ETHICS

1. Man as Biological Being

- Basic needs of man
2. Man as Rational Being
- Man is considered to be the highest form of animal
3. Man as Psychological Being
Man has feelings, emotions that makes him a psychological being
4. Man as Moral Being
- Man can distinguish good or bad
- Theres morality in ones action
Morality quality on the goodness or badness of an act
5. Man as Social / Relational Being
- no man is an island
6. Man as Economic Being
- Look for a job, in order to live
7. Man as Spiritual Being
- man by nature is a religious being
1. What is mans ultimate end?
2. When do we say that an action is good or bad?
3. Is there a standard norm of morality?
ETHICS
-

Practical science on the morality of human conduct.

Etymological Meaning

ETHICS, derived from a Greek word Ethos which means customs or a particular
behavior.
MORALITY, derived from the Latin word Moz/ Moris which means custom.
Traditional Ethics
In traditional Ethics, customs means permanent moral behavior in accordance with
the natural law (universal to all men).
Natural Order of things do good and avoid what is evil
FOUR (4) SPECIFIC SCIENCES RELATED TO ETHICS
1. LOGIC science of right living/reasoning
ETHICS right living
Similarities : rightness

Difference : L-reasoning ; E human action

2. PSYCHOLOGY study of man or human behavior/nature
ETHICS -
Difference : Psy not concerned with morality
Eth how man oath to behave
3. SOCIOLOGY and ETHICS moral order
4. ECONOMICS and ETHICS justice and charity
HUMAN ACT/CONDUCT
- intentional / conscious
- is an act wherein the person or agent is
aware or conscious on what he is doing
is considered to be a human act.
- there is a morality

ACT OF MAN
- not aware on what you are doing
- not intentional; unconscious
- has no morality

Act of man could also become human act;

-

Scanning pages of magazine (see something e.g FHM, it will become

human act because you are now conscious)
Material Object of Ethics subject matter

Formal Object point of view of a science ; rightness or rectitudeness of human

action
MORALITY
LAW/LEGAL
- internal acts of man
- external acts of man
e.g human thoughts or desire
- basis of law: Natural Law
Legal point of view it is legal because there is no crime committed.
Human Act
-

is an act which proceeds from deliberate freewill of man

1. Human act is a voluntary act of man.
2. It is an act done with knowledge and consent.
3. Human Act which are proper to man as man.

4. Human Act, acts which we are conscious, and are under our control.
5. Human Acts are those of which man is the master and of which he has the power
of doing or not doing as he pleases.
CLASSIFICATIONS OF HUMAN ACTS

Adequate cause of human act

-

- source of human act

all human acts have their source from man free rational will

Elicited Acts there are those acts which begin in the will and ends in the will itself.
e.g I wish I will go to Europe next year. (wish- only a wish ; ends in the will itself)
Commanded Acts if it is perfected by the external properties.
-

The wish will come true.

Kinds of Elicited Acts:

1. Act of wishing simple love of anything; very first tendency towards a thing.
2. Intention purposive tendency of the will towards a thing regarded as
realizable whether the thing is actually done or not.
3. Consent acceptance of the will of means necessary to carry out the
intention
4. Election selection by the will of the precise means to be employed in carry
out an intention
5. Use employment by the will of powers to carry out its intention by thee
means elected
6. Fruition enjoyment of the thing willed and done
Kinds of Commanded Acts:
1. Internal Act
- These are acts done by the mental powers under command of the will
e.g effort to remember
conscious of reasoning
effort to control your anger
intentional use of imagination
2. External Act
- Acts that are affected by bodily powers under the command of the will.
e.g deliberate walking, eating, writing, speaking
3. Mixed Act
- an act that involves the employment of bodily powers and mental powers.
e.g study

RELATION OF HUMAN ACT TO REASON

Three kinds of human act:

1. A good act
When they are in harmony with the dictates of reason.
2. Evil act
- When they are in opposition with the dictates of reason
3. Indifferent act
When they stand in no positive manner to the dictates of reason
-

Human act possesses three (3) essential qualities/elements

1. Knowledge
2. Freedom
3. Voluntariness

1. Knowledge
- Human act must be a knowing-act, deliberate act
Deliberation of the means and an end to be achieved by these means
Consciousness or awareness of the conditions and implications of our
actions
2. Freedom
- Every human act is a free-act under the control of our will
- Human prerogative absence of strength outside
3. Voluntariness
- Willed-act
3 degrees of voluntariness:
1.a. Perfect Voluntariness
1.b. Imperfect Voluntariness
2.a Positive Voluntariness
2.b. Negative Voluntariness
3.a Direct Voluntariness
3.b. Indirect Voluntariness
1.a. Perfect Voluntariness

- is present in a human act when the agent fully knows and fully intends the act.
1.b. Imperfect Voluntariness
- is present in human act when there is a defect in the agents knowledge, intention
or thought.
2.a. Positive Voluntariness
- is present in a human act of doing or performing the act
E.g you are performing an obligations , attending mass, attending class regularly
2.b. Negative Voluntariness

- is present in a human act of omitting or refraining from doing the act

e.g omit the obligation
not attending classes
3.a. Direct Voluntariness
- is present in human act willed in itself.
- voluntariness in se(other term for direct voluntariness)
e.g. man killing a dog for a pulotan ; - direct willing of the means and an ends
3.b. Indirect Voluntariness
- is present in a human act which is the foreseen result of another act directly willed.
- voluntariness in causa
e.g issue is the cause(drinking) and the effect (indirect) indirect willed the effect is
not intentional.

