MODULE 1

INTRODUCTION
TO KEY CONCEPTS
Lesson 1 - Ethics: It’s Meaning, Nature and Scope
 LESSON INTRODUCTION
Gallinero (2018) introduced ethics with
these ideas: What is morality?

• Morality is a system of beliefs about what

is right behavior and wrong behavior
(Rubin, 2015).
• Morality deals with how a person relates
with others and with the world to promote
what is good (Thiroux and Krasemann,
2009).
 LESSON INTRODUCTION
In his book, Elements of Moral Philosophy,
author and university professor Dr. James
Rachels – a philosopher who specialized in
ethics – asserted that at the very least
morality is the effort to guide one’s conduct
by reason – to act based on the best reasons
for doing – while giving equal weight to the
interests of each individual affected by one’s
decision (Rachels, 2015).
 LESSON INTRODUCTION
However, one queries, “Is there a
difference between Ethics and
Morality”? Well, these two words are
oftentimes used interchangeably either in
ordinary conversations or in academic
discussions and symposia. But are these two
terms exactly the same, or, is there a shade
of difference between them (Fernandez,
2018)?
 Specific Learning Outcomes

During the learning engagements, the

students are able to:

• Expound the meanings/concepts of

Ethics and Morality;
• Compose a reflective essay on Ethics
and Morality;
 Specific Learning Outcomes

During the learning engagements, the

students are able to:

• Write a script on “How to be

moral?”.
What do you think?
(Diagnostic Exercises/Individual)
Answer the questions briefly:

1. What is ethics?
2. What is morality?
3. What is the similarity and the difference
between ethics and morality?
Engaging Activity 1: Cooperative Do This
Group
Learning/ Graphic Organizer: Venn
Diagram / Reporting (30 minutes)

Using the individual diagnostic exercise in Station

1, the students will brainstorm the meaning of
ethics and morality with their differences and
similarities. Group representative will report the
output in a form of a Graphic Organizer: Venn
Diagram.

(LO 1: Expound the meanings/concepts of Ethics

and Morality)
 Engaging Activity 1:
Graphic Organizer: Venn Diagram
Instruction: Since the key concepts of
ethics is very common, let us all illicit your
prior knowledge about the concept and
merge it with your present understanding.
Students in groups of 5 members should be
able to define, explain, and express their
understanding about the similarities and
differences of Ethics and Morality.
 Engaging Activity 1:
Graphic Organizer: Venn Diagram
The groups may think clearly the
similarities and differences of Ethics and
Morality based on their prior knowledge.

Sample:
 Graphic Organizer: Venn Diagram
Launching Pad

Criteria:
10 points max (per group) - factual, complete, accurate, concise,
comprehensive, and efficient relay of ideas.
5 points max – clarity of the similarities and differences
5 points max (each member) - level of participation to the group
discussion and knowledge construction... to be identified by the
group members themselves
Present to the class your outputs... (choose the youngest member
to explain the output)

Activity Processing:
1. How do you find the activity?
2. Why do you think the activity was done through a Graphic
Organizer: Venn Diagram? What does Venn Diagram teach us?
 Let’s Watch!

To clarify students’ answers on the

similarities and differences of ethics and
morals, two short video clips about morals
and ethics will help.
 Let’s Understand Morals!

https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=0WxOGR6HKFs&list=TLPQMTI
wNzIwMjCyfziEDPWwpg&index=2
 Let’s Understand Ethics!

https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=4vWXpzlL7Mo&list=TLPQMTIw
NzIwMjCyfziEDPWwpg&index=3
 Let’s Analyze!

https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=9SQUqZWKUwM
 Let’s Deepen!
Etymologically, the word “ethics” is derived
from the Greek word “ethos” which can be
roughly translated in English as custom or
a particular way and manner of acting and
behaving. Thus, custom would also mean
here as a form of behavior or character.
The Latin equivalent for custom is “mos” or
“mores”. It is from this root word that the
term “moral” or “morality” is derived
(Agapay 2008:1).
 Let’s Deepen!

The two terms, ethics and morality, in this

sense, therefore, have literally the same
meaning. That is why ethics is usually
taken as synonymous with morality. Also
because of this, ethics is also called
morality, or more precisely, the other name
of ethics is morality.
 Let’s Deepen!

