BSCS1A/B_GNED 02 ETHICS Learning Module 6

Prof. Armina B. Pugay

Republic of the Philippines
CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY
Naic Campus
Brgy. Bucana, Naic, Cavite

INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

First Semester, AY 2023 – 2024
GNED 02: ETHICS
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
First Year
MODULE 6

Culture and Moral Behavior

I. What the Module is all about?

The module is about definition of culture, its role, characteristics, importance, and components. This module also
tackles about cultural differences, moral behavior, values and its kinds and universal values.

Module Content
Definition of Culture
Role of Culture
Moral Behavior
Values
Universal Values

II. What are expected to learn?

After the completion of the module, students should be able to:
1. Define culture and describe its characteristics
2. Explain the role of culture in shaping moral behavior
3. Discuss the relation of moral behavior and culture.
4. Give the importance of values
5. Enumerate and discuss the kind of values
6. Relate the importance of universal values and give examples
III. (Pre-Test) Study Guide Questions:

Answer the following questions:

1. What is Culture?
2. What are the components of culture?
3. Why is culture important?
4. What are the functions of culture? Explain briefly.
5. What are the characteristics of culture? Discuss briefly?
6. What is moral behavior?
7. What are values? Its kinds?
8. What is universal value?” Give examples.

IV. SELF-LEARNING ACTIVITY

Introduction

As it was traditionally defined, “Culture is a way of life”, therefore, we can say that is practically everywhere. It is a
component of our community and as well as our individuality. This may also depend on the standard of living of an
individual or group of people in the society reliant on some factors like education, class, status, and habits. Culture differs
from one region to other or from one country to another. That is, having to cope up and understanding one culture from
another culture establishing relationship from one group to another.
Culture affects our every facet of life. Most societies these days have become multicultural as more and more people
migrate across countries and continents. We live around, socialize and work with people from different cultural
backgrounds and different parts of the world. While their values and beliefs might be different from ours, we should accept
these differences and broaden our own views in order to attain harmony in these culturally diverse environments. We
should acknowledge the importance of culture in communication and in contributing to our identity and sense of belonging
as part of a social group. Culture can be seen as a uniting force that is part of our daily lives and an integral part of our
being, defining the way we treat other people and ourselves.
From this module we will also deal with moral behavior and values. Determining what could be the relation of moral
behavior in culture and vice versa. Understanding the values from one culture to another.

What is Culture?

The following are some definitions:

Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social
habits, music and arts. ... The word "culture" derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin "colere,"
which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture.
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Culture consists of the values, norms, and beliefs of our society. Culture is made up of both material and nonmaterial parts.
Material culture is made up of physical things such as buildings and cars. The seven components of nonmaterial culture are
gestures, language, values, norms, sanctions, folkways, and mores.

"Culture" refers to a group or community which shares common experiences that influence the way its members
understand the world. It includes groups that we are born into, such as race, national origin, gender, class, or religion. It can
also include a group we join or develop. For example, it is possible to obtain a new culture by moving to a new country or
region, by a shift in our economic status, or by becoming disabled.

Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion,
notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group
of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.

Culture is the systems of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people.

Culture is communication, communication is culture.

Culture in its broadest sense is cultivated behavior; that is the totality of a person's learned, accumulated experience which
is socially transmitted, or more briefly, behavior through social learning.

Culture is symbolic communication. Some of its symbols include a group's skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, and motives.
The meanings of the symbols are learned and deliberately perpetuated in a society through its institutions.

Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the
distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of
traditional ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of
action, on the other hand, as conditioning influences upon further action.

Culture is the sum of total of the learned behavior of a group of people that are generally considered to be the tradition of
that people and are transmitted from generation to generation.

Culture is a collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from
another.

Culture describes a collective way of life, or way of doing things. It is the sum of attitudes, values, goals, and practices
shared by individuals in a group, organization, or society. Cultures vary over time periods, between countries and
geographic regions, and among groups and organizations. Culture reflects the moral and ethical beliefs and standards that
speak to how people should behave and interact with others.

Cultural norms are the shared, sanctioned, and integrated systems of beliefs and practices that are passed down through
generations and characterize a cultural group. Norms cultivate reliable guidelines for daily living and contribute to the
health and well-being of a culture. They act as prescriptions for correct and moral behavior, lend meaning and coherence to
life, and provide a means of achieving a sense of integrity, safety, and belonging. These normative beliefs, together with
related cultural values and rituals, impose a sense of order and control on aspects of life that might otherwise appear
chaotic or unpredictable.

