SC-VE
Teaching Values in Elementary Grades
(Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao)
MODULE 3
Values as Good
Values as Good
COURSE OUTCOMES:
After going through on this module, you are expected to be able to;
1. Define the Values as good in Thomistic View, Aristotelian View and Good in relation to
Moral View
2. Internalize the views of several authors by giving personal insights and reflections
3. Accomplish activity templates provided as attachment of this Self Learning Material.
Key Topics/Concepts: Values, Values Education
Resources Required:
Answered Assessments from the SLM’s
Estimated Time Required: 1hour and 30 minutes
COURSE OVERVIEW:
Hello BEED – II Student!
The Module 4 will let you learn the views of St. Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle to Values
as good and the relation of good to moral law.
After distinguishing the different views on values as good you will be internalizing each
by citing different situations as values exists in this modern world. Today’s situations as values
inculcated in the young by parents may touch your hearts and minds and open a new horizon as
you continue living harmoniously in this wonderful world. As future educator you will become
partner of the parents, church and the societies in building values among our youth.
Learning different theories, explaining the goodness of values and its relation to moral
laws may prepare you to be good value builders – a future Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao Teacher
the unsung Nation Builders.
INITIAL ACTIVITY:
Answer the following questions comprehensively.
1. How do you distinguish good from bad? (5 pts.)
2. Give some instances or situations that you happened to teach good values to your
younger siblings, cousins or neighbors. How you handled the situations? ( 10 pts.)
If none, give particular situation of teaching good values to the young and explain
how will you handle the situation?
CONTENT/LESSON PROPER:
When do you say that values you possess are good?
Do you have standards in measuring the goodness of a specific act?
Read and understand some theoretical views in values as good;
A. THOMISTIC VIEW
Thomism – is the philosophical school that arose as legacy of the work and
thought of Thomas Aquinas.
Thomas Aquinas –( 1225 – 1274) is a philosopher, theologian and Doctor of the
Church.
The moral philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas involves a merger of two apparently
disparate traditions : Aristotelian eudaimonism and Christian Theology.
Aquinas follows Aristotle in thinking that an act is good or bad depending on
whether it contributes to deters us from our proper human end – the telos or
final goal at which all human actions aim.
Telos is eudaimonia or happiness, where happiness is understood in terms of
completion, perfection or well- being.
Achieving happiness, however requires a range of intellectual and moral virtues
that enables us to understand the nature of happiness and motivate us to seek it
in a reliable and consistent way.
Aquinas believes that we never achieve complete and final happiness in this life.
For him, final happiness consists in beatitude, or supernatural union with God.
Such an end lies far beyond what we through our natural human capacities can
attain.
For this reason, we not only need the virtues , we also need God to transform
our nature to perfect or “deify” it - so that we might be suited to participate in
divine beatitude.
Aquinas believes that we inherited propensity to sin, it is nevertheless
diminished by sin’s stain, as evidenced by the fact that our wills are at enmity
with God. Thus we need God’s help in order to restore the good of our nature
and brings us into conformity with his will.
To this end, God imbues us with his grace which comes in the form of divinely
instantiated virtues and gifts.
B. ARISTOTELIAN VIEW
Aristotelian – is the philosophy of Aristotle and of those later philosophical
movements based on his thoughts.
Aristotle defines the supreme good as an activity of the rational soul in
accordance with virtue.
Virtue for the Greeks is equivalent to excellence.
A man has virtue as a flautist if he plays the flute well, since playing the flute is
the distinctive activity of the flautist.
A virtuous person is someone who performs the distinctive activity of being
human well.
Rationality is our distinctive activity that distinguishes us from plants and
animals. All living things have a nutritive soul, which govern growth and
nutrition. Humans and animals are distinct from plants for having a sensitive soul
which governs locomotion and instinct.
Humans are distinct above all for having also a ra tional soul, which governs
thoughts. Since our rationality is our distinctive activity. Its exercise is the
supreme good.
For the Greeks moral virtue, is not essentially different from excellence. They do
not have distinctive concept of morality like we do, which carries association of
sanctity or duty.
Moral virtue is simply a matter of performing well in the function of being
human.
The motivation of being good is not based in a divine legislator or a set of mora l
do’s and don’ts but rather in the same kind of striving after excellence.
Summary:
THOMISTIC VIEW
We never achieve complete and final happiness in life without beatitude
or supernatural union with God. We cannot achieve it with our natural
human capacities, we need not only the virtues but God to transform our
nature to be perfect or to be suited to participate in the divine beatitude.
