Module 6: James Ramos

Reaction Paper: Module VI Readings & “Bata, Bata Paano Ka Ginawa” Movie
Highlighted in the readings of module six are such ethical principles as: free will, determinism, moral responsibility, libertarianism, justice, fairness, and virtue. Of the six principles were discussed, I personally found libertarianism, justice, fairness, and virtue the most appealing as I felt that I could best relate to and understand these principles the most. In addition, I felt as if I could actually see how they were applied in the articles as well as in my life. For this reason, I will summarize what I have learned from the Module six readings and explain the correlation between the principles of the article to the movie, “Bata, Bata Paano Ka Ginawa.” I will also describe my reactions about the movie and discuss how gender inequality in many societies, such as the Philippines, continue to be an issue in many ways, such as inhibiting many independent women from moving up the social ladder and gaining the same respect and dignity as their male counterparts.
One of the many concepts discussed in the readings is libertarianism, which is often also referred to as indeterminism. Libertarianism is a combination of liberty, which is defined as the freedom to live one’s life in any peaceful way one chooses; responsibility, which is the ability to not use force against others, except to defend; and tolerance, which is defined as appreciating and respecting the peaceful choices of others.
Another concept discussed in the readings is justice, which the writers of the article, Manuel Velasquez, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, and Michael Meyer, define as “giving each person what he or she deserves or, in more traditional terms, giving each person his or her due.” What the authors also state in their article is that the concept of fairness is closely related to justice in that the meanings of both are used interchangeably in society today. In my opinion, justice exists in modern societies today in order to regulate conflicts that arise as a result of disagreements between people with conflicting ideas and interests. The role that justice then plays is to construct an acceptable and reasonable solution to the problem. Furthermore, justice would produce “fair standards for determining what people deserve.”
The last concept I found most interesting while reading the article was virtue. Unlike the two moral principles--utilitarianism and the Kantian principal--which mainly focus on people’s actions and doings in society, he concept of virtue emphasizes the importance of “what people should be.” Virtues are characteristic traits, attitudes, and attributes that help individuals to be and act in ways that develop that potential. Self -control, humility, fairness, integrity, generosity, and honesty are examples of virtues. Furthermore, the development of virtue in individuals does not happen alone but “at the heart of the virtue approach to ethics is the idea of community.” A persons attributes are associated with the society s/he belongs to- family, church, school, and other formal and informal groups, growing accustom to the norms of that society so that to be socially accepted and continue the cycle of what is socially valued in that community.
Using the concept of virtue and applying it to the film, “Bata, Bata Paano Ka Ginawa,” I noticed that Lea, the main character, struggled a lot to maintain an acceptable role with her peers, but due to her marital status of being a single mother with two children of different fathers it was very difficult for her to be socially accepted. In addition, she presented herself as a non-religious individual in a country where over 80% of the population was comprised of Catholic believers. Although she was perceived differently, her occupation as a counselor and coordinator of a non-profit organization, which functioned to help domestically abused women and broken down families, displayed one of the utmost humane things that one can do for ones society. Lea’s ability to assist women in her community during times of family and domestic crises shows the type of person she is, thus proving her as a virtuous woman in that sense.
Despite the problems that Lea faced with her own family in the film, her overall contribution to her community as a domestic abuse counselor is, in my opinion, a virtuous act for the betterment of humanity. Without women like Lea who strive for gender equality and equal rights in a male dominated society such as the Philippines, I think that we would still be set back to the period wherein women were viewed as being subordinate to their male counterparts. Women were, and to some degree still are, believed to be inadequately fit to fulfill the same duties that men continue to carry out in today’s society, and that is a belief that must be put to a stop. Popular beliefs regarding women today, however, are gradually changing as we see more and more women stepping up to the podium and proving to everyone that despite their gender, they are qualified to fulfill their duties.