or are causing additional
unintended and undesirable results, they re-assess the situation and make new
decisions.

EXERCISE 1:
Direction: In a letter size paper, write your answer to the following questions
A. List the principles you feel you received from your parents, teachers, and friends that
reflect your cultural values.
--Determination, perseverance
--Feeling of Responsibility
--Having an exciting life
--Unselfishness
--Religious faith
--Independence of thought and choice
--Hard work
--Justice and equal treatment for everybody
--Imagination, creativity
--Tolerance and respect for other people
--Respect for tradition
--Thrift, saving money and things
--Obedience
--Being helpful to people nearby
--Loyalty to close people
--Care for Nature and the environment
--Success, money or prestige
--Safety, being careful
--Having fun, doing pleasurable things
--Behaving properly, following rules

B. The list below describes a wide variety of satisfactions that people obtain from their
jobs. Look at the definitions of these various satisfactions and rate the degree of
importance that you would assign to each, using the scale below:
1 – Not important at all
2 – Moderately important
3 – Important
4 – Very important

4 - Help Society: Do something to contribute to making the world a better place in which
to live.
4 - Help others: Be involved indirectly helping other people, with individuals or small
groups.
3 - Public Contact: Have a lot of day-to-day contact with people.
3 - Work with Others: Have close working relationships with a group; work as a team
toward common goals.
4 - Competition: Engage in activities that put my abilities against others in a situation
where there is clear win-lose outcomes.
4 - Make Decisions: Have the power to decide courses of action, policies, etc.
2 - Work Under Pressure: Work in situations where time pressure is prevalent and/or
the quality of my work is judged critically by supervisors.
4 - Power and Authority: Control the work activities or (partially) the destinies of other
people.
2 - Work Alone: Do projects by myself, without any significant amount of contact with
others.
2 - Intellectual Status: Be regarded as a person of high intellectual prowess or as one
who is an acknowledged "Expert" in a given field.
4 - Creativity (general): Create new ideas, programs, or systems not following a format
previously developed by others.
2 - Supervision: Have a job in which I am directly responsible for the work done by
others.
3 - Change and Variety: Have work responsibilities that frequently change in their
content and setting.
4 - Precision Work: Work in situations where there is very little tolerance for error.
4 - Security: Be assured of keeping my job and a reasonable financial reward.
3 - Recognition: Be recognized for the quality of my work in some visible or public way.
4 - Excitement: Experience a high degree of (or frequent) excitement in the course of
my work.
3 - Profit, Gain: Have a strong likelihood of accumulating large amounts of money or
other material gains.
4 - Independence: Be able to determine the nature of my work without significant
direction from others; be my boss.
4 - Moral Fulfillment: Feel that my work is contributing significantly to a set of moral
standards that I feel are very important.
4 - Location: Find a place to live (town, geographical area) that is conducive to my
lifestyle and allows me the opportunity to do the things I enjoy most.
2 - Community: Live in a town or city where I can get involved in community affairs.
4 - Time/Freedom: Have work responsibilities that I can work at according to my
schedule.