ETHICS (M-TH) 10:30 – 12:00

HUMAN
Ethics deals with the study of man and particularly his actions. But not every
act proceeds from man is a human act, as used and understood in ethics.

By human acts in ethics we mean:

1. the (free) voluntary acts of man

S
2. acts done with knowledge and consent
3. acts which are proper to man as man; because, of all animals, he alone has knowledge and
freedom of will

ACT
4. acts which, we are conscious, are under our control and for which we are responsible
5. human acts are those of which man is master, which he has the power of doing or not doing as he
pleases
Acts, therefore, to be truly human, must
be done knowingly and willfully. Without
knowledge and consent, there can be no
human act, properly so called.

Some acts are morally indifferent; i.e, they are

neither good nor bad in themselves; examples:
sitting, walking, smiling. They become bad
only when they are forbidden by some law or
because of a certain circumstance.
 moralsignificance
Only human acts have moral significance. The
movements of other things such as the explosion of
bombs, the eruption of volcanoes, the sinking of ships,
The biological or physiological functions or
etc. (though these affects human lives), do not fall
processes which occur in man’s body, such as the
under the study of ethics. When one shoots and kills
circulation of the blood, the growth of hair and nails,
another by a revolver, the act is morally wrong, but the
the opening and closing of the valves of the heart,
moral evil is not in the action of the revolver but in the
breathing, etc. are not “human acts” and have no
act of the one who pulled the trigger that released the
moral bearing or significance.
bullet. The bullet, as far as it is a bullet, “acts well” in
accordance with natural laws, even it kills.
 e s s ent i a l
at t r ibu te s
intellect. free will. actual choice

H U M A N A C T S
Intellect / Knowledge

The act must be deliberate; with consciousness and

knowledge

A person is not responsible for an act done in ignorance,

unless the ignorance is the person’s own fault, and is
therefore willed (vincible ignorance), in which case he has
knowledge that he is in ignorance and ought to dispel it.
Thus, in one way or another, knowledge is necessary for
responsible human activity.
 Free Will

The act must be performed in freedom

A person is not responsible for an act over which he has no

control, unless he deliberately surrenders such control by
running into conditions and circumstances which rob him of
liberty. Thus, in one way or another, freedom is necessary
for every human act.
Actual Choice / Voluntariness

The act must be done voluntary.

A person is not responsible for an act over which he does not

will, unless he wills to give up his self-control (as a man
does for instance, in allowing himself to be hypnotized, or
by deliberately becoming intoxicated). Thus, in one way or
another, voluntariness or actual choice enters into every
human act.
K i nds of H um an
Ac t s
Human acts can be classified based on

Where do they stem up from (source or adequate cause)

Elicited Acts Commanded Acts

a will-act begun and completed in the will without
bodily movement
w i s h - the tendency of will towards something
i n t e n t i o n – something that is attainable but
without necessarily committing oneself to attain it
c o n s e n t – the acceptance of the will of those
needed to carry out the intention
e l e c t i o n – the selection of the will to those
means elected to carry pout the intention
u s e – is the command of the will to make use of
those use means elected to carry out the intention
body-mind acts which are done to carry out the elicited act
of the subject
i n t e r n a l – are acts done by the mind through the
command of the will (thinking, recollection, analysis,
effort to control emotions, visualizing)
e x t e r n a l – are acts done by the body through the
command of the will (walking, eating, dancing,
laughing, listening, reading)
m i x e d a c t s – are acts done by both the mind and
body

f r u i t i o n – the enjoyment of the will derived

from the attainment of the thing he desired earlier
Human acts can be classified based on

Their accordance of reason (moral worth or value)

Moral / Morally Good Acts

according to the dictates of right reason

Immoral / Morally Evil Acts

not in the accordance to the dictates of right season

Amoral / Morally Indifferent Acts

acts that are neither good nor evil
M od if i er s of
Hum an Ac t s
 the mere absence of
IGNORANC knowledge
E
That which precedes all
When one is unaware of the IGNORANC IGNORANC IGNORANC consent of the will. Ex. the
chef served a poisonous
existence of the law itself or
at least that particular case is E IN ITS E IN ITS E IN ITS mushroom not knowing that
comprised under its provision OBJECT OBJECT RESULT it can cause the death of its
costumers
ANTECEND
VINCIBLE
ENT
When not the relation of the LAW IGNORANC When we do not know
of something to the law but IGNORANC something but we would have
the thing itself or some E
circumstance is unknown Lack of knowledge can E done it anyway. Concomitant
be remedied; one has to CONCOMIT —accompanies an act that
would have been performed
exert effort
INVINCIBL ANT even if ignorance did not
FACT
When a person is not E IGNORANC exist

cognizant that a sanction has

IGNORANC E
been attached to a particular CONSEQUE It is the result of the perverse
crime. This is especially to be One is not E aware of
NT frame of mind choosing,
considered when there is
PENALTY his/her ignorance and
either directly or indirectly, to
question of more serious has no means or
capacity to resolve it
IGNORANC be ignorant
punishment
E
CONCUPISCEN ANTECEDENT
Refers CE
to the bodily CONCUPISCENCE
appetites called passions Those that precede the act arousing and
predisposing the person to do the act (e.g. An
extremely angry wife immediately
“unknowingly” shot her husband upon seeing
him on the bed with another woman)

