MODULE 2
CULTURE IN MORAL BEHAVIOUR
Introduction
 Culture means cumulative deposit of experience, beliefs, values,
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attitudes, religion and roles.
That is the totality of a person's learned accumulated experience
which is socially transmitted, or more briefly, behavior through
social learning.
At one point, “culture” was used to differentiate between the
“good” and the “bad,” or the “cultivated” and the “primitive.”
To be “cultured” was to be “civilized” or “refined,” whereas, to be
“uncultured” was to be “unruly” or “uncivilized.”
By the end of the nineteenth century, Europeans, Americans, and
others, generally used the term “culture” to distinguish between
“refined people” and “savages.” In fact, European culture was
held up by many (at least in the Western World) as the epitome of
all that is good and refined in the world
 By the end of the nineteenth century, Europeans,
Americans, and others, generally used the term
“culture” to distinguish between “refined people”
and “savages.”
 In fact, European culture was held up by many (at
least in the Western World) as the epitome of all
that is good and refined in the world
 Our parents, teachers, some novels, films and
television are some of the transmitters of culture.
 Some of them are indirectly affects our lives.
 They serve as somehow what we are now. What
we act, believe and our attitude affects by our
culture and even our knowledge and even on how
we speak.
Learning Objectives
 After studying this module, you should be
able to:
 Explain the meaning of culture.
 Giving importance to Filipino culture.
 Construct a concrete sense of respect towards
other culture.
Social Conditioning Theory
 What is the most common trap that almost all of
us have fallen into? It is conforming to the
‘norms’ that have been created by the society
around us.
 This is known as social conditioning.
 Even if these norms are outdated, false,
misleading, or do not align with the present
world – we conform to them nevertheless.
 This is because we grew up believing in them and
seeing them adapted by everyone around us.
 Social conditioning is the process by which
people of a certain society are trained to think,
believe, feels, want, and react in a way that is
approved by the society or the groups within it.
 Social conditioning begins when we are just
babies, and it becomes more apparent in
childhood and adolescence.
 However, it goes on our entire lives.
 The agents of social conditioning can be parents,
teachers, our peers, teachers, popular culture,
mainstream media, novels and movies, the
church, etc.
Cultural Relativism
 Have you ever seen these or eaten food from
another country and think of it as weird and gross?
 This is an example of ethnocentrism! That means
you use your own culture as the center and evaluate
other cultures based on it.
 You are judging, or making assumptions about the
food of other countries based on your own norms,
values, or beliefs.
 Thinking “dried squid is smelly” or “people shouldn’t
eat insects” are examples of ethnocentrism in
societies where people may not eat dried squid or
insects.
 To avoid judging the cultural practices of groups that
are different to yours, we can use the cultural
relativism approach.
 Cultural relativism refers to not judging a culture to
our own standards of what is right or wrong, strange
or normal.
 Instead, we should try to understand cultural
practices of other groups in its own cultural context.
 For example, instead of thinking, “Fried crickets are
disgusting!” one should instead ask, “Why do some
cultures eat fried insects?” You may learn that fried
crickets or grasshoppers are full of protein and in
Mexico; it is famous Oaxaca regional cuisine and have
been eaten for thousands of years as a healthy food
source!
Moral Relativism
 Moral relativism is the idea that there is no
universal or absolute set of moral principles.
It’s a version of morality that advocates “to
each her own,” and those who follow it say,
“Who am I to judge?”
 Moral relativism can be understood in several
ways.
Descriptive moral relativism
 also known as cultural relativism, says that
moral standards are culturally defined, which
is generally true.
 Indeed, there may be a few values that seem
nearly universal, such as honesty and respect,
but many differences appear across cultures
when people evaluate moral standards
around the world.
Meta-ethical moral
relativism
 states that there are no objective grounds for
preferring the moral values of one culture
over another.
 Societies make their moral choices based on
their unique beliefs, customs, and practices.
 And, in fact, people tend to believe that the
“right” moral values are the values that exist
in their own culture
Normative moral relativism
 is the idea that all societies should accept
each other’s differing moral values, given that
there are no universal moral principles.
 Most philosophers disagree however.
 For example, just because bribery is okay in some
cultures doesn’t mean that other cultures cannot
rightfully condemn it.
Moral relativism
 is on the opposite end of the continuum from
moral absolutism, which says that there is
always one right answer to any ethical
question. Indeed, those who adhere to moral
relativism would say, “When in Rome, do as
the Romans do.”
Activity
Talk to your family and friends and
discuss the following questions:
1. The gender inequalities of China were men do
not consider as their intellectual equals.
(https://journals.openedition.org/chinaperspe
ctives/6013?&id=6013&file=1)
 Their opinion
 Cultural relativist point of view
2. One of the most polluted rivers in the world is
Ganges River. In India, they worship this river
and even take a bath and drink water from it.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkPwEufl
hKo)
 Their opinion
 Cultural relativist point of view
3. The legalization of same sex marriage in
Canada.
(https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/
same-sex-marriage-in-canada)
 Their opinion
 Cultural relativist point of view
6 Basic Filipino Values
 Pakikisama - is having and maintaining ‘good
public relations.’
 It characterizes both a value and a goal that
involves keeping good feelings in all personal
interactions and getting along with others,
oftentimes, at all costs but sometimes
‘pakikisama,’ may submit to, overgenerous
praise on one another, smiling even when
things go wrong and avoiding to say ‘no’.
Hiya
 is described as a feeling of lowliness, shame or
embarrassment, and inhibition or shyness which
is experienced as somewhat distressing.
 Integrally, ‘hiya’ is related to the concept of
‘face’ and a concern with how one appears in the
eyes of others.
 This unique Filipino concept ‘hiya’ or ‘fear of
losing face’ encompasses being afraid to do bad
things as it may damage one’s reputation in the
sight of other people.
Amor Propio
 like ‘hiya,’ the Filipino value of ‘amor propio’ is
derived from the concept of ‘face.’
 Although commonly translated as ‘self-respect’ or
‘self-esteem,’ ‘amor propio’ has been “characterized
as the high degree of sensitivity that makes a person
intolerant to criticism and causes him to have an
easily wounded pride” (“Amor Propio,” n.d.).
 Concerning this Filipino value, some observe that
“Filipinos learn to withstand a ‘loss of face’ in some
situations, particularly when they perceive
themselves to be at fault, but it is devastating to be
publicly criticized, insulted, belittled, or humiliated,
or to lose one’s self-respect”
Utang na loob is likewise a fundamental aspect of upholding
group harmony and relationships that
demand the balancing of obligations and
debts.
 This involves the concept ‘reciprocity’ or
returning the received favor. The inability to
repay the “utang na loob” (debt of gratitude)
usually makes a person “walang utang na
loob” or “walang-hiya.”
Filipino Hospitality
 ‘Filipino hospitality’ refers to the innate
ability and trait of Filipinos to be courteous
and entertaining to their guests.
 Indeed, generally speaking, Filipinos are
hospitable as they are internationally known
to be warm, welcoming, and
accommodating.
Respect to elders
 Concerning ‘respect to elders,’ we, Filipinos, are
not only respectful to elders, but also have
unique ways of expressing this respect to elders.
 These include the use of ‘po’ and ‘opo’ when
talking to elders and ‘pagmamano’ or the
putting of the elder’s hand to one’s forehead.
When excessive, nonetheless, respect to elders
makes one dependent or irrationally obedient to
parents or elders.
 This trait, however, makes Filipinos prone to
being abused or maltreated.
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What is Culture?
5 points each.
CULTURE