MODULE 6 –Understanding the Acts
HUMAN ACTS / CHARACTERISTICS
HUMAN ACTS (MORAL & IMMORAL)
- Actions that proceeded from the deliberate
freewill of a person.
- done with knowledge and consent and willfully
carried out by a person
- characterized as:
1. free and voluntary acts of man
2. acts done with knowledge and consent
3. acts which are proper to man as rational
being since man has been gifted with
rationality and freedom of will.
4. acts which are conscious and under our
control and for which we are responsible.
ACTS OF MAN (AMORAL)
-actions that are naturally exhibits by man
-we cannot judge them
-Only human acts have ethical value.(Co, et al,
2014)
-HUMAN ACTS in accord with goodness are
moral like love and justice.
-MORAL ACTS done by man are right conduct.
- HUMAN ACTS in accord with evil are immoral
like murder and corruption.
-IMMORAL ACTS done by man are wrong
conduct.
-AMORAL ACTS are neither good or bad ; they
are not conduct but activity.
3 CLASSIFICATIONS OF ACTIONS
1. MORAL
2. IMMORAL
3. AMORAL
CONSTITUENTS OR EESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF
1. KNOWLEDGE
2. FREEWILL
3. VOLUTARINESS
KNOWLEDGE (Babor, 2008)
- Human act is done with knowledge.
- Makes and act deliberate.
- Agent is conscious.
FREEWILL (DUPRE, 2013)
- Idea that we are free agents
- Able to act as we please.
- Fundamental to all ethical thinking.
- An illusion if we are never free to do other
than we do.
- Drained of meaning.
VOLUNTARINESS (Babor, 2008)
- Presence of knowledge and freedom.
- Willful act in itself.
MORALITY - concerned with the knowingly
chosen acts of a human person.
3 FONTS/ CONSTRUCTIVE ELEMENTS OF MORALITY
(based from 2 greatest commandments )
- sole determinant of a human person.
1. Intention – purpose / goal ; must be moral
2. Moral objects- act itself ; essential moral
nature
3. Circumstances – good/ bad circumstances
2 GREATEST COMMANDMENTS
1. Love God above all else
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
BASIS OF ALL MORALITY – Love for :
1. God
2. Neighbor
3. Self
STAMENTS ON MORALITY OF HUMAN ACTS 2. PASSION / CONCUPISCENCE - tendencies
towards desirable object away from harmful
Catechism of the Catholic Church( CCC)
things.
The morality of human acts depends on: (3fonts / 2.1. Antecedent Passion - do not always
constructive concepts) destroy voluntariness but diminishes
accountability (Principle) ; weakens
1. The object chosen the will power.
2. The end in view or the intention 2.2. Consequent Passion – do not lessen
3. The circumstances of the action voluntariness, but may diminish
USCCB Catechism accountability ; are intentionally
aroused and kept; voluntary in
3 elements of moral act cause.
1. Objective Act
2. Subjective Act/intention 3. FEAR – disturbance of the mind by an
3. Circumstances impending danger or harm. Instinct of self-
preservation.
MODIFIERS OF HUMAN– factors that influence 3.1. Grave Fear – aroused by the
man’s inner disposition. (Agapay, 1991) presence of danger ; serious
3.2. Slight Fear – aroused by a danger
1. IGNORANCE
that is not serious.
-Vincible Ignorance
- Affected ignorance PRINCIPLES OF FEAR
-Invincible Ignorance
2. PASSION 1. Acts done by fear is voluntary.
- Antecedent Passion 2. Act done out of fear is simply voluntary,
- Consequent Passion also conditionally voluntary.
3. FEAR 3. Acts done with an intense fear is
- Grave Fear involuntary.
- Slight Fear
4. VIOLENCE 4. VIOLENCE - physical force exerted to a
- Perfect Violence person by another person.
- Physically Perfect Violence 4.1. Perfect Violence
- Morally Perfect Violence 4.2. Physically Perfect Violence – all
- Imperfect Violence possible in resisting is utilized.
5. HABITS 4.3. Morally Perfect Violence – all power
-------- of resistance should be used but not
1. IGNORANCE – absence of knowledge. employed for a good reason.
1.1. Vincible Ignorance– aware ; can 4.4. Imperfect Violence – some resistance
easily be reminded through ordinary is shown but not as much as should
diligence and reasonable efforts. be.
1.1.1 Affected Ignorance- affirms PRINCIPLES OF VIOLENCE
that a person keeps positive efforts in order
to escape responsibility or blame. 1. External or Commanded Actions -
1.2. Invincible Ignorance – agent is not reasonable resistance has been offered.
aware ; can’t be held morally liable. 2. Elicited Acts – done by will alone ;
voluntary.
3. Acts done from perfect violence are
involuntary.
4. Acts done from imperfect violence are
less voluntary.
 PRESUMPTIONS OF IMPARTIALITY
5. HABITS – born of frequently repeated acts.
-second nature
-acquired
PRINCIPLES OF HABIT
1. Actions done by habit / force is
voluntary in cause.
MODULE 7 : THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT OF
MORALITY –REASON AND IMPARTIALITY.
2 MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF MORALITY
1. Reason
2. Impartiality
“Man as a rational animal” – class definition
2 BASIC PRESUMPTIONS (ARISTOTLE)
1. Function – we can function and think
because we are human beings. Problem
escalates from personal organizational to
systematic dilemmas.
2. Superiority - implies faculties and abilities