This is where culture interconnects with ethics. Since understandings of what is moral are influenced by cultural norms, the
possibility occurs that what is ethical to one group will not be considered so by someone living in a different culture.
According to cultural relativists this means that there is no singular truth on which to base ethical or moral behavior for all
time and geographic space, as our interpretations of truths are influenced by our own culture. This approach is in contrast
to universalism, which holds the position that moral values are the same for everyone. Cultural relativists consider this to
be an ethnocentric view, as the universal set of values proposed by universalists are based on their set of values. Cultural
relativism is also considered more tolerant than universalism because, if there is no basis for making moral judgments
between cultures, then cultures have to be tolerant of each other

What are the Components of Culture?

The five components of culture include symbols, language, values, beliefs, and norms.

Symbols may be either physical or non-physical. A flag is an example of a physical symbol and bows and curtsies are
examples of non-physical symbols.

Language is used for communication. It can be written or spoken. Even when a culture uses the same basic language as
another culture, differences in terminology and inflection create new meanings.

Values help define acceptable behavior within the society. Values can be different for each group to which a person
belongs. For example, it may be acceptable in the family group to eat certain foods that are not accepted within the
religious group a person chooses.

Beliefs fulfill the spiritual needs of a culture. A whole culture can be based on one set of beliefs, yet a larger cultural group
may have many different sets of beliefs.
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Norms are the rules, mores and traditions within a culture. As a group develops laws and regulations, norms change. A law
that was necessary 100 years ago may not be needed in modern times.

Technological advances also change the way cultures behave. Traditions are norms that a culture holds onto once the
norms are no longer common. Wearing certain clothing for a holiday is an example of a norm that has become a tradition

Why is Culture Important?

Culture is a powerful part of people's lives. It affects their views, their values, their humor, their hopes, their loyalties, and
their worries and fears. It supports to have some perspective and understanding of their cultures especially when you are
working with people and developing relationships with them.

In determining others’ culture, it's also essential to remember how much we have in common. People perceive the world
very differently, but they see what it is like to wake up in the morning and look forward to the adventures that of the day.
We are all human beings who wanted to experience to love deeply, want to learn, have hopes and dreams, and have
experienced pain and fear.

But we should also realize our cultures and differences matter. We need to understand our differences, wishing we could all
be alike, but we can't pretend that discrimination doesn't happen.

Concept of culture mentioned by Fisher (1997) called “shared behavior…that systematizes the way people do things, thus
avoiding confusion and allowing cooperation so that groups of people can accomplish what no single individual could do
alone” – Mazrui (1996) has identified seven functions culture performs for both societies and individuals.

Communication: Culture provides the context for the development of human communication systems such as
language, both verbal and non-verbal (gestures, for example).

Perception: Matsumoto (2007) argues culture gives “meaning to social situations, generating social roles and
normative behaviors”; in other words, it shapes how we see and understand the social and natural worlds. Offe
(2001), for example, argues Western cultures generally operate under the belief that “the future” is not
predetermined, whereas “Some African societies” are characterized by “the notion of a predetermined future not
controllable by individuals”.

Identity: Culture influences how people see themselves and others, in terms of ideas like gender, age and
ethnicity. Durkheim (1912), for example, suggested societies have a functional requirement to develop two things:
a. Social solidarity – the belief we are connected into a larger network of people who share certain
beliefs,
identities and commitments to each other. For such feelings of solidarity to develop, however,
societies
must create mechanisms of:

b. Social integration: A feeling of commitment to others, such as family and friends, is needed to create
a
sense of individual and cultural purpose and cohesion. In a general sense, collective ceremonies (such
as royal weddings and funerals in which we can “all share”) and collective identifications (notions of
Brit Pop and Brit Art, for example) represent integrating mechanisms.

More specifically, perhaps, schools try to integrate students through things like uniforms and competitive sports
against other schools as a way of promoting solidarity through individual identification with the school. Identities
are also shaped through things like an understanding of a society’s history, traditions, customs, and the like. In
Hostede’s (1991) evocative phrase, culture involves the “collective programming of the mind which distinguishes
the members of one group… from another”.

Value systems: Cultural institutions are a source of values and people’s behavior is, at the very least, conditioned
by the cultural values they receive through the socialization process.

Motivation relates to the idea cultural values and norms involve sanctions (rewards and punishments) for
particular behaviors. Cultural values also set the behavioral boundaries in terms of maintaining certain standards
of behavior (laws, for example, specify behavior that is right or wrong, acceptable, and unacceptable). A
development of this idea relates to Functionalist concepts of:

Stratification: All cultures develop ways of differentiating between social groups on the basis of things like social
class (economic divisions), social rank (political divisions involving ideas like an aristocracy and peasantry), gender,
age and the like. For writers like Lenski (1994) social stratification is “inevitable, necessary and functional” because
it generates the “incentive systems” required to motivate and reward “the best qualified people” for occupying the
“most important positions” within a cultural system. This is closely related to the final function:

