PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA

UNIVERSITY OF THE CITY OF MANILA

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

THE ASIAN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE

WRITTEN REPORT

PROF. EMMANUEL MARTINEZ

PROFESSOR IN ETHICS [ETH 008 SECTION 32]

BY GROUP 5
GATUS, ANN
MCSHANE, MARIA
OLING, BURBERRY CHARM
ROMANO, ROBERT NIELSEN
SAEL, PAULA NICOLAI
VINAS, CARLO JHON

BSCE 2-4

NOVEMBER 4, 2019
TAOIST ETHICS
Taoist ethics are concerned less with doing good acts than becoming a good person
who lives in harmony with all things and people. Taoist ethics are inseparable from Taoist
spirituality - both contain the same ideas. If a Taoist wants to live well they should take all their
decisions in the context of the Tao, trying to see what will fit best with the natural order of things.
Taoists thus always do what is required by events and their context, but they only do what is
required, no more. But what is required may be a lot less than modern Westerners think:

From the perspective of classical Taoism, Western humanism makes the mistake of
assuming that the ability to intervene in life's events translates into a moral duty to do so. The
constant and unmistakable teaching of the Tao Te Ching is that humans are indeed capable of
intervening in life's events, but the evidence of life, which humans constantly ignore, is that such
intervention is destructive to all involved, and that we therefore have a moral duty to refrain from
taking such actions. So, in theory at least, Taoists tend not to initiate action - but wait for events
to make action necessary - and avoid letting their own desires and compulsions push them into
doing things.

Tao (or Dao) - "path", ”method,” “principle,” or "way"

Pu – “uncut wood”
te – “virtue”

Through an understanding of natural laws, an individual can be one with the Tao by
living in accordance with nature and all its transformations and changes, and hence can gain
eternal life. It is considered correct not to interfere with the spontaneity or alter it by any means,
expressed by wu wei. If a person exerts his will against or upon the world he would disrupt the
harmony that already exists, he would go ‘against the flow of life’.

Practice
In practice Taoism recommends the same sorts of moral behaviour to its followers as
other religions. It disapproves of killing, stealing, lying and promiscuity, and promotes altruistic,
helpful and kindly behaviour. Taoists believe such good behaviour is an essential part not only
of self-improvement but of improving the world as a whole.

Cultivate the Tao within oneself; and one's virtue will be perfected.
Cultivate it within the household, and one's virtue will be abundant.
Cultivate it within the neighbourhood, and one's virtue will be enduring.
Cultivate it within the nation, and one's virtue will be overflowing.
Cultivate it within the entire world, and one's virtue will be universal.
Tao Te Ching 54

The Taoist ideal is for a person to take action by changing themselves, and thus
becoming an example of the good life to others. They should develop themselves so that they
live their life in complete harmony with the universe. So the philosophy is not do good things;
but become a good person. Changing oneself in that way will make the world a better place,
because as a person behaves well towards other people and the world, the community will
respond by becoming better itself. In the Tao Te Ching, the Taoist life is one in which one
achieves self-fulfilment as one is selflessly benefiting the lives of others. Taoist ethics are
concerned less with doing good acts than becoming a good person who lives in harmony with
all things and people.
Women
Taoism is a gender-neutral religion. This is implied by the concept of Yin Yang which
teaches that masculine and feminine are complementary, inseparable and equal. The Tao Te
Ching uses female images such as the mother of the universe and the mother of all things when
describing the Tao. Taoism has always accepted that women have an equal part to play in
spiritual life. Women took priestly roles from the earliest days of organised Taoist religion and
Taoist legend has many tales of female deities. Taoism emphasises characteristics that are
usually thought of as feminine such as softness and yielding, modesty and non-aggression. It
teaches that the weak will overcome the strong.

Politics
Taoist texts suggest that the ideal way for a leader to run their country is by example and
with minimal intervention:

I take no action and the people are of themselves transformed.

I love tranquillity and the people are of themselves rectified.
I do not engage in affairs and the people of themselves become rich.
I have no desires and the people of themselves become simple.
Tao Te Ching, 57

So a good leader is one that the people respect and whose instructions are willingly
followed. The good leader achieves this by living virtuously in private, and living publicly so as to
influence his people for the good.

Human nature
Taoism requires human beings to be humble and recognise that not only are they not
obliged to make the world a better place, they are actually so ignorant of what is really
happening that they are likely to make things worse if they do take action.

The Three Jewels

1. 慈 Compassion, Kindness, Love
2. 儉 Moderation, Simplicity, Frugality
3. 不敢為天下先 "not dare to be first/ahead in the world“, Humility, Modesty

FILIPINO ETHICS

Types of Value System

 Theoretical – places high importance on discovery of truth through a
critical and rational approach
 Economic – emphasizes the useful and practical form of values
 Aesthetic – places highest value on form and harmony
 Social – highest value is given to love of people
 Political – emphasizes on acquisition of power and influence
 Religious – concerned with unity of experience and understanding
cosmos as a whole

Filipino Cultural Values:

