The Determinants of Morality

Human acts are measured by the

norms that would make them good or bad.
Therefore, it is necessary to determine the
human act in relation to the norms.
These things that determine the moral
quality or tone of the act as the good or evil
are called the Determinants of Morality.
 Three Determinants of
Morality

1. Object (Act)
2. Circumstances
3. End (Purpose/Intention)
 For a human act to be morally good it
has to agree with the norms of morality on
all three determinants.
A certain human act is not good if it fails
even in one of the three determinants.

It is not enough for the act to be good just

because the Object is good, the End and
the Circumstances also have to be good.
 DETERMINANTS OF
MORALITY

1. Object/Act Good Evil Good Good

2. Circumstances Good Good Evil Good

3. End/Purpose Good Good Evil Evil

 Human Act Good Evil Evil Evil

 A. The Object
The Object is not distinct from the act, it is the act itself.
It is the human act performed.
It can be good, evil, or indifferent (neither good nor
bad).
Some acts are intrinsically good in themselves while some
acts are also intrinsically evil.
Example:
a. Intrinsically Good Act – Studying
b. Intrinsically Evil Act – Cheating
c. Indifferent Act - Sleeping
 B. The Circumstances
There are conditions which do not belong
to the essence of the act but may affect it
morally.
These conditions depend upon Who,
What, Where, With What Ally or With
Whom, in What Condition, When, and
Why the acts are performed.
The above conditions may make the
Circumstances as Aggravating,
Mitigating, Justifying and Exempting.
 Circumstances

1. Aggravating Circumstance -Fully Responsible

2. Mitigating Circumstance -Less Responsible
3. Justifying Circumstance -Not Responsible
4. Exempting Circumstance -Not Responsible
Who – the person who does the act or to whom
the action done.
Therefore, if a person kills another man, the
murderer commits a grave sin but if the
murderer happens to be a son of his father
whom he murders then the circumstance
aggravates even more the sin of the murderer
since he kills his own father who is considered
as person in authority just like the priest,
teachers, Govt officials, Police Officers, pastors
and other persons who have been entrusted for
the welfare and care of the subjects under him.
What – It is the circumstance of
quantity and quality.

This circumstance would try to answer

the question whether the act causes
serious or slight damage or whether
the damaged quantity is small or large.
Where –the circumstance of the place.
“There is nothing wrong to a person
who laughs aloud, but when a person
does it inside the Adoration Chapel where
other people are intent upon their prayers
it can already cause a great disturbance
and it has a different moral implications
than laughing out loud while watching
movies. “
With what ally – the circumstance of means
or instrument.

If a person tries to earn money through a

decent job or through the use of violence
through guns.

The latter’s circumstance again aggravates

the act of stealing since it may cause trauma
or psychological disturbance to the victims.
In what condition – the circumstance of manner.
If a murder was committed while the victim was
asleep or helpless or if the act was done with
intense malice or just slightly so.

When – The circumstance of time.

When was the act done? If it is done in night
time to take advantage of darkness, it aggravates
the crime.

Why – It is actually equivalent to the end or the

purpose of the agent which is discussed above.
Some guides of the influence of
the end to the act:
1.If the act is objectively good and the purpose
is good then the end or the purpose gives the
act a new goodness due to its good end.

Therefore, if a man helps an elderly

woman to cross the street for the reason of
relieving her distress of crossing alone then
he is worthy to be merited for his good act of
helping plus his intention of relieving distress
to the old woman.
2. If the act is objectively evil, and the end is
evil, then the end or purpose gives malice to
the act because of its evil intention.

Thus if a son would steal the money of his

mother to buy prohibited drugs, his act of
stealing is already evil and the malice is
added more because of its end which is to
buy prohibited drugs.
3. If an act that happens to be objectively good
is done with evil intention, then it is always evil if
the whole purpose of the act is to have the evil
intention.

Thus, to give money to a poor man during

election time just to win over his vote is
always an evil act because of the nature of
the end of the agent.
Our way of thinking does not change the evilness or
the goodness of the thing. Evilness or the goodness of
the thing exists in the objects. It is not true that what
makes a thing right or wrong is only our mind.

Regardless if we think them as evil or good, some

things are really objectively good and some are
objectively evil.
So even if the person’s end or purpose is good, he
cannot change the nature of the act into good if it is
intrinsically evil.

Example: Cheating during Exam

5. If an act is morally indifferent (neither good nor evil), it
would become good if the purpose in doing this is good, and
it would become evil if the purpose of doing it is evil.

For example, if I would open the door of my house, this is

actually an indifferent act. It is neither moral nor immoral to
open a door.

But if I open the door of our house to let a hungry person

comes in and feed him, then the act of opening the door
becomes good.

But if the reason of my opening of the door is to let drug

addicts come in and let them have their drug session inside
our house, then the act of opening the door becomes evil.
 C. The End/Purpose
Talking about the end of the agent, we actually mean
here the purpose, the motive of the agent in doing the act.

In every action, the agent always has an intention or

a wish to achieve by the act. This we call as the End of the
human act.

This is a very important determinant because even if

the human act is good in itself if the end or the motive of
the agent is evil then the act remains evil.

Nor an evil act in which the agent has a good

intention would make the act good.
Example :
A man who gives alms to the poor
with the intention of gaining the
poor people’s favor for a coming
election is not a good act.

Although the act of giving is

good in itself but his intention
swerves the goodness of the act
into an evil one.