necessary in the attainment of pleasures.
SALLY SEDGWICK
- “On Becoming Ethical”
- Only human animal can become ethical
because only human animal is a thinking
animal.
REASON
- Gives us the power to self- determination
or free-will for our desires.
- Strengthen our inner disposition to guide
our conduct and to do what could have
been the best reason for doing such act.
IMPARTIALITY
- IDEAL OBSERVER: possession of non-moral
facts that are relevant to the judgement
one has to make.
- IDEAL REASONER: a person who makes
moral judgement without being
influenced by biases.
- Reminds us that every person has a
system of beliefs that frames the
individual’s interest on a moral issue.
1. Each individual’s interest is equally
important.
2. Acknowledge that one’s welfare is as
important as our own.
3. Impartiality entails proscription against
arbitrariness in dealing with people.
4. Impartiality generates arguments from
varied viewpoints.
5. Impartiality provides alternative which
increase our chance on finding the best
solution to the moral problem.
MORAL REASONING – utilization of the basic
requirements/elements of morality.
Best decision is perceived to be in the
manner to which the dilemma is being
placed.
STEPS IN MORAL REASONING
In moral reasoning …
1. We identify the morally relevant aspect of
the situation.
2. We weigh the morally relevant aspects
giving due considerations to the views of
the persons concerned.
3. We enumerate all the possible actions to
be persued.
4. We decide on a particular action
reasoned to be most ethically justified.
---------
JOEY AND SANDY
PROHIBITIONS OF ABORTION IN NEW YORK
An abortion may be performed at:
1. 24 or more weeks postfertilization.
2. 26 weeks after the mother’s last menstrual
period.
3. Only if the woman’s health is
endangered.
Neocortex- part of cerebral cortex ; sight and
hearing
 ARGUMENTS FROM THE LEGAL STANDPOINT
1. Abortion is legal in NY.
2. Child defects are examples of
malformation allowable for abortion.
3. Sandy possess legal rights than her fetus
which is only four month old.
ARGUMENTS FROM THE RELIGIOUS
STANDPOINT
1. God is the creator of all things of heaven
and earth.
2. One of the 10 commandment says “ Thou
shall not kill”
3. Life is precious and sacred.
4. Life commences at conception in the
mother’s womb.
5. Sandy and Joey are devout Christians.
ARGUMENTS FROM THE MEDICAL STANDPOINT
1. Anencephaly has no cure /standard
treatment.
2. Down syndrome is a lifelong condition.
3. Spina bifida patients can reach their full
potential under good quality medical
care.
4. Cystic fibrosis has no treatment but can
ease symptoms and reduce
complications.
-------------------------
BABY JANE DOE- Ethical issue in health
3 DEFECTS OF BABY JANE DOE
1. Spina bifida – broken spine*
2. Hydrocephaly – excess fluid in brain
3. Microcephly – abnormally small brain
STAKEHOLDERS; needs surgery for spina bifida
1. Dr. Keuskamp
- Baby’s condition is not hopeless
- √YES TO SURGERY
2. Lawrence Washburn
- lawyer
- pro-life*
- √ YES TO SURGERY
3. Dr. Newman
- operation is pointless
- χ NO TO OPERATION ->Parents agreed
NEWBORN – considered as legal personality
FETUS – chemical substance ; 3-6 months
6 months – threshold
THE ARGUMENTS FOR BABY JANE DOE’S
CONDITION
1. The benefit argument
2. The sanctity of life argument
3. The argument from the wrongness of
discriminating against handicapped.
MODULE 8 : FEELING STATES AND VALUE
REASON & IMPARTIALITY – enables us to make
sound and just decision.
Animals – moved by instinct
Robots – moved by computer
Humans - moved by reason and passion.
HUMAN
- Political beings and also a social creatures
3 CATEGORIES OF SHARING (Dr. Dy)
1. Superficial / tsismis – grave fine
2. Intellectual – sharing of ideas
3. Gut level – sharing of feelings
Dr. Epstein (2014)
WISDOM– achievement of an emotional
saturation of thoughts and intellectual saturation
of emotions.
PHILO AND SOPHIA – LOVE OF WISDOM
FEELING
- Internalization – an unconscious assimilation of
the world.
- immediate and spontaneous link
- swift response to the world than thinking.
-more intimate.
* * feeling is different on thinking. Thinking is
about knowing the condition and feeling is
putting oneself into the actual situation.
IDEA- object of thinking -----IT----
VALUE – object of feeling ----VF-----
Importance of feeling – makes us connected WHY REASON ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH?
with each other.
1. LOGICAL INDIVIDUAL
MAX SCHELAR Synonyms Characters
Rational Jurists
Phenomenology is not method, but rather “an
Systematic Teachers
attitude of spiritual seeing, something which
Intellectual Prosecutors
otherwise remains hidden...”
Reasonable Boards
Phenomenology is beyond the actual Pragmatic Academic council
experience.
Places Phrases
It is subjective wherein we found ourselves in a School Logical connection
particular situation where things are presented Court Logical necessity
before us . Arbitration Logical opposition
Feeling as one the emotional aspects of
consciousness are considered “ a priori” –“prior - Strict
to” - Policy-laden