Production and consumption: Culture defines what people “need, use and value” as part of the overall survival
mechanism in any society. People need, for example, to be organized and motivated to work, hence the need for a
stratification system that offers rewards to those who occupy social roles that, in the words of Davis and Moore
(1945), are “more functionally important than others” and encouraged to consume the products of the workplace.
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Realizing Cultural Differences
In almost every aspect of life, it is necessary to determine the differences in culture. We obtain a multicultural society due
to migration of people across countries. People who live, socialize with, and work with, come from different parts of the
world and have different cultures. So, we expect that their ways of thinking and living, and their values and beliefs are
different from ours. Determination of these aspects help us accept these differences. Knowing our culture and other
cultures broadens our view towards cultural diversity. We learn to understand other cultures and not disrespect them.
Understanding our culture provides us an identity and improves build our character. The cultural values shared across our
community or social group, offer us a sense of belonging towards society. Our culture connects us and offers us a sense of
security. The language we communicate, the art, literature, and the heritage we are honored, our food, our festivals, and
our customs and traditions together form our culture. They develop as a part of our daily living and motivate us in many
ways. The importance of culture is something that lies within us, around us, and is an essential part of our being. It
describes the way we treat others and ourselves.
Our culture shapes the basis for our thoughts and behavior. The ideas rooted in our minds by our culture influence the way
we perceive people and situations. For example, women from male-dominated societies perceive men to be superior.
Women from cultures which dictate that their clothing should cover the entire body and even their faces, may think of a
skirt or a low-cut dress, as insulting.
With globalization, the world grows to be more interconnected and today most societies involve of ethnically diverse
populations. With this situation, conflicts arise associated with ethnicity, religion, and ethical beliefs which are all central
concepts in cultures. At a time when cultures adjust and become more fluid, a need has been recognized to protect and
preserve the past. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) whose objectives include
conserving and protecting cultural and natural heritage along with the promotion of international cooperation, peace, and
security was organized.
To resolve the question about the importance of culture, one has to believe its role in people’s everyday lives. Because
culture involves how people behave and interact with each other, it improves you build relationships with others when you
understand other cultures and perspectives. We are all humans and have similar needs, hopes, fears, and things that make
us happy. Cultural differences must be one of the primary concerns for better strategy to determine that differences that
exist and to fight against discrimination. Diversity is at its finest in the world in such a way that different languages,
religions, economic and cultural groups blend together. We need to appreciate and understand different cultures and
establish relationships with people from other backgrounds to enable us to build successful communities, improve our
living conditions, and solve problems.
What are the characteristics of Culture?
Culture is learned, shared, integrated, dynamic, and based on symbols.
Culture is learned
Culture is learned because it’s not biological or rooted in our DNA. Children don’t inherit culture from their parents. Instead,
they learn it and much of this learning happens subconsciously without us paying any attention to it. We understand our
culture not only from our families but also from institutions, other people, and the media. This process of learning is called
enculturation. All humans share the same biological needs, for example, food, water, sleep, shelter, and sex, but the way
we decide to fulfill those needs differs across cultures.
Culture is shared
Culture is shared because we share our culture with other members of our group. We understand how to cooperate with
these other members, and we can expect their behavior based on our knowledge and expectations. The shared nature of
culture doesn’t imply, however, that cultures are homogenous.
Culture is integrated
Because the various parts of a culture are interconnected, culture is also integrated. All components of culture are linked to
one another and to gain a comprehensive understanding of a culture, one must learn about these different components.
Culture is dynamic
Culture is dynamic because cultures intermingle with each other. Cultures share ideas and symbols, and they adjust to
changes in the environment. Since cultures are also integrated, it means that if one component of a culture changes, it will
involve all the other components, too, forcing the entire system to adapt.
Culture is based on symbols
Symbols are an integral part of every culture and they vary across different cultures. Cultures not only use symbols, but they
are also based on them. Symbols find their meaning when people in the same culture decide on how they should be used.
Language is the most obvious example of the use of symbols within a culture but other things such as art, clothing, and
money can also be defined as symbols.
It should also be pointed out that not all cultural adaptation is positive. Not all cultural practices are adaptive, and there are
many examples of cultural adaptation that have been harmful such as fast food, pollution, and climate change. But due to
their dynamic nature, cultures have the ability to adjust and discover solutions to these problems.
What is Moral Behavior?
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Moral behaviors are what one believes to be the right things to do. No doubt cultural and religious beliefs play a role in
what one thinks to be right and wrong. However, some studies show that we humans don’t need religion to be moral. For
example, Children with a Religious Upbringing Show Less Altruism. Altruism is to help others unselfishly, without
expectation of return, generally considered a moral behavior, seem to come naturally to us.
To act according to one’s moral values and standards is another meaning of moral behavior. Children demonstrate prosocial
and moral behavior when they share, help, co-operate, communicate, sympathize or in otherwise they demonstrate ability
to care about others.
Brown's (1965) believed that moral behavior occurs without a great deal of thought, and at the same time, moral thinking
does not guarantee what Kohlberg called “right action.” Among other things, doing the right thing may often require
significant measures of psychologically effortful self-control.
What are Values?
Values “are the principles that give our lives meaning and allow us to persevere through adversity,” according to
psychologist Barb Markway and Celia Ampel, values stand for our most meaningful ideals and also that they inspire us to
keep going when the going gets tough.
You’ve probably realized many of your values from your parents, your teachers, your religious leaders, and the society
around you. You’ve also probably insisted against some of those values at times or changed your mind as you’ve
understood more about yourself and your world.
Values is also a standard by which an individual determines what is good or desirable; a measure of relative worth or
importance.
Values defined in Organizational Behavior as the collective conceptions of what is considered good, desirable, and proper or
bad, undesirable, and improper in a culture.

