Topic 2: Moral versus Non-Moral Standards

Nominal Duration: 1.5 hours

Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this topic, the student must be able to:
1. differentiate Moral from Non-moral standards;
2. cite the metaphors for moral standards; and
3. explain the characteristics of moral standards.

Introduction

Moral Standards are principles, norms or models an individual or a group has about
what is right or wrong, what is good or bad. It is an indication of how human beings
ought to exercise their freedom. Norms are expressed as general rules about our
actions or behaviors. Some examples are: “Take responsibility for your actions”;
“Always tell the truth”; “Treat others as you want to be treated”; “It is wrong to kill
innocent people”. Values are underlying beliefs and ideals that are expressed as
enduring beliefs or statements about what is good and desirable or not. Some
examples are: “Honesty is good”; “Injustice is bad.” Moral Standards are a
combination of norms and values. They are the norms about the kinds of actions
believed to be morally right or wrong, as well as, the values placed on what we
believe to be morally good and morally bad. In other words, they point us towards
achievable ideals (De Guzman, 2018).

What moral standards do? First, they promote human welfare or well-being; second,
they promote the “good” (animals, environment, and future generations); and third,
they prescribe what humans ought to do in terms of a.) Rights
(responsibilities to society); and b.) Obligations (specific values/virtues).

Non-Moral or Conventional Standards are standards by which we judge what is

good or bad and right or wrong in a non-moral way. Some examples are: good or
bad manners, etiquettes, house rules, technical standards in building structures,
rules of behavior set by parents, teachers, other authorities, the law, standards of
grammar or language, standards of art, rules of sports, and judgments on the way to
do things. Hence, we should not confuse morality with etiquette, law, and aesthetics
or even with religion. As we can see, non-moral standards are matters of taste or
preference. Hence, a scrupulous observance of these types of standards does not
make an individual a moral person. Violation of said standards also does not pose
any threat to human well-being.

Some individuals may have heard the term “Amoral” (n.d). What makes this word
different from the descriptions above? It means not influenced by right and wrong. If
a person who is immoral acts against his conscience, a person who is amoral does
not have a conscience to act against in the first place. Infants could be said to be
amoral since they have not yet developed a mature mind to understand right and
wrong. Some extreme sociopaths are also amoral, since they lack a conscience as a
result of a cognitive disorder. In other words, an immoral person has a sense of right
and wrong but fails to live up to those moral standards. An amoral person has no
sense of right and wrong and does not recognize any moral standard.

Another word that needs clarification is the adjective “Unmoral” (n.d.). It refers to
something to which right and wrong are not applicable, such as animals, forces of
nature, and machines. For example, Typhoons cause damages to properties and
loss of lives but they are unmoral, since they are formed by unconscious natural
processes that exist outside the bounds of morality. When talking about non-moral
agents, such as animals or weather patterns, we use unmoral.

“Moral norms” (n.d.) have different forms. They can be expressed as principles,
dispositions, character traits, and even through the life of a person. These are
different ways of specifying criteria for moral judgments.

Metaphors for Moral Standards

1. Carpenter’s Square
Moral norms are like a carpenter‟s square used to measure human freedom and
construct morally good character and right actions. Moral norms are standards or
criteria for judging and acting. Its purpose is first, to provide moral standards, criteria,
or measures for judging; and second is to guide one‟s conscience in making moral
judgments.

2. Moral Road Signs

Moral road signs are guides to being and doing; they are indications or directions to
types of actions that are right or wrong, obligatory or permitted. Its purpose is to
preserve and protect moral goods and values by guiding us; and to focus our
attention on what is morally important.

3. A Model for an Art Class

Moral norms are ideals indicating who we „ought‟ to become and what we ought to
do. They are models and patterns for how to do so. Hence, the purposes of moral
norms are to provide models to help us concretize our values and realize our ideals,
and to prioritize our values and help us to fit them with our circumstances.

4. An Architect’s Blueprint for a Building

Moral norms are a set of instructions and expectations for the moral life. Their
purposes are: to teach moral wisdom of a community and serve as moral reminders
of communal wisdom; and, to set moral expectation that shape how we see and act.

Five Characteristics of Moral Standards

1. Involved with serious injuries or benefits
They deal with situations, conditions and behaviors we think can seriously injure or
significantly benefit the well-being and the good of human beings, animals and the
environment. Some examples are fraud, theft, murder, assault, rape, slander, etc…

2. Not established by law or legislature

Moral standards are not formed or changed by the decision of particular
authoritative bodies such as the senate or congress or even the college of bishops of
the Church. The validity of these moral standards lies on the adequacy of the
reasons that are taken to support and justify them. We do not need a law to back up
our moral conviction that killing innocent people is absolutely wrong.

