#1 Philosophy of Social Norms and Ethics: Human Mind and Behavior

Module#1

Lesson Title: Philosophy of Social Norms and Ethics: Human Mind and Behavior

Lesson Objectives:

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. examine the concept of human mind and how it affects the behavior; and

2. apply the different types of norms in the different scenarios.

Productivity Tip:

“Start strong! Train your brain to shift to work mode by setting a regular time during the day for your lessons. Set an alarm and stick to your working hours.”

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW

Introduction (2 mins)

Good day, everyone! Welcome to our topic this morning entitled “Philosophy of Social Norms and Ethics: Human Mind and Behavior”. The learning objectives of this lesson are: first you are going to examine the concept of human mind and how it affects the behavior of a person and you have to apply the different types of norms in the different scenarios. As a student taking this subject, you need to know first what is human mind and how does it affect our behavior since you will be dealing about the theories or the causes why a person will commit a crime.

CONCEPTS ABOUT HUMAN MIND

Understanding the human mind is the main concept of psychoanalytic theory by Sigmund Freud. It is on this premise that human mind has three (3) levels of awareness. These are the conscious (10%), subconscious (50-60%), and unconscious (30-40%).

I. CONSCIOUS LEVEL

Serves as the scanner for us causing to perceive an event, trigger a need to react, and then depending on the importance of the event, store it either in the unconscious or the subconscious area of the human mind.

II. SUBCONSCIOUS LEVEL

It is the storage point for any recent memories needed for quick recall, such as what your telephone number is or the name of a person you just met.

III. UNCONSCIOUS MIND LEVEL

It is where all of our memories and past experiences reside. It is from these memories and experiences that our beliefs, habits, and behaviors are formed.

WHAT IS SOCIAL NORM?

Lisa Roundy in her study stated that social norm is the accepted behavior that an individual is expected to conform to in a particular group, community, or culture. When you do not conform to the social norms that are accepted by your culture or group, it is considered an abnormal behavior. These are the types of social norms? The terms Folkways and mores are both coined by American Sociologist William Graham Sumner.

TYPES OF SOCIAL NORMS

Laws are a formal body of rules enacted by the state and backed by the power of the state.

Folkways, sometimes known as “conventions” or “customs,” are standards of behavior that are socially approved but not morally significant.

Mores are norms of morality.

Taboo an act that is prohibited or restricted by social custom, like abortion in Philippine culture.

ETHICS

Each man is responsible for his own character. According to Aristotle, each person has a natural obligation to achieve, become, and make something of himself by pursuing his true ends and goals in life (http://www.quebecoislibre.org). Peter Singer in his article Ethics Philosophy, defined ethics also called moral philosophy, the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad, right and wrong. It derived from the old French term éthique, from Latin ethice, from Greek ēthikē which mean the science of morals.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q1. What happens to the people who violate the social norms? Will they be punishable?

Answer: It depends. You try to examine what type of conduct that has been made by the person. If he violated the established law which is one type of social norms, then he is punishable. Celebrating fiesta for example, is under folkways, but if the person chose not to celebrate it, he has no liability at all.

Q2. Is it possible that a person attains the state of reality without passing the three levels of awareness?

Answer: No. It is because the combination of those three (3) levels makes up the reality.

Q3. Are all illegal behaviors also unethical behaviors?

Answer: Yes. All illegal behaviors are also unethical behaviors but not all unethical behaviors are considered illegal behaviors. Example: Stepping unto the foot of a co-passenger without asking sorry is unethical; it is not illegal unless there is a law that prohibits the same.