Values are standards or ideals with which we assess actions, people, things, or situations. Beauty, honesty, justice, peace,
generosity are all examples of values that many people support.
In thinking about values, it is helpful to distinguish them into three kinds: Personal, Moral, and Aesthetic values.
Personal values: values endorsed by an individual. For example, some people regard family as their most
important values, and structure their lives so that they can spend more time with their family. Other people might
value success instead and give less time to their families in order to achieve their goals.
Personal values provide an internal reference for what is good, beneficial, important, useful, beautiful, desirable,
and constructive. Over time, the public expression of personal values has laid the foundations of law, custom, and
tradition. Personal values in this way exist in relation to cultural values, either in agreement with or divergent from
prevailing norms.
Personal values are developed in many different ways:
The most important influence on our values comes from the families we grow up with. The family is responsible for
teaching children what is right and wrong long before there are other influences. It is thus said that a child is a
reflection of his or her parents.
Teachers and classmates help shape the values of children during the school years.
Religion (or a lack thereof) also plays a role in teaching children values.
Personal values take on greater meaning in adulthood as they are meant to influence how we carry out our
responsibilities to others. This is true in the workplace, especially for managers and leaders, who are charged with
overseeing resources for the benefit of others. Because of their authority structures, social norms, and cultures,
organizations can have a powerful influence on their employees. Employers do their best to hire individuals who
match well with the organization’s norms and values. In this way they seek to promote their standards of ethical
behavior.
Conversely, conflicts can occur between an individual’s moral values and what she perceives to be those of others
in their organization. Since moral judgments are based on the analysis of the consequences of behavior, they
involve interpretations and assessments. One might be asked to do something that violates a personal belief but is
considered appropriate by others. To make ethical and moral choices, one needs to have a clear understanding of
one’s personal values. Without that awareness, it can be difficult to justify a decision on ethical or moral grounds in
a way that others would find persuasive. An example is:
If you value equal rights for all and you go to work for an organization that treats its managers much better than it
does its workers, you may form the attitude that the company is an unfair place to work; consequently, you may
not produce well or may even leave the company. It is likely that if the company had a more egalitarian policy,
your attitude and behaviors would have been more positive.
Moral values: values that help determine what is morally right or wrong, e.g. freedom, fairness, equality, etc, well-
being. Those which are used to evaluate social institutions are sometimes also known as political values.
Moral values are the standards of good and evil, which govern an individual’s behavior and choices. Individual’s
morals may obtain from society and government, religion, or self. When moral values develop from society and
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government, they, of necessity, may alter as the laws and morals of the society change. An example of the impact
of changing laws on moral values may be seen in the case of marriage vs. “living together.”
In previous generations, it was unusual to see couples who lived together without the benefit of a legal
matrimonial ceremony. In current years, couples that set up household without marriage are almost the same as
traditional married couples. It was also accepted by other individuals in our society. In past society, the laws and
morals simply came from the Roman system of law, which was largely based on the Ten Commandments. As
society moved into the modern era, that earlier system of laws became more and more eroded.
Moral values also derive from within one’s own self. This is clearly displayed in the behavior of older infants and
young toddlers. If a child has been forbidden to touch or take a certain object early on, they understand enough to
slowly look over their shoulder to see if they are being observed before touching said object. There is no need for
this behavior to be taught; it is instinctive. Once, however, any form of discipline is applied to change the child’s
behavior, the child now benefits the capacity within himself to distinguish his right behavior from his wrong