2 Cases Of Indirect Voluntariness

1. When from a good or indifferent action, one is evil effect is directly and
necessarily resolved.
Principle:
A pers6n is held morally responsible for any evil effect which flows from the
action itself directly and necessarily as a natural consequence though the evil
effect is not directly willed or intended.
Causa Causa est etian Causa Causati
2. When from a good or different action two effects result; one good and
one evil.
Principle of Double Effect:
A human act from which two effects may result one good and one evil is
morally permissible under four (4) conditions, if any of these conditions is
violated the act is not justified and should not be done.
4 Conditions:
1. The act itself should be good or at least morally indifferent.
2. The evil effect should not be directly intended but morally allowed to happen
as a regrettable side issue.
3. There should be a reason sufficiently grave in doing the act.
4. The evil effect should not out way the good effect.

MODIFIERS OF HUMAN ACT

Factors/Modifiers that may affect the essential element of human act
(knowledge, freedom and voluntariness) are:
1. IGNORANCE
2. CONCUPISCENCE / PASSION
3. FEAR

4. VIOLENCE
5. HABIT

1. IGNORANCE lack of knowledge which man should have of its moral negative
duties.
- absence of intellectual knowledge of man ; Ignorance of the law excuses no
one
THREE DEGREES OF IGNORANCE
1. INVINCIBLE
IGNORANCE

- ignorance that ordinary

diligence cannot be
dispelled or supplanted.
- total lack of knowledge
e.g Negrito spent his entire
life at the mountain went to
Vigan and violated the traffic
law, is he liable? --- NO
Degree:
Knowledge is there
knowledge under the
influence of invincible
ignorance? ---- No
knowledge
Freedom dependent from
knowledge
Voluntariness dependent
from knowledge and
freedom.
; therefore, the person
under the influenced of
invincible ignorance is
INCULPABLE (not his
fault).

2. VINCIBLE
IGNORANCE

- ignorance that can be

dispelled by the use of
ordinary diligence.
- this is not a total lack of
knowledge.
Degrees:
Knowledge there is, but
not totally, but he knows
that he is ignorance or
responsible enough.
Freedom- there is
Voluntariness- there is
The person is responsible
for his act.
e.g Vigan resident violated
the traffic law ; to
overcome, ask somebody
who knows that particular
issue.
; therefore, A person
under the influenced of
vincible ignorance is
CULPABLE (his fault).

3. AFFECTED
IGNORANCE /
PRETENDED
IGNORANCE
- it occurs when a
person positively wants
to be ignorant in order
to plead innocent to a
charge of guilt.
Degrees:
There is
Knowledge
Freedom
Voluntariness

No one can consent to a

law if he does not know
DEGREE OF THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AGENT UNDER:
1. INVINCIBLE
IGNORANCE

2. VINCIBLE
IGNORANCE

Principle:

Two Principles:

Invincible ignorance
destroys the
voluntariness of an
act

1. Vincible ignorance
does not destroy the
voluntariness of an
act.

- total absence of
knowledge; it lacks
voluntariness ; not
considered a human act.

2. Vincible ignorance
lessens the
voluntariness of an
act

3. AFFECTED /
PRETENDED
IGNORANCE
Principle:
Affected or pretended
ignorance does not
excuse a person from
his bad actions; on the
contrary it actually
increases
voluntariness.

2. CONCUPISCENCE / PASSION
- referring to the bodily appetites or tendencies that may occur
ANTECEDENTLY OR CONSEQUENTLY.
PASSIONS are strong tendencies towards the possession of something good or
towards the avoidance of something evil.
11 CHIEF PASSIONS
1. Love is a tendency towards a desirable good either present or absent.
2. Hatred the aversion of a sensible evil either present or absent.
3. Desire a tendency towards a sensible good that is absent.
4. Horror turning-away from a sensible evil that is absent or forcible in the
future.
5. Delight it is a joy produced by the presence and possession of the desired
good.
6. Sadness a sorrowful experience produced by the presence of evil.
7. Hope is the reaching out towards a future good whose attainment is
possible.
8. Despair the turning away from a good that is impossible to attain.
9. Bravery the courage to attack an evil that is possible to conquer.
10.
Fear

11.
Anger state of displeasure
exhibited by a feeling of having been insulted or by a desire to avenge an
injury.

Two (2) Degrees of Passion that affect essential qualities of an act:

1.

Antecedent Passion when they explain into action un stimulated by any act
of the will.
2. Consequent Passion when the will directly or indirectly steers them up or
posters them.

Three (3) Principles:

1. Antecedent passion lessens the voluntariness of an act
2. Antecedent passion does not destroy the voluntariness
3. Consequent passion however great does not lessen the voluntariness of an
act but it may increase.

3. FEAR
- is a disturbance of the mind cause by the thought of a threatening evil.
3 Principles:
1. Acts done with fear are voluntary although they are not pleasant to
the individual.
2. Acts done from fear or through fear are simply and absolutely
voluntary
3. Fear as the disturbance of the mind lessens the voluntariness but it
does not destroy it.
4. VIOLENCE / COMPULSION
- is the application external force on a person by another free-agent for the purpose
of compelling in to do something against his will.
Violence is justifiable based on the following:
1. Principle of double effect
2. Right to life
3. Right to property
PRINCIPLE:

Acts elicited by the will are not subject to violence, external acts caused by
violence to which due resistance is offered are in no wise imputable to the
agent.

5. HABIT
- a constant and easy way of doing things acquired by the repetition of the same
act.
PRINCIPLE:
Habit does not destroy voluntariness and acts from habit are always
voluntary at least in cause as long as the habit is allowed to endure.