-way of seeing the value of things 2. AXIOLOGICAL INDIVIDUAL

-not physical but value Synonyms Characters
Emotional parents
ORDER AND STRATIFICATION OF OUR EMOTIONAL Caring Teachers
LIFE Sympathetic Social workers
Loving Friends
1. SENSIBLE FEELINGS
Pro-people Priest
- Or feeling of our sensation
- Most fundamental level
Places Phrases
- Through our senses, we elicit / emit
School Axiological acts
emotions.
Church Axiological judgment
2. THE LIVED BODY
Home Axiologicaldimension
- Or feeling of function
- Our purpose to live
- Theory of value
3. PSYCHIC FEELING
- Value & appreciation
-phenomena that are inexplicable by the
- Benefits people
natural laws
4. SPIRITUAL FEELING HEIRARCHY OF VALUES ACC. TO SCHELAR
- Level of our personality
- Highest level 1. SENSORY VALUES
- Essence intentional -lowest level
- Function- physical feature (+) pleasant , (-) unpleasant
2. VITAL VALUES
Attitude - > emotion-> Appreciation/valuing -noble and vulgar
-general well-being
In the natural world, objects are value-laden
3. SPIRITUAL VALUES
-basis of LOVE. -justice and injustice
4. HOLY AND UNHOLY
-highest level
- absolute objects
-bliss/despair
EDMUND HUSSERL MORAL VIRTUES –dependent on the golden
mean
- Phenomenology is characterized by the
world of the natural standpoint. HABITUATION-key to acquire knowledge.

METHODS/ STAGES

1. Remove biases HOW IS MORAL COURAGE DEVELOPED?

2. Essence of the experience
5 COMPONENTS OF MORAL COURAGE
3. Consciousness
1. Presence and recognition of a moral
VALUE
situation
- Particular class of the ideal object. 2. The making of moral choice
- The object of feelings 3. Recognition of the moral behavior
- Groups of value --POSITIVE and NEGATIVE. 4. The individuality requirement
5. The fear component
MORAL VALUES

- The concept of good is the realization of

a higher value
- Implies superiority of positive value
1. EDUCATION AND HABITUATION
- Higher values of holy and unholy
- Lower values of vital and sensory –EGO SOCRATES – education of the soul
MODULE 9:FROM COURAGE TO MORAL COURAGE ARISTOTLE – education of the entirety of human
being
TYPES OF COURAGE
FULL MATURATION – man’s nature is equated to
1. Social Courage
fulfillment
2. Intellectual Courage
3. Emotional Courage Model the virtues the children
4. Spiritual Courage
5. Moral Courage 2. USE OF STORIES AND HEROES
6. Physical Courage WILLIAM KILPATRICK- moral stories help children
MORAL DISTRESS- person feels powerless after to learn virtues.
seeing an act. SOCRATES – do not portray the underworld
VIRTUE – Motivation to act in accordance with (death) as terrifying. Otherwise , children will
our moral and ethical principles. never develop courage because they fear
death.
- Attitude /disiposition

VIRTUE ETHICS- appreciates that conflicts occur

and more than just moral wisdom is needed.

2 TYPES OF VIRTUES

1. Intellectual virtue (thought)

2. Moral virtue (character)

ARISTOTLE –moral virtue are not innate.

-excess and deficiency

PLATO – innate