1 MANANSALA, JOHN MICHAEL M.

HUM 003 – ETHICS

Ethics introduces some basic concepts of discipline. This course includes some important
theoretical frameworks and analyses, certain ethical challenges facing the society and humanity
in general, in the contemporary world. This course covers morality of individual, concept of
values and even cultural beliefs and upbringing in all areas of business, from consumer rights to
corporate social responsibility. It also focuses on goodness and badness of behavior. Ethics is
also considered as a standard of right conduct.
On the duration of this course, Ethics, has shown me how broad human behavior is. It
includes different interpretations on how human reacts, thinks, and adopts to the nature. It
also includes different beliefs, traditions and customs that contribute to the wholeness of the
society we belong. One of the major discussions of this course that became a big portion of my
being as human and student is the Human Act. This chapter shows the rationality of a man
and his actions in accordance with the laws of nature. It implies that man has to live a normal
and moral life, to know what acts are proper to man. This certain discussion gave me the
knowledge on different elements that human must contain for this to be considered as an
action and response of a human. Human act should always be observed regardless of the
situation because it may be implied that not all human acts are considered as an act of human.
It may be confusing but it is determined that the human act that was committed must be done
knowingly and willfully by any individual. By this also complement the definition of Human
Act which is an act that are freely chosen in consequence of a judgment of conscience, can be
morally evaluated. They are either good or evil. The chapter opens different opportunity in
becoming a better individual not only by showing the positive insights but also by citing
different inappropriate responses of man in different situation, mirroring different acts
whether good or not. These give a vast realization of what should be done and what is not.
But it doesn’t necessarily mean that committing mistake is bad but what matters is that in
every mistake we commit, no matter how big it is, we should learn from this and as long as it
changes us as a better individual, hence, for the betterment of the society. A fully human act,
that is, one proceeding from knowledge and free will, is either morally good or morally evil.
How do we know whether a given human act is good or evil? Over the centuries moral
theologians have agreed that there are three determinants of the moral quality of our actions.
The three are: the object, the circumstances and the intention
Generally speaking, ethics is the philosophic science that deals with human acts. This
definition, however, is too broad and essentially incomplete because ethics doesn’t really deal
with all human acts, but only those which are voluntary, proceeding from deliberation, and
ordered toward some important goal or purpose. There are many human acts which do not
concern ethics because they are involuntary, do not involve moral concerns, or do not have
significant consequences. Ethics, as we understand it, has for its primary concern the ultimate
end of man and the principles of ethics to be discovered are of concern only as they apply
toward that ultimate end.