MORALITY OF

HUMAN ACT

ACTS OF MAN
(Actus Hominis)

versus
HUMAN ACTS
(Actus Humani)

They are SPONTANEOUS,

BIOLOGICAL and
UNCONTROLLED Processes.

Thus they are not deliberate,

involuntary, not free, not
controlled and beyond our
knowledge and will.

The natural acts of vegetative and sense

faculties: digestion, beating of the heart,
growth, corporal reactions, and visual or
auditive perceptions.
Acts of persons who lack the use of reason.
Acts of people who are asleep or under the
influence of hypnosis, alcohol, or other drugs.

Quick, nearly automatic reactions, called

primo-primi acts.
Acts performed under violence or threat of
violence. This includes physical orin some
casesmoral violence.

HUMAN ACTS

Acts that proceed from

reason and free will
rightly called
PERSONAL ACTS

Constituent
Principles of
HUMAN ACTS
(Essential condition)

FREEDOM
Freedom - doing what one ought to do.
Licence - doing whatever one wants.
The more one does what is good, the
freer one becomes. There is no true
freedom except in the service of what is
good and just. the choice to disobey and
do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads
to the slavery of sin.
(CCC 1733)

FREEDOM
Freedom - doing what one ought to do.
Licence - doing whatever one wants.
Freedom characterizes properly human
acts. It is the basis of praise or blame,
merit or reproach. Freedom makes man
responsible for his acts to the extent that
they are voluntary (CCC 1732, 1734)

Determinants or Sources of the

MORALITY of HUMAN ACTS
(CCC 1751-1753)

Intrinsically Good
Acts

The action in itself is

GOOD/RIGHT/MOR
AL.

Intrinsically Evil Acts

The action in itself is

EVIL/BAD/WRONG/
IMMORAL.

THE REASON FOR WHICH

THE AGENT UNDERTAKES
THE ACT
The movement of the will
toward the end

It is an essential element to
the moral evaluation of an
action

1. An act which is good in itself and is

done for a good end becomes
doubly good
2. An act which is bad itself and is
done with a bad end becomes
doubly bad
3. An act which is good itself and is
done with a bad intention becomes
bad.
4. An act which is bad itself and is
done with a good end does not
become good
5. An indifferent act which is done for
a good end becomes good.
6. An indifferent act which is done for
a bad becomes bad.

CIRCUMSTANCE

is conditions (apart from the act) which can aggravate or mitigate, exalt
or lessen the culpability and morality or immorality of the act.

CONDITION OF
THE AGENT

CIRCUMSTANCE OF THE PLACE (WHERE?)

CIRCUMSTANCE OF TIME (WHEN?)

SEAT WORK: CASE STUDY

Sister Ma. Clara was a missionary assigned o the poor community
of Payatas C in QC. She taught the poor children in the area. One
day, Sister started a fund-raising drive. The owner of the nearby
fast food chain donated without hesitation 10,000 pesos. A 8-year
old child, the daughter of the barangay chair also donated his yearlong savings. Another child also donated 5 pesos. The child was
Ricardo. He was the son of a mangangalakal. Night came, the
Sister was walking back to her convent when she saw Ricardo
being harassed by a man. The man wanted to take the income of
Richard from selling sampaguita. The sister immediately ran to
help Ricardo however the man saw the sister and grabbed the
child and brought out a knife. The man knew that the sister had
collected much form her fund-raising project. The assaulter
demanded money from the sister. The sister followed his demand
to save the life of the child. The child cried aloud and apologized
to the sister because the criminal was his father.