3. Overriding
They should be preferred to other values including self-interest. If a person has a
moral obligation to do something, then the person ought to do that even if this
conflicts with other non-moral values or self-interest. At work, for instance, moral
values of honesty and respect for lives come first rather than compromising them for
keeping a well-paid job.

4. Based on impartial considerations

Moral standards do not evaluate on the basis of the interest of one particular
individual or group but one that goes beyond personal interests to a universal
standpoint in which everyone‟s interest are objectively counted as equal.

5. Associated with special emotions and vocabulary

Emotions such as guilt and shame, and vocabulary such as right, wrong, good and
bad revolve around moral standards. The feeling of guilt, shame and remorse arise
as an individual acts contrary to certain moral standards. If your heart and mind tell
you an action you have done had an unsettling and seemingly disconcerting ending,
then the action was probably morally wrong and not the best way to react. For
example: A young man helps an old lady to cross the street in order to impress the
ladies on the other side of the road but then he feels guilty about it when he reflects
on what he just did.

Teaching and Learning Activities

Activity 1
Direction: At home, the student together with some members of his/her family will
make a video clip skit, showing moral standards, non-moral standards, amoral acts
and unmoral acts.
Assessment Task Exercise 2
Name: _____________________ Course & Year: _______________ I.
Determine the following statements on what category do they belong.
a. Moral
b. Non-moral
c. Amoral
d. Unmoral
e. None of the Above
____1. Talking while your mouth is full.

____2. Stealing your neighbor‟s properties.

____3. Texting while driving.
____4. A giant wave flips your boat upside down.
____5. A mentally challenged kid throws a metal pipe to the head of his brother
____6. NPAs burning trucks, factories and heavy equipment
____7. A moving car on the road
____8. Passing your ethics subject
____9. Photocopying a published book
____10. Paying for the expertise of an English critic
II. Multiple Choice: Choose the letter that best describes your answer.
____1. It is a metaphor for moral norms that indicates or directs types of actions
that are right or wrong, obligatory or permitted.
a. Model for an art class

b. Carpenter‟s square
c. Road sign

d. Architect‟s blueprint

____2. Everyone‟s interest is objectively counted as equal means:

a. Based on impartial considerations
b. Not established by law or legislature
c. Overriding
 d. Linked with special emotions & vocabulary
____3. The feeling of guilt, shame and remorse arise as an individual acts
contrary to certain moral standards.
a. Based on impartial considerations
b. Not established by law or legislature
c. Involved with injuries or benefits
d. Linked with emotions & vocabulary
____4. This metaphor for moral norms helps concretize values and realize ideals
to fit them with the individual‟s circumstances.
a. Model for an art class

b. Carpenter‟s square
c. Road sign

d. Architect‟s blueprint
____5. This is a characteristic of moral standards that affect the well-being of
humans, animals and the surroundings.
a. Linked with special emotions and vocabulary
b. Involved with serious injuries and benefits
c. Overriding
d. Not established by law or legislature
____6. The validity of these moral standards lies on the adequacy of the reasons
that are taken to support and justify them.
a. Overriding
b. Based on impartial considerations
c. Not established by law or legislature
d. Involved with serious injuries and benefits
____7. It is a metaphor for moral norms to guide one‟s conscience in making
moral judgments.
a. Model for an art class

b. Carpenter‟s square
c. Road sign

d. Architect‟s blueprint
____8. Matters of tastes or preferences are considered in the category of:
a. Moral
b. Unmoral
c. Non-moral
d. Amoral
____9. Moral standards should be preferred to other values including self-interest.
a. Overriding
b. Not established by law or legislature
c. Linked with special emotions and vocabulary
d. Based on impartial considerations
____10. It is a metaphor for moral norms whose purpose is to teach moral wisdom
of a community and serve as moral reminders of communal wisdom.
a. Model for an art class

b. Carpenter‟s square
c. Road sign

d. Architect‟s blueprint
III. Essay. (15 points in each item)
1. When do we say that a standard is moral?

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2. What makes an experience a moral experience?

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Learning Resources
“Amoral” and “Unmoral” (n.d.) https://writingexplained.org/amoral-vs-
immoralvs-unmoral-difference
“Moral norms,” (n.d.). http://academic.regis.edu/tleining/pdfs/moral%20
norms.pdf
De Guzman, Jens Micah, et al. (2018). Ethics: Principles of ethical behavior in
modern society. Philippines: MUTYA Publishing House, Inc.
Rachel, James and Stuart Rachels. (2018). Elements of moral philosophy, 9th
ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.