Thus, in many instances, we often hear

people say: “What he or she did is moral or
ethical;” “His or her conduct shows a lack
of ethics/morals;” “The problem of that
person is that he or she doesn’t have a
sense of morality and ethics;” “Our primary
concern as a people should be how to
become moral or ethical in our behavior.”
 Ethics and Morality Distinguished
Similarity
• Though ethics and morality, by virtue of
their etymological construction, and on
how they are used in people’s daily
conversations, share practically the
same meaning, there is, still, a slight
distinction between them.
• Generally, both ethics and morality deal
with the goodness or badness, rightness
or wrongness of the human act or human
conduct.
 Ethics and Morality Distinguished
Difference
• “But in ethics, we specifically study
morality. Morality gives ethics a
particular perspective of what to study
about – that is the rectitude of whether
an act is good or bad, right or wrong.
Morality provides with a quality that
determines and distinguishes right
conduct from wrong conduct” (Sambajon
2007:7).
 Ethics and Morality Distinguished
Difference
• While ethics (the theory) provides certain
principles and guidelines as to what is
good and bad, right and wrong in human
conduct, it is morality which actualizes
the theory. Ethics, as one particular
author beautifully puts it, is the “word”,
while morality is the “flesh”. Morality,
therefore, is here aptly understood as
the application (praxis) of ethics (theory)
(Babor 1999:8).
 Learn From Brainstorming

• Engaging Activity 2: Quotation

Analysis (30 minutes)

(LO 2: Compose a reflective essay on Ethics

and Morality.)
 Engaging Activity 2:
Quotation Analysis

Each group will elucidate with examples

this line and compose a reflective essay.
“As ethics outlines theories of right and
wrong and good or bad actions, morality
translates these theories into real actions.
Thus, morality is nothing else but a doing
(or the practice) of ethics” (Babor 1999,9).
 Engaging Activity 2

Work and brainstorm within the same

groups then present to the class... (let your
oldest member explain the output this
time)
 Let’s Analyze!

Groups will be rated through the following criteria:

• 5 points max (per group) - factual, complete, accurate,
concise, comprehensive, and efficient relay of ideas.
• 5 points max (each member) - level of participation to the
group discussion and knowledge construction... to be
identified by the group members themselves

Activity Processing:
1. How did you find the activity? What or how did you feel
upon contributing to the success of your group and upon
accomplishing the task?
 Let’s Write
Engaging Activity 3: (Same
Grouping)
Script Writing: Should I be Moral?
(Fernandez, Ethics, p 29)

Instruction:
Create a short script on the questions
below after reading the story of “Gyges” in
Plato’s book The Republic.
 SCRIPT WRITING:
SHOULD I BE MORAL?

In summary: “Gyges is a shepherd who stumbles

upon a ring that at his command makes him
invisible and, while in that state, he can indulge
in his greed to the fullest without the fear of
getting caught. He can thus escape the restraints
of society, its laws, and punishments. So he kills
the king, seduces his wife, and becomes king
himself” (Pojman & Fieser 2017:67-68). So
imagine you got the ring of Gyges, would you still
do what is good and what is right? In brief, would
you still act morally? Why should you, or not?
 SCRIPT WRITING:
SHOULD I BE MORAL?

Rubrics: (It’s just a guide in giving points)

(This time the reporter will be drawn by lot,

the youngest and the oldest are
exempted.)

(LO 3: Create a script on “how to be

moral?”.)
 Formative Activity
Formative Activity: SOCRATIC METHOD
(10 minutes)
(The teacher will employ Q and A on the
importance of rules in the family, school,
and community settings.)

What could happen when no one follows

rules and those who break them go
unpunished?
THINGS TO PONDER AT THE END
Let us OF
Reflect
THE WEEK...

• What have I LEARNED this week that

has helped me do all aspect of this
better?
• What have I DONE this week that has
made me better at doing all aspects of
this?
• How can I IMPROVE at doing all aspects
of this?
 REFERENCES:
Books:
Fernandez, Apolinar, et. al. (2018). Ethics:
Deciding What’s Right and Wrong. Davao
City: SMKC Printshoppe.
Gallinero, Winston, et. al. (2018). Ethics.
Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House, Inc.
Ocampo, Ma. Liza Ruth. (2018). Ethics
Primer: A Young Person’s Guide to Moral
Reasoning. Davao City: Vibal Group, Inc.
 REFERENCES:

Electronic Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WxOG
R6HKFs&list=TLPQMTIwNzIwMjCyfziEDPWw
pg&index=2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vWXp
zlL7Mo&list=TLPQMTIwNzIwMjCyfziEDPWw
pg&index=3
 END

THANK YOU!