ETHICS

The components of Kant’s ethical perspectives were enumerated by PASCO et al. (2018) as the following:

• is the foundation of sound ethics

– is the source of sound ethics

– is the obligation that follows reason

• the moral theory that evaluates actions that are done because of duty

A Greek word which means "being necessary".

Deontology was proposed by ________________.

• is the sole foundation of sound ethics

The _______ is independent of religion. It is the interiority of the human person, the innate goodness, that propels the person to do good and act in an ethical manner.

The goal of morality

• is the supreme measure of morality

Based on ___________________________, pleasure and freedom from pain is the supreme measure of morality.

General Characteristics of Asian Spiritual and Intellectual Traditions [ by Manuel B. Dy as cited by Pasco et al. (2018) ]

• is an individual’s duty fulfilled by observance of custom or law

____________ stressed that ethics can exist without religion but religion without ethics is unworthy of its name. This follows that a person can be ethical without being religious but cannot be considered religious without being ethical.

The religious views of the Hindus can be seen in _____________ and _____________.

____________ are some of the most ancient writings of the world. These are hymns to the ancient gods and poetic articulation of the meanings of the universe.

_____________ means "those who sit near” and listening closely to the spiritual teacher

Buddhism was born from the enlightenment of _______________ between the 6th and 4th century BCE

• is a system of thought attributed to Konqui which the West referred to as Confucius who lived around the 6th– 5th century BCE.

• was born from the enlightenment of Gautama Buddha between the 6th and 4th century BCE.

Buddhism was born from the enlightenment of ________________ between the 6th and 4th century BCE.

Four truths according to Gautama Buddha

____________ is the cause of suffering. Specifically, the non-virtuous actions, and negative mental states that led to actions.

• is the end of suffering which results from giving up of ego.

Eightfold Path

Confucius considered himself as a “___________” of the old reanimating them to become new.

He proposed invigorating the meaning of the past promoting a ritualized life

For a Confucian, the basic aspiration is to be a _________________________________.

In Cofucianism, the person must live the virtues of heaven. One of the virtues stressed is _____________.

• was one of the pioneers of existential phenomenology in the Philippines.

Ramon Castillo Reyes write an essay entitled "_________________________".

He explained that “who one is” is a cross-point.

Four Cross-Points

– there are events in the past and material factors that one has no other option. For example, being born as part of Homo sapiens, a child of your parents, being born in the Philippines, and other factors that you have control of.

– there are many events and factors that are beyond your options. For example, you did not choose your parents but many of their characteristics and even your personality is affected by them. In the same way, you cannot choose your classmates, teachers, and later, your workmates.

– you are shaped by the society you live in. You are part of a culture that prevails in your community.

– these are the events that you have gone through. As a country, we also have our own history. There were colonizers that affected our ways of thinking and dealing with things.

______________ called the earth a shared inheritance.

Similarly, in the recent encyclical, _______________ exhorts that taking care of our world is a form of taking care of ourselves for we are a single family living in our common home. Below is a discussion of the first chapter of Laudato Si’ which deals with the situation of our common home.

The first chapter of _____________ which deals with the situation of our common home.

The including topics in the discussion of the first chapter of Laudato Si’:

Some forms of pollution become part of daily experience. This includes exposure to atmospheric pollutants. To some extent, these causes millions of premature deaths

Fresh drinking water is vital for life. However, research showed that possible water shortage might occur unless measures will be done

Loss of species happens due to loss of forests and woodlands. These species are important for they may have uses like food and cure of diseases.

Internet communication tends to replace real relationships with others

Poor countries are controlled by countries where they have foreign debt.

We lack the culture and leadership needed to oppose the crisis despite being called by God as stewards of the planet where peace, beauty, and fullness flourish.

There are various approaches about the current situation and possible solutions

Various Approaches to Environmental Ethics (Pasco et al.)

• focuses on “equal treatment of all sentient beings, from animals to human beings.”

• For Tom Regan, “certain non-human animals have actual rights, which makes them morally considerable.”

• Taylor advocates on the moral protection of all beings that maybe considered as “teleological centers of life”. Biocentric approach protects the rights, seeks the good and well-being of all living organisms, which include plants and microorganisms.

• “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It wrong when it tends otherwise.”

Human beings are part of the ecology, members of a life-giving system. Human beings must develop not only the rational but also emotional intelligence as well as “ecological conscience” to establish an ethical relationship with the land.

