Lesson 3

The Human Act

1. Lesson 3 briefly deals with the difference between a human act

and an act of man.
2. A human act is an act that proceeds from knowledge and free will
while an act of man is done without intervention of intellect and free will.
3. Examples of act of man: spontaneous biological process like
breathing, sensual impressions, such as seeing, hearing; and acts done
without the use of reason like people asleep, insane persons; and
spontaneous reactions that go before the control of intellect and will, such
as sudden outburst of emotion (anger or sympathy) wala mapugngi nga
emosyon kay kalit ra nga panghitabo. Example: samtang nanilhig kas
togkaran kalit kalang gisinghagan ni Ataya nga imong silingan, mao nga sa
imong tumang kalagot gihampas nimo ang dustpan sa iyang nawong. Sa
ka kusog niini nabali ang nawong ni Ataya.
Note: Some moralists assumed that forced acts are acts of man too.
4. By definition, human act contains 2 elements: intellect and free will.
5. The will can decide for something and seek for it only and only if
that thing is first known. Know it first before you decide to pursue it.
6. Involvement of free will means that the doer is free from external
restrictions, such as coercion and violence, and free from internal
restrictions, such as, fear and ignorance.
7. A human act does not only consist of knowledge and free will but
also of the willingness to do the act. So, human act is a voluntary act.
8. When what is willed or desired is both the act itself and the effect
of what is willed or desired, we call it voluntary. So, the will or desire of
Kagid to cheat in the examination and his act of cheating itself both
constitute a voluntary act.
9. If and when a man is not free to choose what he would like
according to his knowledge and will, but has to act against his will, his
action is not free, not voluntary and consequently not a human act.
 Lesson 4
Kinds of the Voluntary Act

Human act and voluntary effect are both the outcome of knowledge
and consent of will. Here are some important kinds of voluntary act:

1. Perfect voluntary is an act done with full attention and full consent
of the will.
2. Imperfect voluntary is an act if attention or consent or both together
are imperfect.
3. Although imperfect attention and imperfect consent usually go
together, full attention can at times exist together with imperfect consent.
For example, when Kigol-la acts out of fear she may act with full attention
or awareness but with imperfect consent of her will.
4. Direct voluntary occurs when the effect is directly intended, such
as when Abseniro is absent from his class because he does not like to
attend the class. Period.
5. The indirect voluntary. The effect is indirectly voluntary if it is not
intended but merely permitted as the unavoidable result of an object
directly willed. The death of the fetus caused by the removal of a uterus
affected with cancer is not intended but only permitted as an indirectly
voluntary effect. So, Dr. Sundang who performs the operation is not morally
responsible for the death of the fetus.
6. Another case: Palahuboog does not want to drink. But he knows
very well that if he goes out with his Philo 101 classmates to have a good
time with them there is a high risk for him to drink. In spite of the foreseen
effect, Palahuboog proceeds to enjoy the night with his friends and
eventually drinks. The act of drinking is indirectly voluntary, but he remains
morally responsible for it.
7. Pure or simple voluntary act is that which is willed with full consent
and without dislike.
 8. Mixed or conditional voluntary act results when the act to be done
is willed under certain conditions. Example: Titser Pogiboyeric requires
Mayra-miresi to produce 3 review-essays from 3 articles to cover up 6
quizzes that she missed. Mayra-miresi complies but dislikes doing it.

Note:
The difference between examples 5 and 6 is that in number 5 the
operation is necessary or cannot be avoided. In number 6 example, the
drinking can be avoided by not going out with the barkada.