THE HUMAN ACT

Actions, since they are products of our thoughts and desires, reveal our moral character. What we
are and what becomes of us as persons depends on our choices and actuations.

ATTRIBUTES OF HUMAN ACT

Human acts are those performed by a person who is acting knowingly,, freely, and willfully. These
actions are deliberate ,intentional, or voluntary. They are differentiated from acts of mans which are
instinctive and are not under the control of the free will.

An act is considered a human act, when it is done knowingly, freely, and willfully.

1. An act is done knowingly when the doer is conscious and aware of the reason and the consequences of
his actions. Every normal person of age is presumed to act knowingly. However, children below the age of
reason, the senile and the insane-are considered incapable of moral judgment.
2. An act is done freely when the doer acts by his own initiative and choice without being forced to do so
by another person or situation. An action done under duress and against one's freewill is not a voluntary
action. A person is not acting freely when he gives up his money to a robber who threatens him with a
Knife.
3. An act is done willfully when the doer consents to the act, accepting it as his own, and assumes
accountability for its consequences.

An act which lacks of any of the above mentioned attributes 1s ether imperfectly voluntary or
involuntary

KINDS OF HUMAN ACTS

Human acts are either elicited or commanded acts.

A. Elicited acts are those performed by the Will but are not bodily externalized such as the following:

1. Wish is the tendency of the Will towards an object, with

out considering whether it is attainable or not. The object of wishing includes the impossible, or that which
is remotely possible, such as winning the lotto.
2. Intention is the tendency of the Will towards an object which is attainable, without necessarily
committing oneself to get it. A student, for instance, may intend to study without applying himself to the
task.
3. Consent is the acceptance of the Will to carry out the intention. A student shows consent to the act of
studying when he accepts the reasons and accountability for undertaking the act.
4. Election is the selection of the Will of those means necessary to carry out the intention. The student, for
instance, may elect to stay in the library to study his lesson, or seek a friend to help him.
5. Use is the command of the Will to make use of the means elected to carry out the intention, such as
when the student makes up his mind to stay in the library to study.
6. Fruition is the enjoyment of the Will due to the attainment of the intention. The student may feel
satisfied about the prospect o learning the lesson and being prepared for the class.

B. Commanded acts are the mental and bodily actions pet 1ormed under the command of the Will. These
are either internal or external actions.

Internal actions are those performed mentally, such as reasoning, recalling, imagining, and reflecting.
External actions are those performed bodily, such as walking, dancing, talking, and writing.
All external actions derive themselves from the internal acts, since every deliberate act is first thought of
and decided mentally. Thus, philosopher speak of human acts as "being first in intention, but last in
execution (Paul Gienn, Ethics: A Class Manual in Moral Philosophy, p.7-8).

Moral Distinctions
On the basis of their conformity or non-conformity with the norm of morality, human acts are either
moral, immoral, or amoral.

1. Moral actions are those in conformity with the norm of moral- ity. They are good and permissible actions,
such as working, studying. paying debts, telling the truth, loving someone, etcetera.
2. Immoral actions are those which are not in conformity with the norm of morality. They are evil and
prohibited actions, Such as cursing, cheating, stealing, lying, etcetera.
3. Amoral actions are those which stand neutral or indifferent to
the norm of morality. These acts are neither good nor evil, but they may become evil because of
Circumstances.. Playing basketball be- comes morally wrong when it causes a student to miss his class.
Drinking wine is amoral, but excessive drinking is wrong.

The adjectives ethical and unethical are respectively synonymous with right and wrong, proper and
improper. They best describe actions in relation to professional standards rather than in relation to moral
laws. A doctor who reveals information about his patient is unethical but not necessarily immoral.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Evil

Immoral acts are either intrinsically or extrinsically evil. An act cay evil when its wrongfulness is part
of the nature of such e act of stealing, because it consists in depriving someone of his property against his
will, is intrinsically evil. An act is extrinsically evil when its wrongfulness comes from an outside factor. The
act of alms-giving, though good in itself, is extrinsically evil when it is done for purposes of building one's
public image this indicates that actions which are themselves good or neutral ay become evil due to
external factors, whether this be the motive or the person or the circumstances of the act.
Voluntariness
Voluntariness, or volition, comes from the Latin "voluntas" which means the Will. An act is
voluntary because it is done under the control of the will. Voluntariness is either perfect or imperfect,
either Simple or conditional.
1. Perfect voluntariness is possessed by a person who is acting with full knowledge and complete freedom.
We act with perfect voluntariness when, for instance, we are eating our favorite ice-cream, or when we are
telling a story to a friend
2. Imperfect voluntariness is possessed by a person who acts without full understanding what he is doing,
or without complete free dom. We act with imperfect voluntariness when we perform an ac
which we dislike.
3. Simple voluntariness is the disposition of a person performing any activity regardless of his liking or not
liking it. Simple voluntariness is either positive or negative. It is positive when the a requires the
performance of an activity, such as taking the train, going for walking, or caring for sick person. It is
negative when it requires the omission of an activity , such as refraining from talking, or not taking prohibited drugs
(Paul 13-18)
4. Conditional Voluntariness is disposition of a person who is forced by circumstances to perform an act
which he would not do under normal conditions. A person who gives up his money to the robber is acting
with conditional voluntariness.

