City College of San Jose del Monte
Brgy. Minuyan Proper, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
LESSON #6
Subject: Ethics
Lesson: Feelings and Values
Instructor: Mrs. Mary Grace A. Castellon, LPT.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, the students should be able to:
a. Define feelings
b. describe the Filipino hierarchy of values; and
c. discuss the importance of feelings and values in Ethics
Immanuel Kant's View of Feelings
Feelings are easy to describe. However, formally defining the concept of feelings in the context of
moral philosophy has proved to be an elusive and difficult task. The challenge to philosophers has
been to identify the most important feelings related to morality. Immanuel Kant is one of the first
philosophers who explored the nature of feelings and attempted to explain the relationship between
feelings and morality. According to his theory of moral feeling, when people make moral decisions,
feelings come into play, organizing them into inclinations, affects, passions, and desires.
Kant defines moral feeling as "the susceptibility to feel pleasure or displeasure merely from being
aware that actions are consistent or contrary to the law of duty" (Borges, 2013).
Susceptibility to sensible pleasure and pain, then, is a condition at the deepest root of human
experience. Moral feeling can be perceived to be the representation of moral law; consequently, it is
not an incentive to act morally. However, Kant is ambiguous in his claim that moral feeling is not
necessarily associated with moral goodness, but a susceptibility on the part of free choice to be
moved by pure practical reason. He also asserts that no human being is entirely without moral
feeling. Here, moral feeling's practical function is the ground of judgment and a motive to action. The
way an individual responds to a situation could be based on feelings.
Meaning and Theory of Values
Values determine behaviors. They influence decision-making. Common sources of values are one's
personal experiences and relationships with others. Major influences in values formation are one's
family, peers, education, and the media.
Axiology is the study of values. Generally, values are things considered important in life. Values are
beliefs that influence people's behaviors and decision-making. For instance, if people believe that
telling the truth is very important, they will try to be truthful when they deal with other people (Brown &
Crace, 1996). Values can refer to objects, people, places, and behaviors. In ethics, the degree of
importance of things can influence many specific attitudes, decisions, and moral behaviors.
An important theory of values has been developed by philosopher Max Scheler. For Scheler, values
are the intentional objects of feelings, qualities given originally in the "feeling of something." He
constantly stresses the objectivity, immunatibility, and eternal characteristics of values that are
"prioristic" in character. In other words, the prioristic character of values is ordered in rank, from the
lowest to the highest. Scheler's hierarchy of values will be discussed in depth in Module 7.
Filipino Values
Filipinos strive to obtain fulfillment not only individually but also collectively, particularly for their
families. An important theorization on Filipino values is developed by Thomas Quintin Donato Andres
(1980) in which he arranged Filipino values in a hierarchy, from the basic level at the bottom to the
higher level of values at the top:
Self-
esteem
Social mobility
Social acceptance
Debt of gratitude
Closeness in the family
Mrs. Mary Grace A. Castellon, LPT.
Prepared by