1. Filipinos are known to be hospitable to their guests.
 2. Filipino children are very respectful to elders especially their parent. “Mano po” refers to
physical gesture of taking the hand of an elder and bringing it towards your forehead.
This is done every time someone meets an elder; it is a sign of respect.
3. Many Filipino cultural values reflect the desire to be together as a group:
a. Pakikisama – the ability to get along in a group and to enjoy camaraderie and
togetherness. One who understands pakikisama will yield to group opinion and
sacrifice individual welfare for group welfare.
b. Utang na loob – this is the Filipino obligation to repay a debt or favour upon
request and repay it with interest. Filipinos also believe strongly in suki, which is
the building of personal bonds between businesses and customers and loyal
patronage.
4. Filipinos believe strongly in saving face. In response to an invitation, when a Filipino
says yes, it might mean “yes”, but could mean “maybe”, or even “i don’t know”. It is often
difficult for Filipinos to say no, and it is a good idea to confirm an invitation several times
to ensure that they did not say yes just because they could not find a proper way to say
no. Examples of saving face are:
a. Amor propio – self respect. A Filipino would be thought of as lacking amor propio
if, for example, they accepted criticism weakly or did not offer honored guests the
proper hospitality.
b. Hiya – shame. This is felt by those whose actions are seen as socially
unacceptable. On of the ultimate insults in Philippine society is to be labeled
walang-hiya, which roughly translates to being shameless.
5. Bahala na indicates the Filipino’s fatalistic view of life, and is a way of coping with
conflicts that can result from tight kinship with groups. This literally means leaving things
to God. By adopting this attitude, one lets the circumstance take care of itself.

Common Filipino Cultural Values:

1. Irrationalism – refers to a certain superstitious beliefs of Filipinos that still practiced to
now. People still believe in gods of nature and spirits and offer them foods and placate
the spirits to heal illness and provide them a good harvest.
2. Social Belongingness – Filipinos are doing things to please other people because they
want to be accepted by the group or the community. They are not true to themselves,
and sometimes they avoid to be frank to others just not to hurt others’ feelings.
3. Close Family Ties – the family is the most important in our life and we are dependent to
them. We are doing things for the common good or for benefits of the family. Children
should obey their parents because if they will defy parental advises, it will bring
misfortune.
4. Sense of Debt Gratitude – “utang na loob”. We are obliged to do something in return for
what others do for us. We are very particular in stressing this owing a debt of gratitude
that’s why we are always expecting for repayment.
5. Emphasis on Authority – Father is the head of the family; Mayor is the head of the town.
We give more emphasis to what the person is. The status of the person depends on his
wealth and acquisition of land.
6. Personal Improvement – Most Filipinos are aiming to raise their family in standard living.
We believed that we will obtain success only when we finish our education. Education
has played a major role in obtaining success that’s why parents would sacrifice
themselves just to send their children to school.
7. “Mano po” - refers to physical gesture of taking the hand of an elder and bringing it
towards your forehead. This is a sign of respect for the elder and is usually done at the
point of greeting or farewell. Failure to do this would be considered as disrespectful.
 8. “Kuya or Ate” – The older an individual is, the more they call for respect. The verbal
usage for “kuya” or “ate” indicates that you respect the older person and recognize the
difference in age.
9. The Power of the Eyebrows – In Filipino culture, raising your eyebrows can
communicate a positive affirmation if a question is being asked. So, should a Filipino fail
to verbally answer your question, look at their eyebrows before feeling like you werw
being ignored. In reality, they may just be answering you non-verbally through raising of
their eyebrows. Raising eyebrows accompanied with strong eye contact can also serve
as a greeting or farewell.
10. “Ningas-kugon” – Filipino cultural trait of very enthusiastically starting things, but quickly
losing enthusiasm soon after.

Categories of Filipino Values

A. Core Value of kapwa: (kapwa, means “togetherness”) – is the core construct of Filipino
psychology.
 TWO CATEGORIES OF KAPWA:
1. Ibang tao (“outsider”): there are five domains
 Pakikitungo (civility)
 Pakikisalamuha (act of mixing)
 Pakikilahok (act of joining)
 Pakikisama (being united with the group)
 Pakikibagay (conformity)
2. Hindi Ibang Tao (“one-of-us”) – there are three domains
• Pakikipagpalagayang-loob (act of mutual trust)
• Pakikisangkot ( act of joining others)
• Pakikipagkaisa (being one with others)
B. PIVOTAL INTERPERSONAL VALUE
• Pakiramdam (Shared inner perception) – Filipinos use damdam, or the inner perception
of other’s emotions, as a basic tool to guide his dealings with other people
C. LINKING SOCIO-PERSONAL VALUE
• Kagandahang-loob (Shared humanity) – This refers to being able to help other people in
dire need due to a perception of being together as a part of one Filipino humanity.
D. ACCOMMODATIVE SURFACE VALUES
• Hiya (Loosely translated as “Shame”) – “sense of propriety”
• Utang na Loob (norm of reciprocity) – expected to return favors whether asked
for/needed/wanted or not
• Pakikisama at Pakikipagkapwa (SIR – Smooth Interpersonal Relationship) – conformity
with the majority
E. CONFRONTATIVE SURFACE VALUES
 Bahala Na (“fatalistic passiveness”) – came from “Bathalan Na” – which means “I will do
my best, let God take care of the rest.”
 Lakas ng Loob – being courageous in the midst of problems and uncertainties
 Pakikibaka (concurrent clashes) – undertake revolutions and uprisings