Vital planetary resources and processes that are necessary to sustain life were under strain. “It is not equitable for the future generations to experience considerable reduction of options for the sake of sustaining the needs and wants of the present.”

Normative Theories of Business Ethics (Pasco et al.)

Businesses are merely arrangements by which one group of people, the stockholders, advance capital to another group, the managers, to be used to realize specified ends and for which the stockholders receive an ownership interest in the venture.

Implication: The society has a responsibility to restrict businesses from dealing unethically.

The management’s fundamental obligation is not to maximize the firm’s financial success but to ensure its survival by balancing the conflicting claims of multiple stakeholders.

Principles of stakeholder management:

The corporation should be managed for the benefit of its stakeholders like the customers, suppliers, owners, employees and local communities. These groups should get involved in the decision-making process.

Management bears a trusting relationship to stakeholders and to the corporation as an abstract being. Implication: All interests related to the firm are given a voice, especially in decision-making process.

Example: If a manufacturing firm purchases its raw materials from an indigenous tribe in an underdeveloped community, the stakeholder theory obligates the firm to ensure fair compensation of the tribe for their product.

All businesses are ethically obligated to enhance the welfare of society by satisfying consumer and employee interests without violating any of the general canons of justice.

• is a strategic initiative of the company to contribute to the welfare of the society and the environment

Reidenbach and Robin’s Conceptual Model of Corporate Moral Development (Pasco et al.)

– ethics is the least concern of the organization

– “exhibit compliance with the letter of the law not to the spirit of the law.” What is legal parallels to what is right.

– have values above profitability and legality “Concern for other stakeholders begins to manifest itself as managements begin to realize the importance of employees and community in which they operate.”

– pursues greater balance between profit and ethics. “While responsive corporations begin to develop ethical mechanisms to increase the probability of ethical behavior, these organizations are not yet fully comfortable with their implementation.”

– “characterized by an organization-wide acceptance of a common set of ethical values that permeates the organization’s culture. These core values guide the everyday behavior of an individual’s actions.

Biomedical Ethics (Pasco et al., 2018)

The value of personhood is the center of life, experience, decisions, and actions.

Human personhood begins at the point of fertilization or conception. This is expressed in the Filipino language which values the human life in which a pregnant woman is said to be nagdadalangtao or childbearing.

Even if the fetus is removed from the mother, the fetus “ought to be treated as a person”.

There are two results in the case of ectopic pregnancy:

The number of adoptees and children born in poor families needs to be considered in the place of expensive childbearing techniques.

_______________ include getting egg cells from the mothers, many embryos or fetuses are waiting for womb implantations and some are considered as “spares”. Careful monitoring for these embryos is done because the “fetus ought to be treated as human”.

Termination of “extraordinary means” like a respirator is permitted to follow its course and the person can go through the process of a dignified death.

Writing living wills permits the resolution of confusion that may arise in families in making difficult decisions like DNR (do not resuscitate). This is also applicable if the person wishes to donate his/her organs.

– direct murder of a human being and unacceptable in the Philippines

In 2009, the Philippine government stopped a scheduled kidney transplant of a Filipina to a Saudi Arabian husband. The government alleges that this is a case of organ sale. The Philippine government is banning organ trade.

– a field of applied ethics that discusses decisions and actions of engineers, together with the consequences of these actions and decisions, both individually and collectively.

Some Ethical Issues

– publicizing certain abuses by an organization which may be internal or external. This happens because the engineer has specialized knowledge of the risks and adverse effects of a certain technology or an engineering project. This is NOT the best way to deal with ethical issues in engineering. Organizational reforms are needed.

– most engineering societies state that engineers must be loyal to their employers and their clients. However, there may be times when this loyalty is against the public interest.

According to the _____________________________, “Engineers shall not complete, sign, or seal plans and/or specifications that are not in conformity with applicable engineering standards. If the client or employer insists on such unprofessional conduct, they shall notify the proper authorities and withdraw from further service on the project”.

– this happens if a professional has an interest that would contradict meeting his or her professional obligations or may impair his/her professional judgment. It is best to avoid conflict of interest.

– ensuring safety is one of the main professional responsibilities of an engineer.

– “Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Five Minds for the Future (Gardner, 2011)

– mastery of major schools of thought like science, mathematics, and history.

– the ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or fields into a coherent whole and to communicate that integration with others.

– the capacity to reveal and clarify new problems, questions, and phenomena.

– the recognition and appreciation of diversity among human beings and groups.

• actualization of one’s responsibilities as a worker and as a citizen.