behavior. Now, the child can do correct choices based on his own knowledge. The choices that are made by an
individual from childhood to adulthood are between forbidden and acceptable, kind, or cruel, generous or selfish.
A person may, under any given set of circumstances, choose to do what is forbidden. If this individual acquires
moral values, going against them usually produces guilt.
Religion is another source of moral values. Most religions have built-in lists of do’s and don’ts, a set of codes by
which its believers should live. Individuals who are followers of a particular religion will generally make a show of
following that religion’s behavioral code. It is interesting to notice that these codes may widely differ; a person
whose religion provides for polygamy will experience no guilt at having more than one spouse while believers to
other religions feel they must remain monogamous.
Moral reasoning is the process in which an individual tries to decide the difference between what is right and what
is wrong in a personal situation by using logic. To make such an assessment, one must first understand what an
action is expected to accomplish and what its possible consequences will be on others. People use moral reasoning
in an struggle to do the right thing. People are frequently met with moral choices, such as whether to lie to avoid
hurting someone’s feelings, or whether to take an action that will help some while harming others. Such
judgements are made by considering the objective and the likely consequences of an action. Moral reasoning is the
consideration of the factors relevant to making these types of assessments.
According to consultant Lynn W. Swaner, moral behavior has four components:
Moral sensitivity, which is “the ability to see an ethical dilemma, including how our actions will affect others.”
Moral judgment, which is “the ability to reason correctly about what ‘ought’ to be done in a specific situation.”
Moral motivation, which is “a personal commitment to moral action, accepting responsibility for the outcome.”
Moral character, which is a “courageous persistence in spite of fatigue or temptations to take the easy way out.”
The ability to think through moral issues and dilemmas, then, requires an awareness of a set of moral and ethical
values; the capacity to think objectively and rationally about what may be an emotional issue; the willingness to
take a stand for what is right, even in the face of opposition; and the fortitude and resilience to maintain one’s
ethical and moral standards.
Recognizing good conduct, being an effective moral agent, and bringing values into one’s work, all require skills in
addition to a moral inclination. Studies have uncovered four skill sets that play a decisive role in the exercise of
moral expertise.
Moral imagination: The ability to see the situation through the eyes of others. Moral imagination achieves a
balance between becoming lost in the perspectives of others and failing to leave one’s own perspective. Adam
Smith terms this balance “proportionality,” which we can achieve in empathy.
Moral creativity: Moral creativity is closely related to moral imagination, but it centers on the ability to frame a
situation in different ways.
Reasonableness: Reasonableness balances openness to the views of others with commitment to moral values and
other important goals. That is, a reasonable person is open, but not to the extent where he is willing to believe just
anything and/or fails to keep fundamental commitments.
Perseverance: Perseverance is the ability to decide on a moral plan of action and then to adapt to any barriers that
arise in order to continue working toward that goal.
Aesthetic values are those that relate to the appearance of an object and the emotions that that object causes in
those who contemplate it. Therefore, it is the value judgments that an observer emits on the appearance of an
object. In this sense, aesthetic values are those that determine what people perceive as good in relation to the
appearance of an object.
That which has a high aesthetic value is considered better than that which has a less aesthetic value, so the
function of all elements is the same.
Aesthetic values are considered as the graceful, the grandiose, the elegant, the sublime, the tragic and the
ridiculous. It can be said that aesthetic values are those that make an object appreciated as a"work of art"by
people.
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The reason for this appreciation has long been discussed by philosophers and thinkers throughout the history of
humanity, since aesthetic values are directly linked to the concept of beauty, which can change from one culture to
another or a historical moment To another (7Graus, 2017).t considering those feelings that it evokes in it (Values,
2014).

