Critical Reasoning and Moral Theory

MORALITY

Personal and social beliefs about right and

wrong.

IT example: A student feels it is wrong to

share a private group chat screenshot.

ETHICS

Systematic reasoning about what should be

done and why.

IT example: A team weighs privacy, safety,

consent, and fairness before deploying an

app.

LAW

Rules created and enforced by the state.

IT example: RA 10173 sets obligations for

processing personal data.

Law

asks what is required or prohibited.

Ethics

asks what is responsible, fair, and defensible.

UTILITARIANISM

Choose the option with the greatest overall benefit and least

harm.

RIGHTS BASED ETHICS

Protect rights such as privacy, autonomy, access, and dignity.

DEONTOLOGY

Respect duties, rules, and persons even when shortcuts are

tempting.

VIRTUE ETHICS

Ask what a responsible, honest, and trustworthy professional

would do.

Moral theories

• UTILITARIANISM

• RIGHTS BASED ETHICS

• DEONTOLOGY

• VIRTUE ETHICS

Ethical reasoning follows a visible process

1. FRAME

2. VERIFY

3. EVALUATE

4. ACT

FRAME

State the precise issue and decision point.

VERIFY

Separate verified facts from assumptions.

EVALUATE

Compare stakeholders, laws, values, and options.

ACT

Choose a course of action with safeguards.

LAW AS FLOOR

Minimum required behavior

What is allowed?

What is prohibited?

What procedures are required?

ETHICS AS JUDGMENT

Reasoned professional responsibility

Who may be harmed?

What values conflict?

What safeguards are needed?

PROFESSIONAL DUTY

Responsible action in context

Can we justify this to users, clients,

regulators, and the public?

RA 10173: Data Privacy Act of 2012

Protect personal privacy while allowing responsible

information flow for innovation and growth.

RA 10173: Data Privacy Act of 2012

General principles

Transparency

Legitimate purpose

Proportionality

RA 10175: Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012

Illegal access

Accessing a computer system without right.

Data interference

Damaging, deleting, altering, or deteriorating computer data

without right.

Illegal interception

Capturing non public computer data transmission without right.

System interference

Interfering with the functioning of a computer or network

without authority.

RA 11313: Safe Spaces Act

Where it applies

The law covers gender based sexual harassment in public

spaces, online spaces, workplaces, and educational or training

institutions.

RA 8293: Intellectual Property Code

Protected interest

Creators, authors, inventors, and

developers have rights over their works

and creations.

Social function

The law also recognizes that intellectual

property should support diffusion of

knowledge, national development, and the

common good.

• Students

• Faculty

• School administrators

• IT staff and vendor

• Regulators and public

Stakeholders

Students

Privacy, autonomy, fairness, convenience

Faculty

Accurate records, workload, classroom trust

School administrators

Efficiency, compliance, reputation

IT staff and vendor

Security, reliability, maintenance duties

Regulators and public

Accountability, lawful processing, social trust

Efficiency vs privacy

Faster attendance can require more

sensitive data collection.

Security vs convenience

Strong access controls may slow down

users but reduce unauthorized access.

Expression vs safety

Open online spaces can encourage

speech but may also enable harm.

Trade off statement formula

“We gain ___, but we risk ___. This is acceptable only if ___ safeguards are

present.”

Logical fallacies weaken ethical arguments

• Appeal to popularity

• Appeal to authority

• False dilemma

• Hasty generalization

Appeal to popularity

“Other schools use it, so it must be ethical.”

Appeal to authority

“The IT office approved it, so no issue exists.”

False dilemma

“Either facial recognition or attendance fraud continues.”

Hasty generalization

“Students who refuse must be hiding something.”

EXAMPLE

A specific case that shows how a principle works.

Example: A biometric attendance system with optional ID card

alternative.

ANALOGY

A comparison that transfers reasoning from a familiar

situation.

Analogy: Collecting facial data for attendance is like asking for

a house key just to check if a student entered the room.

Trade offs

means gaining one value while accepting risk or loss in another value.

Trade offs

reveal what a decision sacrifices

stakeholder

is any person or group affected by the technical decision.

fallacy

is a reasoning error that can make a weak claim sound persuasive.

RA 10173: Data Privacy Act of 2012

Useful for privacy, consent, data minimization, surveillance, and AI related decisions.

RA 10175: Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012

Useful for unauthorized access, vulnerability testing, data interference, and digital harm.

RA 11313: Safe Spaces Act

Useful for online conduct, digital dignity, campus platforms, and reporting duties.

RA 8293: Intellectual Property Code

Useful for software reuse, attribution, plagiarism, AI generated work, and educational use.

Decision quality

is not only the final answer. It is also the quality of the reasoning, evidence, and safeguards.

Theory

gives a lens for deciding which reasons matter most.