MODIFIERS OF HUMAN ACTS

Prof. Chris Pelias

Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern University

 Ethics or Moral Philosophy- deals with human

activity in as much as the acts are in conformity
with the natural end. The medium of knowledge
is reason alone, setting out the data of
experience and acquired knowledge.
Derived from Greek word ethos- conscience
Ethics excludes positive revelation of the Old
and New Testaments as source of its moral
knowledge and guidance.
Ethics is concerned with norms, mores or
traditions and principles of behavior insofar as
these principles are known by reason.

 Mans Natural End

Once a person reaches maturity, he faces a
question for himself: What should I do with my
life? What is my purpose in life?
Thus, his actions are all directed to his goal, his
purpose, his end.
Human actions are characteristically an action
for an end.
The principle of human acts is the end, goal or
purpose.
If no good (real or apparent) is known by reason,
no human act is performed

 The will is a blind faculty no desire unless the

reason shows there is something desirable
Nothing enters the mind without passing first
through the senses. Aristotle
* mans action is good if it leads him to his end
and bad if it drives him away from his ultimate
end.
2 kinds of good
Apparent Good
Real Good

 Attainment of the goal or end- the ultimate end

necessitates acts.
The ultimate end is a fixed principle but the
various means to attain it is not .
Freedom of Choice applies to these means.
Morally good acts are those which are suitable to
the attainment of the end.
Morally bad acts are those unsuitable to the
attainment of ultimate end.

 Human Acts
- actions that are free and deliberate
- those that proceeds from the free and conscious acts of
man
- act that is always done for a purpose
- an act that after few deliberation is performed
knowledge of the end and consent of the will

with

 - acts that are proper to man as man

- acts internal or external,bodily or spiritually
performed by a human being
ACTS OF MAN
- ACTS THAT MAN PERFORM INDELIBERATELY OR
WITHOUT ADVERTENCE
- mans animal act of sensation (use of senses) and
appetition ( bodily tendencies)

- acts done abstractedly or with complete

inadvertence
- acts performed in infancy, infirmity mind or
the weakness of senility
- acts done in sleep, in delirium, in the state of
unconsciousness

 CONSTITUENTS OR ELEMENTS OF HUMAN ACTS

KNOWLEDGE
_ product of the mind after due intellection
_ proceeds from the deliberate will
Kinds of Knowledge
Abstract- purely speculative, knowledge that is not enough for morals
_ it will lead to split level christianity or to legalism
_ Oftentimes children and students are guilty of this
_ Religion and moral values are learned without appreciating it

 B. Evaluative knowledge
_ knowledge applied or knowledge of appreciation is
required
_ what is objectively true must be subjectively true and
meaningful for me
_ True education aims at the formation of the human
person with respect to his ultimate goal and
simultaneously with respect to the good of the society of
which he is a member and in whose responsibilities as
an adult he has to share

 MODIFIERS OF HUMAN ACTS

A. IGNORANCE
_ the absence of knowledge
_ is the absence of knowledge that ought to
be there ( privative)
_ the absence of intellectual knowledge in
man ( negative)
_ negation of knowledge

Kinds of Ignorance
A. Ignorance in its Object
- Ignorance of the Law is the ignorance in
the existence of a duty, rule or regulation
ex. A young freshman comes to class with
fever to take an exam in chem not knowing
that a memo has been passed prohibiting
anyone to attend his class with symptoms
manifesting AH1N1

2. Ignorance of Fact ignorance of nature or

circumstances of an act as forbidden
ex. Pedestrian violates law not knowing that the
underpass is in use already
B. Ignorance in its Subject
1. Vincible Ignorance (Conquerable Ignorance)
- ignorance that can be supplanted by knowledge by
the use of ordinary diligence
- ignorance is due to lack of proper diligence.

Kinds of vincible ignorance

1.1 Simply vincible- some effort has been done but not
enough to dispel the ignorance
1.2 Crass or Supine- result of total or nearly lack of
effort to dispel it
1.3 Affected- if positive effort has been done to retain
the ignorance.
Past actions cannot be judged with present knowledge

2. Invincible Ignorance- ignorance that

ordinary and proper diligence cannot
dispel.
this is attributable to 2 causes;
(a) the person has no realization of his
lack of knowledge
(b) the person who realizes his
ignorance finds his effort ineffective

 C. IGNORANCE IN ITS Result

1. Antecedent Ignorance that which
precedes all consent of the will
ex. The chef served a poisonous mushroom
not knowing that it can cause the death of its
customers
2. concomitant- accompanies an act that
would have been performed even if the
ignorance did not exist.
ex. A student misses his ethics class but
even if he knows, he will still miss it.

3. consequent- that which follows upon

the act of the will
ex. A doctor suspects that the
patients disease is cancerous but
deliberately refrain from making sure,
and does not inform him.

1.
2.
3.
4.

PRINCIPLES
Invincible ignorance destroys the
voluntariness of the act
Vincible Ignorance does not destroy the
voluntariness of an act
Vincible Ignorance lessens the voluntariness
Affected ignorance is one way lessens and in
another way increases voluntariness

ll. ERROR- state of beleiving what is not true

Like ignorance is a privation of right knowledge and true
insight due to false opinions and convictions because of
deficient education, influence of bad company, reading
of misleading books and papers, insidous influence of
mass Media.
Error is positive ignorance. We all need erasers to our
pencils.Principle of error follow Principle of Ignorance

lll. Inattention momentary deprivation of knowledge

B. FREEDOM
Not the power to do what we like, but the the right of
being able to do what we know we ought to do in
relation to our ultimate end.
Responsibility- the ability of an individual to give a fitting
response to a human situation that involves human
needs. Both freedom and responsibility are interlinked
with each other and as such inseparable
There are many things in man that he would like to do
but he cannot do.
ex. To stay young forever, to know everything

 Although his freedom is limited , he is free in his

choices
His freedom lies on the fact that once he made a
decision no one can make him change his mind
When he chooses no power whatsoever can
force him to change his choice(dignity of man)
He can be enticed, induced, persuaded but
never forced.
His choice is not on his natural end but is free
determine himself towards the end and means
to attain it

Impairments to Freedom
1. Antecedent or Inculpable Passion- occurs when it
springs into action unstimulated by the will.
- always lessens the voluntariness of the act and
diminishes responsibility since it hinders reflection of
reason and weakens attention
- the stronger is the passion the weaker is the intellect
and will
- does not destroys the responsibility of the agent since
knowledge and freedom maybe lessened but he is still
the master of his act

If passion is so great, as to make control impossible

then the agent is temporarily insane and his act is not
human act but acts of man

2. Consequent passion- follows the free

determination of the act and is freely admitted
and consented to and deliberately aroused.
- the will directly or indirectly stirs them up
- however great does not lessen the
voluntariness since it is willed directly or
indirectly.
ex. Planned revenge or assassination, reading
pornography, singing hymns of praise

 3. Fear- shrinking back of the mind because of an

impending evil
Kinds:
a. Acts done with fear or inspite of fear as when a
person climbs a dangerous mountain at night . Fear in
this case accompanies an act whichin itself is voluntary
b. Acts done from fear and through fear or because of
fear as when a person threatened with a gun yields his
wealth to a thief.
c. fear maybe slight or grave according to the amount of
proximity of the impending evil. The danger of death or
losing a big amount of property are cases of grave fear.