Outstanding examples of aesthetic values

"An apartment with a sea view will be more attractive than one that does not have a pleasant view. The aesthetic
value in this case is the sublime.
-A latest high-end car has a higher aesthetic value than an old car or with worn paint. In this sense the value of the
sublime is evoked.
-A sunset on the beach is highly beautiful, therefore, its aesthetic value is also high for people.
- Greek sculpture has a high aesthetic value, thanks to its care of detail, perfection in the use of materials such as
marble, careful detail of lines and mastery of technique. For this reason, Greek sculpture is considered to have the
greatest aesthetic value in the history of mankind (ARQHYS.com, 2017).
-The book Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, has a high aesthetic value, as it allows readers to feel the tragic of the
historical moment in which it was written.
-Renaissance painting is the highest expression of the sublime and the grandiose in art, therefore, its aesthetic
value is high. This is possible thanks to the perfection of the technique of oil, the play of perspective and the use of
light and shadows that painters like Michelangelo or Raphael reached during this time (Examples, 2017).
-The melodies of Beethoven or Bach also have a high aesthetic value, since they convey the feeling of the sublime
to the listener. This happens because of the use of sad notes, the elegance of the composition, and the greatness
of its execution.
-The architecture of Gaudí's Sagrada Familia has a high aesthetic value, possible thanks to the use of details, its
imposing structure, the elevation of its towers, and its setting. All this allows the observer to be transported to
another historical moment.
-The painting of Guernica by Pablo Picasso, with his rupture of perspectives, the use of grotesque forms, the
expression of the pain of the people and the reflection he invites in relation to the historical moment he seeks to
evoke, make his aesthetic value Is elevated and characterized by being dramatic and sublime at the same time
(Awesome, 2015).
-The work of the Source of Marcel Duchamp has a high aesthetic value that comes from the lack of elegance and
ridicule of an object of common use, as is a pottery pottery.
- The works of art proposed by the avant-gardes during the modernist period have a high aesthetic value, since
they seek ridicule, sometimes lack of elegance and sublime.
-A latest-generation iPhone will have a greater aesthetic value than a cell phone manufactured 10 years earlier, as
it caters to the current considerations related to beauty, evoking the excitement of the sublime in its carrier.
-The work of Romeo and Juliet written by Shakespeare has a high aesthetic value evoked by its drama. The
composition of the same is considered a work of art, insofar as it has an impeccable mastery of the metric, so it
also has a sublime character.
-The valuation of a property is usually based on its aesthetic value, which tends to the sublime. In this way, a house
can have the same properties as another, but its value will depend on how sublime it is for your buyer.
-A fine-tailored Haute Couture garment has a greater aesthetic value than one industrially produced with
conventional materials. In relation to fashion, the aesthetic value that is evoked is that of the sublime, however,
elegance also plays a fundamental role.
-The works of Pablo Picasso have a high aesthetic value related to ridicule and drama. This is possible because of
the intention of the artist and his desire to break with the schemes of traditional artistic production.
-The architecture of the Empire State Building in New York is evocative of the great. In this way, its high aesthetic
value has allowed it to become one of the distinguishing icons of the city, being also considered as sublime.
-A beach hut overlooking the sea has a high aesthetic value linked with the feeling of the sublime, which is why it is
so attractive to people.
-A plate of food served with elegance has a high aesthetic value, linked with the feeling of sublime and elegant.
This allows your consumer to be willing to pay a higher value for him, so their ingredients are the same as those
included in other common preparations.
What are Filipino Values?
Filipino values implies to the set of values that a majority of the Filipino have historically held essential in their lives. This
Philippine values system includes their own unique accumulation of reliable ideologies, moral codes, ethical
practices, etiquette and cultural and personal values that are supported by their society. Considering the society an
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Prof. Armina B. Pugay
individual or group of people belong, the values that an individual considers sacred can vary on the basis of religion,
upbringing, and other factors.
As a broad explanation, the distinct value system of Filipinos is engrained mostly in personal alliance systems, especially
those based in kinship, obligation, friendship, religion (particularly Christianity) and commercial relationships.
To appreciate Filipino values is to appreciate Filipino culture. Nonetheless, in order to realize Filipino culture, one must
understand that it has been deeply Christianized. For almost four centuries of colonization by Western Christian empires,
the Filipinos’ moral and ethical imagination cannot be recognized outside Christian values and morality. Christianity is
widespread in our culture so that the way we judge and value things and how things should be, follows the doctrinal grid of
Christian theology. An example of this pervasiveness and influence of Christianity to Filipino culture is how Filipinos value
more neighborliness (i.e., “bayanihan” or “pakikipagkapwa tao” or “pakikisama”) more than, say, the filial piety (of
Confucianism). Filipino moral universe is framed through the ethos of the Judeo-Christian tradition. In this particular case,
the way we relate to others is greatly established and manipulated by what the Hebrew-Christian scripture imparts us to
do, that is, to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. Christianity strengthens the neighborliness of the Filipino
bayanihan system. In other words, within Filipino culture, biblical teachings found their way as foundational principles for a
social norm. Otherwise, the intermingling of Christianity and culture in the Filipino context is the base upon which we can
appreciate why Filipinos do the things the way they do or why Filipino think things as they are.

Filipino Moral Character: Strength and Weaknesses

A country strengthens itself reliant on the beliefs, goals, ideals, aspirations, and values of its people. In order to attain
national unity and progress, it requires the full cooperation of its citizens. Values as a people and as a nation provides the
identity that distinguishes one race from the others. These values may develop or hamper development and progress but
nevertheless, with unity of diversity, development and progress are achievable.
Probably the reason why Ninoy Aquino mentioned that Filipinos are worth dying for, is for the reason that Filipino holds
admirable characteristics, though in some point may not be appealing to others.

What are the Filipinos’ Strengths?

