PHILO031: 1ST SEM_W3

Moral, Immoral, Amoral

Human Acts could be

Moral

Human acts when they are in conformity with the norm of morality

Moral

They are considered good and permissible actions, such as loving someone, caring the sick, working, studying, making more friends through fb, reading e-book, etc

Immoral

Human acts when they are not in conformity with the norm of morality

Immoral

They are considered evil and prohibited actions, such as cheating, lying, cursing, cheating, stealing, etc

Amoral

Human acts when they stand neutral or indifferent to the norm of morality

Amoral

These acts are neither good nor evil, but they may become evil because of circumstances. Sleeping is an amoral act, but it becomes morally wrong if you do it while you are on duty

Modifiers of human acts

the factor that influence man ‘s inner disposition towards certain action

Modifiers of human acts

They may affect the mental and emotional state of a person to the extent that the voluntariness involved in an act is either increased or decreased and its accountability

Modifiers of human acts

these lessen the moral character of the human act and thus diminish the

responsibility of the agent

• Ignorance

• Passions

• Fear

• Violence

• Habit

The Modifiers of Human Act

Ignorance

the absence of intellectual knowledge in man

Ignorance

either vincible or invincible

Vincible ignorance

one which can easily be corrected through ordinary diligence and reasonable efforts

Vincible ignorance

it is conquerable ignorance since it can be supplanted by knowledge

Invincible ignorance

the type which a person possesses without being aware of it

Invincible ignorance

cannot be dispelled with ordinary diligence reasonable efforts

inculpable ignorance

Invincible ignorance is never the fault of the person in whom it exists, and it is rightly called ???

affected ignorance

vincible ignorance becomes this if it is intentionally kept to escape responsibility

Ignorance of the law excuses no one

The axiom that reminds us to be prudent with our actions (Agapay, 2008)

• Invincible ignorance

• Vincible ignorance

• Affected ignorance

Principles of Ignorance

Invincible ignorance

terminates the voluntariness of an act

Vincible ignorance

does not destroy but lessens the voluntariness and the corresponding accountability over an act

Affected ignorance

• lessens and in another way increases voluntariness

• lessens voluntariness because affected ignorance interferes with the intellect.

Affected ignorance

increases the accountability because it is kept maliciously

Passion

concupiscence are referring to those bodily appetites or tendencies either towards desirable objects or away from undesirable objects

Antecedent passion

when it comes as natural reaction to an object/stimulus unstimulated by any act of the will

antecedent

it precedes any act

Consequents passion

when it is stimulated by any act of the will and foster it up

Antecedent passions

do not always destroy voluntariness, but they lessen the accountability over an act

Consequent passions

do not lessen the voluntariness of an act, this is because consequent passions are willed.

Fear

one of the passions, given a special mention, because it has the characteristic distinctive among other passions

fear

of all the passions, this is more common which prompts us to know its relation to the morality of acts

Fear

the disturbance of the mind of a person who is confronted by a danger to himself or loved ones

Violence

any external force applied on a person by a free agent for the purpose of compelling a person to perform an act against his will

tortue, starvation, insults, mutilation

examples of violence

External or commanded acts

performed by a person subjected to violence, to which reasonable resistance has been offered, are involuntary and not accountable

Elicited acts

those done by the will alone, are not subjected to violence and are therefore voluntary.

Active resistance

should always be applied to hold off any unjust aggressor

Active resistance

should always be exerted to ward off any unjust aggresso

Habit

a lasting readiness, born of frequently repeated acts, for acting in a certain manner

habit

an act becomes this if it is always repeated over a period of time

Principle of Habits

Actions done by force of habit are voluntary unless a reasonable effort is made to counteract the inclination.

Morality

defined as the goodness and badness of an act; or it is that quality of human act which leads us to call some of them good and some evil

Norm

an authoritative standard or model

• Eternal Law

• Human Reason

two norms of morality

Eternal Law

God’s eternal plan for the ordering or government of all acts and movements in the universe, and that his plan directs things towards their last end

conscience

The judgement of human reason as to the goodness or badness of an action in relation to the eternal law

determinants of morality

points of contract between the human acts and their norms

• The Objects of Morality

• The End of the Agent

determinants of morality

The Objects of Morality

refers to the human act performed or the deed done chosen by the will. This is the act itself, deliberately willed

The Objects of Morality

the essence of the act since it refers to the human act itself as performed

The Objects of Morality

This morality is intrinsic, meaning it is in act itself – that is, resided in the act independently of positive law prescribing or forbidding the act

The End of the Agent

t the agent (doer of the act) intends or wishes to achieve by his act.

The End of the Agent

the end he has in view, his purpose, his motive in performing the act A human act which is good in itself may still be evil by reason of the end for which it is performed

influence the object morality of an act.

The end of the agent is important since it can???

the principles that govern the end of morality

1. An objectively good act performed for a good purpose takes on a new goodness from the good end; and the it has several good ends, it takes on a new goodness from each.

2. An objective evil act performed for an evil purpose takes on a new malice or evil from the end; and if it has several evil effects, it takes on a new malice from each.

3. An act which is objectively good, but done for an evil end is morally evil. But, the act is only partially evil if the evil end is neither gravely ill nor the whole motive of the act

4. An objectively evil act can never become good by reason of a good end. This principle is the variation of the principle: the end does not justify the means.

5. An act which is indifferent objectively becomes good if done for a good end, and evil if done for an evil end.

Circumstances

conditions that affect an act by increasing or decreasing the responsibility of the agent

The Circumstance of Morality

They affect the human act morally although they do not belong to the essences of the act as such

Circumstances

conditions without which the act could exist, but which happen to affect or qualify in its concrete performance

Who, What, Where, By What Means, How, When, Why

seven circumstances

Who

this is the circumstance of the person

Who

refers to the person to whom the act is ascribed and to the person to whom the act has been committed

What

the circumstance of quantity or quality of the object

Where

s the circumstance of the place where the act is performed

By what means

the circumstance of the means employed by the agent.

How

This is the circumstance of manner

When

This is the circumstance of time

Why

this is the circumstance of end of the agent

the principles that govern the circumstances

1. An indifferent act becomes good or evil by reason of the circumstance: e.

2. A good act may become evil by reason of circumstance.

3. An intrinsically good or evil may become better or worse by reason of circumstances, and may even take on specifically new goodness or malice from its circumstances.

4. An evil act can never become good by circumstance.

5. A circumstance which is gravely evil destroys the entire goodness of of an objectively good act.

6. A circumstance which is evil, but not gravely so does not entirely destroy the goodness of an objectively good act.

Intrinsically evil

An Immoral act is this when its wrongfulness is part of the nature of such act.

Extrinsically evil

An Immoral act is this when its wrongfulness comes from an outside factor.