CONSEQUENT
CONCUPISCENCE
Direct result of the will which consents them instead of
controlling them (e.g. jealous boyfriend allowed his
feelings of anger to intensify for a week leading him to
box a friend in public)
FEARThe shrinking of the mind from danger

WITH FEAR
ACTIONS
MAY BE
FROM DONE Voluntary. (e.g. Even if Felix is
afraid to use a gun and it was
his first time to shoot a person,
FEAR
Acts done because of fear are he shot the intruder of their
involuntary. The person is not house and foiled the robbery
morally accountable to his/her attempt)
actions.
 Verbal

VIOLENCE IS AN EXTERNAL
FORCE APPLIES BY A FREE CAUSE
FOR THE PURPOSE OF COMPELLING
A PERSON AN ACT WHICH IS Emotional VIOLENCE Physical
AGAINST HIS WILL.

ACTS ELICITED BY THE WILL ARE

NOT SUBJECT TO VIOLENCE;
EXTERNAL ACTS CAUSED BY
Sexual
VIOLENCE, TO WHICH DUE
RESISTANCE IS OFFERED, ARE IN NO
WISE IMPUTABLE TO THE AGENT.
 Lasting readiness and facility, born of VICIOUS
frequently repeated acts, for acting in a
certain manner

BAD
HABI HABITS VICES
TS

GOOD VIRTUE
HABITS
HABIT does not destroy voluntariness; VIRTUOU
and acts from habit are always voluntary,
at least in cause, as long as the habit is
S
allowed to endure.
 ends of human
acts
THE END OF THE
ACT
the natural purpose or goal of an act

THE END OF THE

DOER
the personal purpose intended by the
person performing the act
Kinds of Ends
PROXIMATE END or REMOTE INTERMEDIATE END or
END ULTIMATE END
PR O X I MAT E END I N T E R M E D IAT E E N D
the purpose which a doer wishes to accomplish the purpose which desired for its own sake. Ex:
immediately by his action. Ex: satisfaction of attending classes, taking exams, participating in
hunger recitation, etc.

REMOTE E N D U L T I ,M A T E E N D
the purpose which a doer wishes to accomplish in a Ex: schooling-graduation
series of acts. Ex: promotion of health
1. Every agent that performs an action acts for the sake of an end or
purpose to be attained.

2. Every agent acts towards an ultimate end.

3. Every agent has the power to himself towards an end which he finds
suitable for him.
 Nothing excites the human appetite or rational desire than which is good. Because
something is good, it becomes the object of desire and, therefore, desirable.

Aristotle sat that “good” means either of these: good as end in itself and
good as a means (intermediate end) to another end.
 Man has natural aversion to evil. Evil is never desirable for its own sake.
When someone desires evil as an end, it is only because he views it,
subjectively, as something good. Apparent good is evil disguised as good. It
is deceptively tempting and many fall for it
⇝ Man is moved by nature—this first and
fundamental act of the will is natural and necessary—
toward good in general (object) and beatitude in
general(end).
⇝ Every human activity is intended for the attainment
of something good. This good must be objectively
genuine, not merely an apparent good. Unfortunately,
as a free agent, man is able to set his choice on mere
apparent goods and false vales.
the meaning of good
One which fits a function
The good that fits man as man
are the needs of his rational KINDS OF GOOD
nature.
Essential and Accidental
Real and Apparent
Perfective and Non-perfective
Perfect and Imperfect
 KINDS OF GOOD
⁂ essential goods – those that fit the natural ⁂ perfective good – is that which contributes to
needs of a man the integral perfection of a person

⁂ accidental goods – those that fit the wants ⁂ non-perfective good – is that which merely
of an individual contributes to the external appearance of
convenience of a person

⁂ real good – something which has an ⁂ perfect good – has the fullness of qualities
intrinsic value enabling it to fully satisfy the human desire

⁂ apparent good – actually evil thing but is ⁂ imperfect good – possess only certain qualities
viewed as “good” under certain aspects. so that it does not fully satisfy human desire except
in a relative or limited sense
 the greatest good (SUMMUM
BONUM)
In every activity, man seeks which is good. The greatest good as a matter of
fact. This evident in out concern for the best in everything

For Aristotle, the Greatest Good is HAPPINESS. Happiness is what a man

aims to achieve in all his activities. The ultimate purpose of life is the attainment
of happiness.
 As a Psychologist state, happiness is the feeling of contentment
arising from the possession of good. Happiness coming from the
Possession of the greatest good constitutes man’s perfection.

Some errors concerning happiness

1. Some people give the impression that money or wealth can buy happiness.
2. Some people equates health with happiness.
3. Sensual people vainly seeks happiness in earthly pleasure.
4. Certain cling to their public image as if God Himself was made after their
illusion.
5. Some dictates their life to science and arts.
6. Some propose that the final purpose of man is the promotion of the state of
government.
NATURAL & SUPERNATURAL
HAPPINESS
⁂ NATURAL HAPPINESS
– is that which is attainable by man through the use of his natural
powers.

⁂ SUPERNATURAL HAPPINESS
– is that which is attainable by man through the use of his natural
powers as these are informed and aided but God’s infusion of grace