Filipinos strengths include:
1.Close Kinship - a Filipino considers family as an important social structure that they must love and care. Close
family ties result to the family still being intact regardless that the children are old and with families of their own.
2. Respect for Elders - the use of “po” and “opo” in conversing or addressing older people is a sign of a Filipino’s
respect for the elders. Filipinos do not send their elders to nursing homes because they still value the worth and
presence of the elders at home
3. Hospitality – the Filipino community are very warm and hospitable. They even give “pasalubong” (welcome
gifts) and “pabaon” (farewell gifts) to guests. At times, they sacrifice their own comfort to accommodate their
guests very well.
4. Strong Faith in God - their faith in God keeps them united to overcome all the problems and challenges of life.
5. Flexibility / Adaptability / Resiliency - the Filipinos have the trait to laugh at themselves and their misfortunes
or failures. This is a coping mechanism to balance emotional stress and to boost the capacity to survive. They can
smile in midst of problems and hardships. They can still crack jokes despite the stresses of their daily lives and
during calamities. They are strong and cheerful people.
6. Ingenuity and Creativity - they are good inventors. They often improvise and make productive use of available
resources.
7.Patience and Self-sacrifice - a remarkable quality of a Filipino is his capacity to endure difficulties and hardships.
Maybe related to the long suffering they endured during the many colonization in Philippine history. They are
patient enough to wait for their turn to be blessed with greener pastures as long as they do what is right and good.
8. Hard work and Industry - Filipinos are globally recognized for their excellent performance in any physical and
technical tasks. Maybe visible due to the desire for economic security and advancement for one’s self and family.
9. Fairness and Justice – they always show concern for the well-being of others. They uphold the humanity of all
people and regard everyone with respect and empathy. They are keen on interpersonal relationships, their primary
source of security and happiness. Fairness & Justice –> Equality –> Social Justice –> Development & Progress.
10. Readiness to Share and Help - they are always ready to lend a hand, not only in times of need (calamities or
disasters) but also in festive occasions (“fiestas”, baptisms and weddings). The “bayanihan” spirit, or giving help
without expecting something in return, of a Filipino is widely admired.

What are the Filipinos’ Weaknesses?

Cited were Filipinos’ weaknesses:
1. “Bahala Na” – this is also synonymous to the phrase “Que sera sera” (Whatever will be, will be), or “Hakuna
Matata” (No Worries). It leaves everything to chance or just let the circumstances take care of themselves,
embracing luck over good reason.
2. “Ningas Kugon” – “kugon” is a kind of grass that burns easily when dry but extinguished easily as well. Like the
cogon grass, Filipinos start thing
3. Colonial Mentality – Filipinos prefer foreign-made products instead of patronizing Philippine-made ones. This
result to higher gains for foreign businessmen than local businessmen. Thus, it motivates Filipino businessmen to
improve the quality of their products to make it more competitive against foreign ones.
4. “Mamaya Na” or “Bukas Na Lang” Habit - a poor habit, a sign of laziness, of leaving for a later time what can be
done now or today. Thus, resulting to stacked workload to be done and then complain about it.
5. Crab Mentality - a troublesome trait evident in a Filipino where when one sees the progress of a comrade, the
other becomes resentful rather than happy for the achievement. Rather than to praise, he would highlight
everything negative about that person to bring him down or destroy his reputation. They would focus on other’s
own faults rather their own inadequacies.
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6. “Patigasan” - most Filipinos find it hard to say, “I’m sorry” or “pasensya na”. Their precious pride always gets the
best of them.
7. “Kanya kanya” - a trait which shows self-centeredness and lack of regard for others. There are Filipinos who give
priority to what they and their families could have, rather than what they can do to share their wealth and serve
others better. This trait shows poor signs of patriotism, loyalty to community, and concern for the needs of others.
Passivity (submission to others or to outside influences)
1. Indebtedness “Utang Na Loob” – Filipinos are fond of asking for personal favors from others. It is ingrained for
them to acknowledge the person who had helped them in times of need. This is a good act but if forced to repay
with something bad to show gratitude then it becomes a problem. “Utang na loob” must not be paid with unlawful
acts.
2. Interpersonal Relationships “Pakikisama” - every person wants to belong to a group where they can share ideas,
jokes and feelings but sometimes it becomes a negative thing when the group is the one that influences the person
to do unlawful or foolish things in order to belong or to gain approval. This is usually evident in the Filipino youth
where peer pressure challenges someone’s morality.
3. Lack of Self-confidence “Hiya” - the Filipinos are shy to boast their achievements because they might be regarded
as show-offs. They prefer to just hide those achievements and call the idea “being humble”. This is actually a sign
of lack of self-confidence.
These attributes are a challenge for every Filipino. In order to achieve development and progress, they must value and focus
on their strengths rather than conceal under the controls of their weaknesses. Adopting the strengths and overcoming their
weaknesses will truly support the Filipino nation go forward in achieving its plans and aspirations for a richer and more fun
Philippines where Filipinos will be proud of.( Fajardo J. et al)

What are the Universal values?

Universal values are values that apply to all types of human beings, regardless of their social, ethnic, or cultural origin. A
value is considered universal when it goes beyond laws and beliefs; rather, it is considered to have the same meaning for all
people and does not vary according to the societies.

