ETHICS

IV. THE NORMS OF HUMAN

CONDUCT, SOURCES OF MORALITY,
MORAL OBLIGATIONS AND
SANCTIONS
 Learning Outcomes
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
1. Identify the norms of morality as an obligation of man to know which directs
his acts to the last end.
2. Explain the classifications of law and kinds of conscience; and
3. Understand the sources of morality that characterizes the moral order and
make our acts good, evil or indifferent.
4. Understand deeply the meaning of moral obligations and sanctions and know
the necessity of using sanctions in the performance of human acts
5. List down and explain the kinds of sanctions
 Intro

Human acts are directed to the last end by law as applied by

conscience. Law and conscience are the directives, the
norms of morality and man has the obligation not only to
obey them but also to know them.
 A. THE NORMS OF HUMAN
1.LAWS
CONDUCT
A law is an ordinance of reason directed towards the common good and
promulgated by the one who has the care of the community.

• A law is an ordinance or mandate because it contains a decisive command

to perform or to avoid the performance of something, it demands obedience.
 A. THE NORMS OF HUMAN
1.LAWS
CONDUCT
• A law is an ordinance of reason because it comes from the legislator's
reasonable will. To be reasonable, a law must be:
- just, honest (not contravening other laws)
- possible of fulfillment (attainable)
- useful and in some degree, permanent

• A law is promulgated because it is officially published and made known to

those bound by it, who are called subjects.
 A. THE NORMS OF HUMAN
1.LAWS
CONDUCT
• A just law takes into consideration the common good of all, and not the
exclusive benefit of some favored groups.

• Laws are enacted by the competent authority or by one who has charged of
society, it can be the lawgiver or legislator.
 A. THE NORMS OF HUMAN
1.LAWS
CONDUCT
a. CLASSIFICATION OF LAWS
• According to their immediate author
_ Divine laws come directly from God
_ Human laws are the enactments of the Church (Canon Law) or the State (Civil
Law)
• According to their duration
_ Temporal laws are all human laws Eternal law is God's plan and providence
for the universe.
 A. THE NORMS OF HUMAN
1.LAWS
CONDUCT
• According to the manner of their promulgation
_ Natural law is that which directs creatures to their end in accordance with their
nature and it coincides with the Eternal law.
_ Positive laws are laws enacted by positive act of legislator.
• According as they prescribe an act or forbid
_ Affirmative laws bind always but not at every moment.
_ Negative laws are also prohibitive laws. They bind always and at every
moment.
 A. THE NORMS OF HUMAN
1.LAWS
CONDUCT
• According to the effect of their violation
_ Moral: violation of which is fault or sin
_ Penal: violation of which renders the violator liable to an established
penalty,but does not infect him with sin
_ Mixed: violation of which involves both fault and penalty
 A. THE NORMS OF HUMAN
2. CONSCIENCE
CONDUCT
It is an act of the practical judgment of reason deciding upon an individual
action as good and to be performed or as evil and to be avoided.
• Judgment of reason. It is a reasoned conclusion. There is present in
conscience the act of reasoning out the right and wrong of a situation.
• Practical judgment. Conscience has reference to something to be done,
either the performance or omission of the act.
 A. THE NORMS OF HUMAN
2. CONSCIENCE
CONDUCT
• Judgment upon an individual act. It is a judgment on act here and now, or
after it has been performed or omitted. Before an action, conscience judges
an act as good to be performed or evil to be omitted; after action,
conscience is a judgment of approval or disapproval.
 A. THE NORMS OF HUMAN
2. CONSCIENCE
CONDUCT
a. KINDS OF CONSCIENCE
_ ANTECEDENT CONSCIENCE is where the judgement is passed before an
action. It functions to command, forbid, to advice and to permit.
_ CONSEQUENT CONSCIENCE is where the judgment is passed only after
the action is done. It has two effects: internal peace or remorse.
_ RIGHT OR TRUE CONSCIENCE judges what is really good as good and
what is really evil as evil according to the true principles of morality.
 A. THE NORMS OF HUMAN
2. CONSCIENCE
CONDUCT
_ ERRONEOUS OR FALSE CONSCIENCE judges what is really bad as good
and vice versa according to the false interpretation of the moral principles.
_ CERTAIN CONSCIENCE is a subjective assurance of the lawfulness or
unlawfulness of certain actions to be done or to be omitted.
_ DOUBTFUL CONSCIENCE suspends judgment on the lawfulness of an
action and therefore, if possible, the action should be omitted.
 A. THE NORMS OF HUMAN
2. CONSCIENCE
CONDUCT
_ SCRUPULOUS CONSCIENCE is that by which is extremely rigorous,
constantly afraid of committing evil.
_ LAX CONSCIENCE tend to follow the easy way and to find excuses for
omissions and mistakes.
_ GUILTY CONSCIENCE is a disturbed conscience trying to restore good
relations with God by means of sorrow and repentance.
 A. THE NORMS OF HUMAN
2. CONSCIENCE
CONDUCT
b. FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE
• Conscience is not dependent of external law and authority. Its function is to
apply the law. Hence the guiding hand of conscience is law. But one must
never act in a practical doubt. The first step in the formation of conscience is
to overcome ignorance and error. This is done directly by studying the act
and its moral determinants and so gaining a clear knowledge of its moral
quality as good or evil.
• When such study is not feasible or is found to be fruitless, apply the reflex
principle: a doubtful law does not bind.
 B. THE SOURCES OF MORALITY
These elements characterizes the moral order and make our acts good, evil or
indifferent.
• A human act to be morally good act must be found in agreement with the
Norm of Morality on all three points: It must be good in itself, in its end,
and in its circumstance.
• It is evil if it conficts with the moral law on any of the three points.
 B. THE SOURCES OF MORALITY
1. THE OBJECT
• The object is the matter about which something is done and it stands in
relation to the act.
• This is the human act performed or the deed done.
2. THE MOTIVE
• It is the purpose or intention for the sake of which something is done.
• It is the reason behind our acting.
• The end or intention can modify human actions in four ways:
 B. THE SOURCES OF MORALITY
2. THE MOTIVE
• The end or intention can modify human actions in four ways:
a. An indifferent act may become morally good or evil.
b. An objectively good act may become morally evil.
c. An objectively good act may receive more goodness.
d. An objectively evil act can never become good in spite of the good motive.
3. THE CIRCUMSTANCE
• These are conditions modifying human acts, either by increasing or by
diminishing the responsibility attending them.
 B. THE SOURCES OF MORALITY
3. THE CIRCUMSTANCE .
• These are the seven circumstances affecting our morality:
a. WHO. Circumstance of person. The subject or the person who does or receives
the action.
b. WHAT. Circumstance of quality or quantity of an action. The object intended.
c. WHERE. Circumstance of place. The setting or place of an action.
d. BY WHAT MEANS. Circumstance of means or instrument.
e. WHY. Circumstance of end of the agent.
 B. THE SOURCES OF MORALITY

3. THE CIRCUMSTANCE .
• These are the seven circumstances affecting our morality:
f. HOW. Circumstance of manner. This involves different conditions or modalities
such as voluntariness, consent, violence...
g. WHEN. Circumstance of time. This is the time of the action performed..
 C. MORAL OBLIGATIONS

• It is the necessity of performing or omitting an action in accordance with

the moral or positive law as recognized by the mind.
• It is through our reason that we judge the morality and immorality of our
actions and the obligations of performing or omitting them.
 D. SANCTIONS
• It is any motive, consideration or promise which impels (force) one to follow
a moral obligation.
• Moral laws are for free agents who are free to obey or disobey them.
• The lawgiver has to offer rewards to those who keep the law and inflict
punishment on those who break it.
_ A good act is worthy of merit and reward; a bad act has no merit, deserving
punishment.
_ Sanctions can be considered as incentives to keep the law and as deterrents from
breaking the law.
 D. SANCTIONS
1. The use of sanctions is moral and necessary for the following reasons:
a. For the preservation of the social order.
b. For the preservation of the moral order broken by offenders and the vindication of
divine and human rights.
2. Punishments are physical pains of loss of property inflicted upon convicted
persons and applied according to the discretion of the court. They have three (3)
effects:
a. Vindication of the offense
b. Reformation of the offender
c. A lesson for all.
 D. SANCTIONS
3. KINDS OF SANCTIONS
a. POSITIVE SANCTIONS. These are provisions of the criminal and penal law of
different nations which deal with the definition, trials and punishments of crimes.
b. NATURAL SANCTIONS. The evildoer is punished with remorse of conscience,
dishonor, anxiety. The good man is rewarded with peace of mind, contentment,
honor, friendship...
 D. SANCTIONS
3. KINDS OF SANCTIONS
c. IMPERFECT SANCTIONS. These are natural sanctions which are applied in this
world which are imperfect when the good seemingly suffer and the bad, prosper.
d. PERFECT SANCTIONS. These are sanctions assigned to all natural laws as
given by God which are in direct proportion to the degree of responsibility of
human actions, to the good or evil done. These sanctions take place in the life to
come, in heaven or hell.
PRESENTED
BY:
Harriet Castillejo
&
Cristina Lea Mallinllin