Directly and Indirectly Voluntary

The result of an act which is primarily intended is said to be directly voluntary. The result of an act
which follows or goes along with the primarily intended act is indirectly voluntary. A student watches a
movie is to entertain himself (directly voluntary), but, in so doing, he misses school (indirectly voluntary).
Or a couple enjoys walking in the park (directly voluntary) which causes them to be mugged (indirectly
voluntary). A person is accountable for actions directly intended. Is he also accountable for those indirectly
willed acts or consequences? A per- son is accountable for indirectly voluntary acts when:

1. The doer is able to foresee the evil result or consequence though in a general way;
2. The doer is free to refrain from doing that action which would result in the foreseen evil;
3. The doer has the moral obligation not to do that which would result in something evil. (Paul Glenn: 18-
19).

Acts with Double Effect: Alfredo Panizo cites these principles (bid: 38-39)

1. A person is held morally responsible for any evil effect which flows from the action directly willed and as
a natural consequence of such action, though such evil effect 1s not directly willed nor intended.
2. A human act with double effect, one good and another evil, morally permissible under four conditions. A
Violation of any case conditions makes an act unjustifiable. These conditions are:

1. The action which produces double effects must be good in itself, or at least morally indifferent.
2. The good effect must not come from the evil effect. It is never justified to do evil in order to attain
something good
 3. The purpose of the doer is the attainment of the good effect, with the evil effect being tolerated as
an incidental result.
4. The good effect must outweigh in importance the evil result.

These principles apply to "therapeutic abortion, a medical process intended directly to saving the
life of the mother with the sad result of aborting the fetus.

The Significance of Human Acts

Because human acts come from the intellect and the will, they express the thoughts and desires of
a person, revealing his moral character. Hence, people are judged by their actions like trees by their fruits.
We condemn a person for his evil deed or praise him for dong what is go0d. We often hear people say that
they "condemn the sin but not u person or suspect. he statement is probably acceptable it it me we should
not rush to judge the guilt of a suspect. But the statement is wrong if it means we should not blame
people for their evil deeds , no matter how unfortunate are these acts. This is to condone evil.
Parents, for example are inclined to be soft toward Instead of being horrified,, they are amused that their
kids are so smart.

Reading

Moral Sensibility

Moral sensibility 1s our response towards what is right or wrong Some people nave strong aversion
towards wrongdoings, while some are dismissive of them. Some are intolerant and stern, while others
are tolerant and accommodating.

Persons who are liberal and open-minded are inclined to accept evil as a normal occurrence, giving
in to such thoughts as ganyan kasi tao lamang kast bala pakasi walang aral or kasi masama ang gising
People who are intolerant and strict are inclined to punish people "para matuto", "para di na umulir", or
"para magbago"

Moral sensibility may be compared to the sensitivity to pain. Some endure pain longer than others
can. Sensitivity to pain is a good thing because it warns us about a danger. A moderate moral sensibility
may be good to us too. It is moral sensitivity which objects to an indecent behavior or an obscene movie. lt
is moral sensibility which protests against an act of injustice or cruelty. lt is moral sensibility which pre-
vents us from making a fool of ourselves. We use to call moral sensibility as "delicadeza When a person is
not scandalized by what is wrong. when he does not recoil from what IS outrageous, when he is not
ashamed of his vices- he is devoid of moral sensibility, he is " manhig"

A person who lacks moral sensibility is inclined to act accordingly to his self-interest. He would
readily steal to enrich himself, or even commit murder to arrogate power. Adolf Hitler is one such
dangerous and wicked person.
 Exercise no 1.

Answer briefly.

1. Should a drunken man be made accountable if he were to accidentally burn a house?

Elaborate your answer.

2. What moral principle is involved when a car driver who is involved in an accident is
charged with reckless imprudence causing damage to property?

3. What makes morally act good or bad?