Introduction of Man a Moral Agent  It constitutes a large part of who we are and how
we live. People, objects, places, events, situations
Man: Rational and Free Agent
 As human beings we are endowed with rationality.
Because of our reason, we can deliberate and
make conscious decisions.
 We are also endowed with free will, through
which we determine our own action, its course
and objectives.
 Since we are rational and free agents, we are
responsible for our actions and our responsibility
is not only for our actions but also for their
consequences and the quality of the choice we
make.
 The extent of our knowledge and freedom
determines the extent of our responsibility, hence
the greater the freedom and knowledge, the
greater the responsibility.
 Because of human freedom and responsibility,
people are always concerned with what is right
and what is wrong. We contemplate on what is
the right thing to do and what is the bad thing to
avoid.
 The end of all these is our desire to live a well-
lived life. As human beings we do not just want to
live our lives, we wanted to live it well, as the
saying goes;
o “A well-lived life is a happy life.”
 Happiness and living well is related to the good
and those that we value in life.
Good
 Good is objectively the goal or fulfillment of being
man. It is the end or the object of the will – faculty
of volition.
 The good as the object of the will is considered to
be driving force of human action and human
endeavors. The will when it recognizes the good
drives or motivates us to act.
 The good, could either be a real and objective
good or just an apparent good. What we consider
to be good could be real or genuine good, like
health, or knowledge, which are objectively good.
 Some things or objects which we consider to be
good are only apparent good, which means that
they appear to be good, but in reality, are not.
Vices for example may appear to be good to some
people but in reality, they are evil.
The Role of Human Experience
Value
 It is an assessment of worth. It is what an
individual or group deems to be useful, significant
or desirable;
or occasions have values.
 Values can either be objective or subjective.
o Objective Value
 Is independent of the assessment of
men, such value does not depend on
the valuation or estimation of
individuals or groups of individuals.
Whether such value is recognized or
not it remains to be a value.
 The value of objective good is
independent of the recognition or
appreciation of man; good health and
proper knowledge have objective
values
o Subjective Value
 Conferred by individuals on certain
objects or situation.
 It is dependent on the estimation or
valuation of individuals, so that
something may be valuable to one
but not valuable to others.
 Values have certain ranking or hierarchy; one
value may be higher or more significant than
others; some values have higher worth than
others.
 There is an objective ranking of values, this
ranking is not dependent on the preference of
individuals
 Material values are necessarily lower in rank
compared to spiritual values
 The value of persons is higher than the value of
money, the value of education and knowledge is
higher than the value of physical properties
 The more spiritual the value is the higher it is in
the ranking of values and the more material the
value is, the lower it is in the ranking of values.
 Only man can formulate and express values which
are generally shaped and formed by his
experiences
 Values are inseparable from the endlessly
changing experiences of man’s life. A value may be
material value, societal, aesthetic, religious, or
moral.
 What we value in the realm of human conduct us
called moral values, like justice, honesty, love etc.
 Senses Experience
o The experience of our senses (sight, taste,
etc.).
 Lived experience
 o It is the awareness on the part of the
individual that when he performs or does a
certain action, he is aware that he is the
author of the act; that he is the agent of
action. This awareness or experience brings
with it a sense of responsibility for the
moral value of the action.
 Since one experience himself and his own person
as the agent or cause of the act, then he also
experiences himself as the efficient cause of the
moral good or evil associated with the action.