UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS

College of Nursing

Monthly Examination REVIEWER in PHL5

I. General Concept of Morality

A. Christian Morality
to reaffirm the value of human life
to defend the worlds poor
morality is related to human destiny
to offer the world new signs of hope
to build an authentic civilization of truth and love
to support the family
to work for justice and solidarity

B. Roots and Sources of Contemporary Moral Trends

profound crisis of culture
- consists in people no longer wanting to take responsibility for their
neighbors. Moral relativism is a crisis of culture nowadays due to the fact
that people no longer objectifies what is right and wrong and does not
want to be responsible to their acts.
existential and interpersonal difficulties
An overview of the moral situation (life, environment, justice, etc.) presents to us
the contemporary moral trends - EJK, death penalty, condom distribution
in public school

C. Threats to Life
opposed to life
violates the integrity of man
situations of acute poverty
murder
insults human dignity
mutilation
other examples: examples are abortion, death penalty, EJK directly afflict the
weak and the defenseless; the least, the lost and the last in the society.

II. Christian Concept of Morality

a. The Encyclical Evangelium Vitae (an encyclical by Pope John Paul II) discusses the
value of human life.
b. Not all legal are moral.
c. Broad sectors of public opinion does not justify certain crimes against life. Not all
popular are moral. Example: A mob or major public opinion does not mean moral.
Not everything that are posted online are morally acceptable.
d. Christian morality is related to the human destiny of eternal life. (Goal of man)
e. Man from above according to Aquinas pertains to mans relationship with God.

III. Philosophies on Human Person and Morality

A. Deontological Ethics
also known as the Ethics of duty
In the ethics of duty it is imperative to treat man always as an end and not as
means.

B. Anarchism
Anarchism (Anarchist Ethics) to maximize individual freedom rooted in
utilitarianism. (Utilitarian ethics is happiness of the greatest number of
people in the society is considered the greatest good). It also emphasize
man's exercise of freedom in facing problems or struggles without the aid
of established institutions.

C. Nihilism
Nihilism the rejection of all religious (atheism) and moral principles, often
in the belief that life is meaningless.
 D. Existentialism
Existentialism (emphasizes individual existence, freedom and choice; reason is
the source of morality) form of morality is an offshoot of (Europe's)
Enlightenment period.
Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes individual existence, freedom and
choice. The Existentialist enjoins us to be ourselves and make the source
of our nature and values our own internal decisions rather than the
pictures of ourselves that appear in our minds from external sources.
Freedom is absolute.
In existentialism, the slogan "be authentic" means we create ourselves not by the
dictates of others but based on reason and freedom. We exist because
we have essence, the highest ethical good is not the same for everyone.

E. Humanism
Humanism (ethics) is based on purely reason and not from supernatural
revelation like ethics based on religion. This can lead to a philosophy
called atheism which is a belief that God is non existent.

Others:
Modern forms of morality arises like Moral Relativism (no objective view of
morality, based on self, liberal and not strict).
Pragmatism believes that concepts or ideas must be tested by practice.
Eudaemonism defines right action as that which leads to the "well-being" or
happiness of the individual.

IV. Christian Concept on Human Person

a. Hylemorphism
Man is a substantial unity of body and soul.
The unity of body (form, accidental) and soul (matter, substance) in man.
Man is bound to natural law (nature) and matter (& form)
Man is an organic unity of Body and Soul. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
b. The proper operation of man is reason & freewill, emotion (emoting) is
primarily based on sentient beings like animals.
c. Man is organic unity DOES NOT MEAN
composed of different parts - man is not composed as if a car with many parts
but composed of unity of body and soul.
soul as the form of the body - body is the form (accidents), soul is the matter
(substance)
soul as the unifying principle - no, soul is not the unifying factor for body.
d. Man as a supposit being includes the following attributes
individuality - person
rationality - reason
hylemorohism - man is both body and soul.

Note: SUPPOSIT means one being, complete as such, It is in itself and acts in itself. If the
supposit is gifted with reason, it is called a person; otherwise it is called a thing.