Revisiting martial law : a reexamination of the 1972 declaration under the framework of Kant's deontological ethics

Date

5-2016

Degree

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

College

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Nicolo M. Masakayan

Abstract

This thesis seeks to disprove the claims of Martial Law supporters that the declaration of Martial Law is rightful because it was done under Marcos? duty to the 1935 Constitution. Although it is true that the 1935 Constitution has a clause that allows the implementation of Martial Law in the case that it is absolutely necessary, it could be seen that the events that served as the administration?s justifications for implementing Martial Law is not sufficient for its necessitation. Martial Law was rationalized as something that was necessary to have been done by the Marcos administration to uphold the stability of the state and protect the welfare of the people of the Philippines. Due to what was alleged by Marcos as the violence in society during that time, he reasoned out that his duty as President of the Philippines prompted him to declare Martial Law to impose peace, order and discipline onto the Philippines. However, an in depth examination of duty using Kant?s deontological ethics would argue that the claims of Martial Law?s ethicality based on Marcos? constitutional duty alone would be a simplistic explanation of duty. The thesis would expound on Kant?s concepts of what makes a duty, and how to know if this action would be done out of duty or not. With this philosophical backdrop, it would be argued by the thesis that the Martial Law is indeed what Kant states as an imperfect duty, and implementing it would be ethical in general, if the necessitations of its existence is met, but that the implementation of Martial Law in 1972 by Ferdinand Marcos is not ethically executed, and therefore, could not be proven ethical by duty ethics.

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

LG 993.5 2016 P5 /P45

Document Type

Thesis

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS