Course Code:

Ethics (Module 2) GE 6107 Credit Unit(s): 3

1 TRIMESTER, SY 2019-2020
st

Lectures Unit (s): 1.5 Lab Unit (s): 0

Course Title: Human Acts, Morality & Conscience Date Issued: Page 1 of 5

Human acts are those performed by a person who is acting knowingly, freely, and willfully. These actions
are deliberate, intentional, or voluntary.

Attributes of Human Act (knowingly, freely, and willfully)

1. Knowingly when the doer is conscious and aware of the reason and the consequences of his
actions.
2. Freely when the doer acts by his own initiative and choice without being forced to do so by
another person or situation.
3. Willfully when the doer consents to the act, accepting it as his own, and assumes accountability
for its consequences.

Kinds of Human acts (elicited acts and commanded acts)

Elicited acts are those performed by the will but are not bodily externalized.

Elicited acts such as the following: (wish, intention, consent, election, use, and fruition)

1. Wish is the tendency of the will towards an object, without considering whether it is attainable
or not.
2. Intention is the tendency of the will towards an object which is attainable, without necessarily
committing oneself to get it.
3. Consent is the appearance of the will to carry out the intention.
4. Election is the selection of the will of those means necessary to carry out the intention.
5. Use is the command of the will to make use of the means elected to carry out the intention.
6. Fruition is the enjoyment of the will due to the attainment of the intention.

Commanded acts are the mental and bodily actions performed under the command of the will.

Types of commanded acts (internal and external actions)

1. Internal actions are those performed mentally, such as reasoning, recalling, imagining, and
reflecting.
2. External actions are those performed bodily, such as walking, dancing, talking, and writing.

Moral distinctions (moral, immoral, and amoral actions)

1. Moral actions are those in conformity with the norm of morality.

2. Immoral actions are those which are not in conformity with the norm of morality.
3. Amoral actions are those which stand neutral or indifferent to the norm of morality.

Prepared by:

Joseph Noel A. De Leon, M.A., RPm.

Faculty – College of Arts, Sciences and Education
 Course Code:
Ethics (Module 2) GE 6107 Credit Unit(s): 3
1 TRIMESTER, SY 2019-2020
st

Lectures Unit (s): 1.5 Lab Unit (s): 0

Course Title: Human Acts, Morality & Conscience Date Issued: Page 2 of 5

Immoral acts are either intrinsically or extrinsically evil.

 An act is intrinsically evil when its wrongfulness is part of the nature of such act.
 An act is extrinsically evil when its wrongfulness comes from an outside factor.

An act is voluntary because it is done under the control of the will. Voluntariness is either (perfect or
imperfect, either simple or conditional).

1. Perfect voluntariness is possessed by a person who is acting with full knowledge and complete
freedom.
2. Imperfect voluntariness is possessed by a person who acts without full understanding what he is
doing, or without complete freedom.
3. Simple voluntariness is the disposition of a person performing any activity regardless of his liking
or not liking it.
4. Conditional voluntariness is disposition of a person who is forced by circumstances to perform
an act which he would not do under normal conditions.

Directly and Indirectly Voluntary

 The result of an act which is primarily intended is said to be directly voluntary.

 The result of an act which follows or goes along with the primarily intended act is indirectly
voluntary.

Moral sensibility is the capacity of a person to perceive the moral issues within a particular idea, opinion,
action, philosophy, state of mind, and political view. Moral sensibility is our response towards what is right
or wrong.

The Modifiers of Human Act (Ignorance, Passions, Fear, Violence, and Habits)

1. Ignorance is the absence of knowledge which a person ought to possess.

2. Passion is a feeling of intense enthusiasm towards or compelling desire for someone or
something.
3. Fear is the disturbance of the mind of a person who is confronted by a danger to himself or loved
ones.
4. Violence is any physical force exerted on a person by a free agent for the purpose of compelling
said person to act against his will.
5. Habit is the readiness, born of frequently repeated acts, for acting in a certain manner.

Prepared by:

Joseph Noel A. De Leon, M.A., RPm.

Faculty – College of Arts, Sciences and Education
 Course Code:
Ethics (Module 2) GE 6107 Credit Unit(s): 3
1 TRIMESTER, SY 2019-2020
st

Lectures Unit (s): 1.5 Lab Unit (s): 0

Course Title: Human Acts, Morality & Conscience Date Issued: Page 3 of 5

The Ends of Human Act

 The end is the purpose or goal of an act.

 The end of the act is the natural termination or completion of an activity.
 The end of the doer is the motive or reason why a person performs an act.

Kinds of End (1. Proximate and remote, 2. Intermediate and ultimate)

1. The proximate end is the purpose which the doer wishes to accomplish immediately. The remote
end is the purpose which the doer wishes to accomplish sometime later.
2. The intermediate end is that which is sought as a means for obtaining another thing. The ultimate
end is that which is desired for its own sake.

The End as Good

Aristotle defines Good as anything which fits or suits a function.

Kinds of Good (1. Essential and accidental, 2. Real and apparent, 3. Perfective and non-perfective, 4.
Perfect and imperfect).

1. An essential good satisfy the need of person as a human being. Food clothing, shelter, tools and
education are essential goods. Accidental good is that which satisfies the want of a person
because of his particular situations. Expensive clothes, big house, a flashy car are personal wants
of a rich man.
2. Real good is anything which has intrinsic value. These could be things, activities, relationships, or
persons. Apparent good is an evil which is viewed subjectively as something of value, such as
cigarettes, prohibited drugs and vices.
3. Perfective good is that which contributes to integral growth or development of a person, such as
education, virtue, food, sports, and medicines. Non-perfective good is anything which merely
contribute to the external appearance or convenience of a person, such as expensive clothes,
money, title, or car.
4. Perfect and Imperfect. Anything lacking in some qualities is imperfect. All material things are
imperfect. A perfect is a real good endowed with all essential qualities needed to satisfy a need.

The greatest good, or the “summon bonum” in the words of scholastic philosophers, is that which is
perfect in itself and capable of satisfying all human desires.

Prepared by:

Joseph Noel A. De Leon, M.A., RPm.

Faculty – College of Arts, Sciences and Education
 Course Code:
Ethics (Module 2) GE 6107 Credit Unit(s): 3
1 TRIMESTER, SY 2019-2020
st

Lectures Unit (s): 1.5 Lab Unit (s): 0

Course Title: Human Acts, Morality & Conscience Date Issued: Page 4 of 5

The purpose of human existence is the attainment of the greatest good. The greatest good, according to
Aristotle, is happiness.

The meaning of Happiness

Happiness is a state of well-being that encompasses living a good life-that is, with a sense of meaning and
deep contentment.

Happiness is either (objective or subjective).

 Objectively, happiness refers to something having intrinsic value and capable of satisfying a
human need.
 Subjectively, it is the psychological state of feeling contented resulting from the attainment of
that which is good in itself.

Natural and Supernatural Happiness

 Natural happiness is that which is attainable by man through the use of his natural power.
 Supernatural happiness is that which is attainable by man through his own powers aided by the
infusion of grace from God.

Ethical Theories (hedonism, aristotelianism, thomism, utilitarianism, evolutionism, existentialism)

1. Hedonism is based on the teachings of Epicurus who regards pleasure as the ultimate good of
man.
2. Aristotelianism proclaims the supremacy of reason over man’s lower appetites.
3. Thomism is based on the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas. It holds that the ultimate purpose of
man consists in the beatific vision of God which, however, is possible only in the next life and only
with the aid of supernatural grace.
4. Utilitarianism defines pleasure as that which gives the greatest happiness for the greatest number
of people.
5. Evolutionism proceeds from the biological theories of Charles Darwin. According to him, the
greatest good is the rearing of the greatest number of individuals, with perfect faculties, under
given circumstances.
6. Existentialism laments the inadequacy of reason to guide man in the complexities of life. The
attainment of personal fulfillment which is the ultimate purpose of one’s life depends largely on
one’s faith and personal conviction.

Prepared by:

Joseph Noel A. De Leon, M.A., RPm.

Faculty – College of Arts, Sciences and Education
 Course Code:
Ethics (Module 2) GE 6107 Credit Unit(s): 3
1 TRIMESTER, SY 2019-2020
st

Lectures Unit (s): 1.5 Lab Unit (s): 0

Course Title: Human Acts, Morality & Conscience Date Issued: Page 5 of 5

Norm of Morality

A norm is a standard of measurement. We measure objects, events, emotions, and persons. We make a
value judgment when we measure the quality of a thing. The physical qualities of objects are measured
with the use of device. The moral qualities of human acts are measured with the use of a norm or standard
to support a judgement.

Moral judgments are evaluations or opinions formed as to whether some action or inaction, intention,
motive, character trait, or a person as a whole is (more or less) Good or Bad as measured against some
standard of Good.

Basis of Moral Judgment (the eternal law, the natural law, and conscience).

1. Eternal law is the plan of God in creating all creatures, both animate and inanimate, giving to each
of them its respective nature.
2. Natural law refers to the operational tendencies of the human nature towards growth and self-
fulfillment.
Characteristic of Natural Law (universal, obligatory, recognizable, and immutable)
 Universal it is the human nature which is shared by all men.
 Obligatory the tendencies of our human nature are the laws of desires and actuations
which we can not ignore without dire consequences.
 Recognizable because man, being self-reflexive, is aware of his nature, of what he is and
what he is capable of and what is expected of him by his own kind.
 Immutable change is a rule of life, human nature in its essentiality and substantiality
remains permanent and unchangeable.
3. Conscience is the practical judgment of reason telling us what should be done because it is good,
or what should be avoided because it is evil.
Types of Conscience (correct, erroneous, doubtful, scrupulous, lax conscience)
 Correct conscience sees the good as good, the evil as evil. Comes from enlightenment,
from refined moral sensibility, or from the habit of doing good.
 Erroneous conscience sees evil as something good. Comes from malice, ignorance, bad
habits, and bad influence.
 Doubtful conscience is a vacillating conscience, unsure of itself.
 Scrupulous conscience is overly cautious, meticulous, and fearful of committing mistake.
 Lax conscience is indifferent, unmindful of right or wrong.

Prepared by:

Joseph Noel A. De Leon, M.A., RPm.

Faculty – College of Arts, Sciences and Education