Catholic Social Thoughts and Ethical Principles

1. Respect for the Dignity of the Human Person

- All men are created in the image of God
- Businesses being essentially an expression for human relationship “ for people”
- Profit must not be and excuse for exploiting persons
- Man the center of socio economic activity

2. Priority of Man over Things and the Priority of Labor over Capital
- Man is the “ primary efficient cause” of production
- Man is prior than capital meaning the whole collection of means of production and remains
a mere “instrumental cause”

Ex: kidney selling, face to face, eutanasia, child labor, human trafficking

3. Common Good
- Sum of those social thoughts which favor the full development of the human personality
and is the inseparable from the good of the human person
- This commits public authorizes to respect, regulate and protect and promote human rights

Ex: surrogacy

4. Solidarity
- Each person is linked to the destiny of society itself by the demand of the Gospel to the
destiny of all mankind’s salvation
- Ethical demands require all men groups and communities to participate in the management
of all activities.

5. Subsidiarity ( a complement of solidarity)

- Mandates that social institutions have auxiliary and complementary functions concerning
the tasks and needs of individuals or smaller groups,
- Ex: social institutions should leave to the individuals or groups what they can do by their
own power and assist them where they are unable to accomplish task o, a least a useful
endeavor
- It protects the human person, local communities and “intermediary bodies” from losing
their legitimate autonomy
 6. Universal Purpose of Materials Goods
- The goods of the earth are for the use of everyone in order to satisfy their right to life in
consonance with the dignity of the person and the needs of the family.
- Earthly goods is for all to share

7. Stewardship
- Means that man has a basic natural right to life and must take or it not as an absolute owner
but as a responsible partner

Ex: giving alms, bribery

8. Profit
- Though considered by liberal capitalism as the chief motive of economic activity and
progress, may increase ones’ wealth and may not be distributed equitably

Ex” cutting trees

9. Competition
- A practice that can be exercised through any means and as the supreme law of economic
activity and progress.
- As liberal capitalism would put it, competition may improve the quality of goods but not the
quality of life.

Ex: fur industry

10. Right to private Property

- An absolute right to devoid of social responsibility
Ex: hacienda luisita
- It may result in material advancement for a few but it will not bring peace and prosperity to
the majority
5 SOURCES OF ETHICAL STANDARDS

The Utilitarian Approach

Some ethicists emphasize that the ethical action is the one that provides the most good or does the least harm,
or, to put it another way, produces the greatest balance of good over harm. The ethical corporate action, then,
is the one that produces the greatest good and does the least harm for all who are affected -- customers,
employees, shareholders, the community, and the environment. Ethical warfare balances the good achieved in
ending terrorism with the harm done to all parties through death, injuries, and destruction. The utilitarian
approach deals with consequences; it tries both to increase the good done and to reduce the harm done
.

The Rights Approach

Other philosophers and ethicists suggest that the ethical action is the one that best protects and respects the
moral rights of those affected. This approach starts from the belief that humans have a dignity based on their
human nature per se or on their ability to choose freely what they do with their lives. On the basis of such
dignity, they have a right to be treated as ends and not merely as means to other ends. The list of moral rights,
including the rights to make one's own choices about what kind of life to lead, to be told the truth, not to be
injured, to a degree of privacy, and so on, is widely debated; some now argue that nonhumans have rights too.
Also, it is often said that rights imply duties -- in particular, the duty to respect others' rights.

The Fairness or Justice Approach

Aristotle and other Greek philosophers have contributed the idea that all equals should be treated equally.
Today we use this idea to say that ethical actions treat all human beings equally -- or if unequally, then fairly,
based on some standard that is defensible. We pay people more based on their harder work or the greater
amount that they contribute to an organization, and say that is fair. But there is a debate over CEO salaries
that are hundreds of times larger than the pay of others; many ask whether the huge disparity is based on a
defensible standard or whether it is the result of an imbalance of power and hence is unfair.

The Common Good Approach

The Greek philosophers have also contributed the notion that life in community is a good in itself and our
actions should contribute to that life. This approach suggests that the interlocking relationships of society are
the basis of ethical reasoning and that respect and compassion for all others -- especially the vulnerable -- are
requirements of such reasoning. This approach also calls attention to the common conditions that are
important to the welfare of everyone. This may be a system of laws, effective police and fire departments,
health care, a public educational system, or even public recreation areas.

The Virtue Approach

A very ancient approach to ethics is that ethical actions ought to be consistent with certain ideal virtues that
provide for the full development of our humanity. These virtues are dispositions and habits that enable us to
act according to the highest potential of our character and on behalf of values like truth and beauty. Honesty,
courage, compassion, generosity, tolerance, love, fidelity, integrity, fairness, self-control, and prudence are all
examples of virtues. Virtue ethics asks of any action, "What kind of person will I become if I do this?" or "Is
this action consistent with my acting at my best?"
3 levels and 6 stages

Level one: Pre Conventional morality

The person is not yet fully aware of the various standards, laws and customs agreed upon and
instituted by the community and the society at large. * the child is operating on this level.

Stage 1: Punishment Orientation

Children are driven to act rightly because they are motivated by fear of punishment ( takot
stage)

Stage 2: instrumental exchange

Child is oriented to the value of an act based on the favors and rewards that he can get by
performing the said act( gamitan stage)

Level two: Conventional Morality

The person becomes conscious that he is living in a society where there is countless number of
people w countless interest

Stage 3: interpersonal Conformity

Person’s motive for doing or avoiding an act is very much influenced and driven by what his
immediate relationships would approve , say and think about him ( hia stage)

Stage 4: law and order

Person’s simply realizes that the law must always be upheld, respreads and obeyed. he
considers the larger society that is kept going orderly and it is mindful of the common good

Level 3: post conventional morality

 The person is not anymore determined and condemned by social conventions rather he
becomes more free and more conscious

Stage 5: social connect orientation

Law exist to serve the basic rights and need of each and every member of the society

Stage 6: Universal ethical principle

The person who operates on this stage is simply propelled by what is the right thing to do.

Principle of Justice

Justice is based on moral principles that identify equitable ways of distributing benefits and
burdens among the members of the society

St Thomas Aquinas following Aristotle defines Justice as

- Renders to each one

- With constant and perpetual will

Hence

1. The object of justice is what is right

2. An act of justice means to give to each his due
3. The measure of justice is equality
4. The subject of justice is one’s will

Essential qualities of Justice

Equality –

Indebtedness

Otherness

KINDS OF JUSTICE

1. Compensatory Justice – concerned with restoring to a person what the person lost when
wronged by someone else
2. Retributive Justice – Concerned with blaming or punishing persons for doing wrong
3. Commutative Justice – Refers to equal work means equal pay
 4. Social Justice – concerned w/ the exercise of rights
5. Distributive Justice - Concerned with the distribution of society’s benefits and burdens

Characteristics relevant to be considered as basis for just Distribution

Human Acts

Sources of Morality

The Nature of Morality

The concept of morality revolves around the problem of good and evil

Sole basis is human actions

Human Acts – vs acts of man

Human Acts- deliberate free acts

Acts of Man - acts performed either w/ deliberation or knowledge or free

3 CONSTITUENTS OF THE HUMAN ACTS

KNOWLEDGE

FREEDOM

VOLUNTARINESS

WHAT – the object / the first quality

WHY – the motive / the purpose

Sources of Morality

- And indifferent act may become morally good or evil

- An objectively good act may become morally evil
- An objectively good act may receive more goodness
- An objectively evil act can never become good in spite of the good motive
Who, where, when and How circumstances they play an important role in affecting the morality of our
actions because of man’s act.