God may help us in order to restore the good of our nature and confirms
our act with his will.
Example: Before the start of the class Teacher A always asked the guidance of
the Almighty God to guide them in acquiring success in their daily learnings.
ARISTOTELIAN VIEW
Being good is not based in a divine legislator or a set of moral do’s and
don’ts but rather striving for excellence.
Example: In training the baseball team for the approaching Provincial Meet, the
coach believes that correct and frequent practice will makes them won the game.
TASK 1.
A.Identify if the given situations below are Thomistic or Aristotelian Views in Values as Good.
1. Student A regularly studies his lesson to get good grades.
2. His friend is very excellent in playing piano because his father, who is a musician trains
him well.
3. Rolly who took the LET Examination last March, confidently believed that he can pass
the test through the guidance of the Almighty God.
4. “I told you we cannot bagged the champ, if we did not practice our dance regularly”,
proudly said by our dance leader after winning in the Dance Competition.
5. Before the start of the game, Anthon habitually signing of the cross, because he trusted
the success of their game to God.
B. Identify which views being described by the given statements below.
1. Virtue is excellence.
2. Supreme good is the distinctive activity of the rational soul.
3. Final happiness consists in beatitude.
4. Human nature has no capacity to attain final happiness.
5. Performing well is a moral virtue.
C. Good in Relation to Moral Law
Moral Law is a system of guidelines for behavior. These are guidelines may or may not be part
of religion, codified in written form or legally enforceable. For some people moral law is
synonymous with the command of a divine being. For others, Moral Law is a set of universal rules
that should apply to everyone.
Ethical principles held primarily by the followers of Christianity have influenced the
development of U. S. secular law. As a result, Christian Moral Law and secular law overlap in many
situations. For example, murder, theft, prostitution, and other behaviors labelled immoral are
also illegal. Moral turpitude is a legal term used to describe a crime that demonstrate depravity
in one’s public and private life, contrary to what is accepted and customary. People convicted of
this crime can be disqualified from government office lose their license to practice law, or be
deported (in case of immigrants.)
Passing laws is relatively easy when public policy makers can unanimously identify behavior
that is socially unacceptable. Policy makers can then attempt to enforce socially correct behaviors
through legal channels. However, in many other situations, it is far more difficult to determine
what behavior the government should promote if any. When the government seeks to
implement a code of conduct that may conflict with the constitution , the courts are generally
called upon to determine the laws validity.
Abortion is an area where legal and moral principles converge and often conflict. Some
advocates of legalized abortion as well as some critics believe that the current legal situation is
inadequate. To protect either the rights of the pregnant woman or the rights of the fetus is a
moral question that individuals decide for themselves. Yet the extent to which people should be
allowed to act on their beliefs and exercise their rights is debated in the arena of legislative and
judiciary decision making.
TASK 2.
Explain the given statements below brilliantly.
1. Explain this statement “Moral law is synonymous with the command of a divine being”.
(10 pts.)
2. Based from the article above, Christian law and secular law overlap in many situations.
Give one example that shows an overlapping situations between secular and Christian
laws? ( 10 pts.)
APPLICATION:
1. Cite personal experiences that may describe the following view-points in values as good.
a. Thomistic View ( 5 pts.)
b. Aristotelian View ( 5 pts.)
ASSESSMENT:
Read the following questions carefully. Write the letter only.
1. Which of the following best describe Thomistic View in Values as Good ?
a. Final happiness can be achieved by natural human capacities
b. We need only virtues to attain the specific end
c. Life is complete with beatitudes
d. All of the above
2. The following are true about Aristotelian Views in Values as good except;
a. Motivation of being good is based in divine legislator
b. Supreme good is the activity of the rational soul
c. Excellence is a moral virtue
d. Virtuous person is performing well
3. Why humans are distinct above all ?
a. It has rational soul
b. It governs thoughts
c. It exercises supreme good
d. All of the above
4. What is good in relation to Moral law ?
a. Living with the command of the Divine being
b. Applying set of universal rules
c. Embracing the Divine Law and Law of the State
d. All of the above
5 . Seeking excellence in specific performance is a supreme good according to;
a. Thomistic View
b. Arestotelian View
c. Moral Law
d. None of the above
Well done! You have completed the Module 4 of this course.
References:
https://www.google.com/url/?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ethics-vs-morals-law-dr-arturo-perez&ved
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j8url
https://www.iep.utm.edu/aq-mora3/&ved
https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/aristotle/section8/ved =