The definition of universal value and its existence are assumptions focus to studies in social sciences, such as moral
philosophy and cultural anthropology. In reality, cultural relativism is a belief that opposes the existence of universal values;
suggests that a value cannot be universal because it is perceived differently in each culture.

For more clarification of the term, the existence of universal values can be understood in two ways.

The first is that a large number of human beings, under diverse living conditions and exposed to different beliefs, learn a
certain human characteristic as valuable. In that case, the characteristic in question would then be called a universal value.

The second is that something is considered a universal value when all human beings have reason to think that it is a
characteristic that is generally appreciated, regardless of whether or not it is considered in said characteristic.

For example, non-violence could be deemed a universal value, because even those who cause acts of violence may
appreciate the common need for peace.

Universal values are considered to be the basis of human integrity, but their definition and existence remain concepts
widely discussed in psychology, political science, and philosophy. Universal values in different branches of the social
sciences were discussed below:

Philosophy
The philosophical study of universal values seeks to answer certain questions, such as the importance and meaning of what
a universal value and the veracity of its existence in societies is.

Sociology
In sociology, the study of values seeks to understand how these are formed within a functional society.

Psychology
In psychology it is where more emphasis has been given to the study of universal values. A series of practical studies have
been established, with Shalom Schwartz being the most outstanding psychologist in doing so.

These studies pursue to explain the concept of universal value for a society and which values could be believed universal for
every human being.

Shalom Schwartz's Theory of Human Values

Schwartz's study resulted in the creation of his Theory of basic human values, which is used in the field of intercultural
research. The author considers that his theory is no more than development of other previous research, and this has been
applied in cultural research that seeks the relationship of values that happen within two or more societies.

The definition of universal value and its existence are assumptions subject to studies in social sciences, such as moral
philosophy and cultural anthropology. In fact, cultural relativism is a belief that opposes the existence of universal values;
proposes that a value cannot be universal because it is perceived. Schwartz's study resulted in the creation of his Theory of
basic human values, which is used in the field of intercultural research.
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Prof. Armina B. Pugay
The author considers that his theory is no more than an expansion of other previous research, and this has been applied in
cultural research that seeks the relationship of values that occur within two or more societies.

There are four groups of attributes that involve all the categories studied by the psychologist:

1. Capacity for change, which includes the ability to self-direct.

2. Ability to improve oneself, which encompasses hedonism, achievements, and power.

3. Conservation capacity, which encompasses security, conformity, and tradition.

3. Ability to transcend, encompasses benevolence and universalism.

Interactions between values

In addition to identifying values, Schwartz's theory describes how they interact with each other. The quest of one of these
values results in harmony with another; as for example, if security is obtained, it must go through agreement. Eventually,
this search may result in a conflict between two values: if benevolence is sought, there would be a conflict with power.

According to Schwartz's hypothesis, universal values can be divided into three different categories:

1- Related to biological needs

In this line are included the values that have to do with the basic requirements of the human being.

2- Related to social needs

In this case, it is about the values that have to do with social interaction, the need for recognition of the
other and coordinated functioning in the context of a society.

3- Related to good living and survival

The values linked to this category have to do not only with propitiating the functioning of society, but also
with looking for this operation to be generated in the best possible way. The ultimate goal is to produce well-being
for all members of society.

Main examples of universal values

The clash between values resulted in the creation of Schwartz's classification scheme, which in turn generated the 10 main
types of universal values:

1- The power
In turn, this is subdivided into authority, leadership, domination, social power and economic well-being.

2- The achievements
They are represented by the success, the personal capacity, ambition, influence, intelligence and the
respect of each person towards itself.

3- The hedonism
This is broken down into the subcategories of pleasure and enjoyment of life.

4- Personal stimuli
They are represented by extreme, exciting activities and a full life.

5- Self-directing
It is subdivided into creativity, freedom, independence, curiosity and the ability of each person to choose
their own objectives.

6- Universalism
Represented by the breadth of goals, wisdom, social justice, equality between humans, a world in peace,
harmony, and beauty. It is also reflected in the unity with nature, the protection of the environment and the
harmony of each person with himself.

7- Benevolence
It translates into help, honesty, forgiveness, loyalty, responsibility and friendship.

8- Tradition
The tradition includes accepting the role one has in life, humility, devotion, respect for traditions and
personal moderation.

9- Conformance
It also includes the capacity for discipline and obedience.

10- Security
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Prof. Armina B. Pugay
It includes personal "cleansing" from a mental point of view, family security and national security, stability
of social order and reciprocity of favors, sense of belonging and health.

In the study of Schwartz spiritualism also took place, but the psychologist realized that not all societies give importance to
this characteristic.

V. Module Requirement:

Activity to be done.

List down Filipino values practice at home. Make a table

Compare your values practice at home with one of your classmate preferably not with the same religion with you.

VI. References:
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