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 somecasesmoral 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.

CIRCUMSTANCEis 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?)

CIR

CU

MS

TA

NC

E O

F T

IME

(W

HE

N?

)

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 year-

long 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.