Lesson-3-The-Human-Act.pptx ppp0pppppppp

Ethics

1. The Human Act

2. Human Acts “To live in accordance with the laws of nature, he has to act in accordance with the laws of nature” -Immanuel Kant

3. Catechism of Catholic Church on Human Acts Freedom makes man a moral subject. When he acts deliberately, man is, so to speak, the father of his acts. Human acts, that is, acts that are freely chosen in consequence of a judgment of conscience, can be morally evaluated. They are either good or evil.

4. Human Acts Actus Humanus Human acts are actions or activities that emanate from the rationality of man. These are acts proper to man as man. Examples Act to vote a candidate Act to decide Act to teach To love To hate To attend a party To read, to study

5. Human Acts A human act is an act of which a man is master , to do or not to do: it is an act of free will. It is an expression of self . It is a man's own act, not of other agents about him. It is not an organic process going on in his body: it is an output of his soul and spirit. Man is responsible to God for all his human acts , and to his fellowman for many of them: and for none but his own human acts is any man responsible.

6. A truly 'human act' is a voluntary act, which means that the person has engaged their will to embrace, as he shall explain in his text, an end or goal to be achieved, and subsequently chooses a way to realize that end. -Thomas Aquinas

7. Acts of Man Actus Hominis Acts that is not proper to man as a rational being. Acts of man include man’s animal acts of sensation and appetition and acts that are not deliberate and free . An act of man is an act which man performs but he is not the master of it for he has not consciously controlled it, has not deliberately willed it, and is subsequently not responsible for it.

8. Ethics is not concerned with acts of man but only with human acts. Only human acts are moral acts for man is responsible only for them and such acts are imputed to him as worthy of praise or blame, of reward or punishment.

9. Elements of Human Act Knowledge – The agent of act (the actor/person) knows what he is doing. He knows its results, good or bad. The act in other words is done deliberately. Freedom – the person who does the action is not pressured to do or not to do the action. He is free from all external forces beyond his control. To do the act out of fear make the action not his own. Human act must be done in freedom. Voluntaries – the agent does the act out of his own decision and will. He does the act because he decides to do it. It emanates from his heart and reason. The absence of one of these elements make an act not human. As a result, since the action is done freely, knowingly and voluntarily, man is responsible of such an act.

10. Classification of Human Act Elicited Act – if it begins and ends in the will without bodily movement Commanded Act – if it requires both mind and body

11. Elicited Acts Wish – a desire or love, or a longing for an objector anything, impossible or possible to realize. Intention – a purpose or aim, a determination to act in a certain way, attainable or not but not obligatory. Consent – an affirmation of the will to go on the intention of the agent. Election – the agent chooses a way to carry out his intention. Use – after the mind has selected the means to carry out the intention, this time the mind uses the means. Fruition – a result of the object being desired.

12. Example of an Elicited Act I wish to become a famous. (Wish) To attend several parties or to become a celebrity. (Intention) To attend several parties. (Consent) By taxi or by private car. (Election) Go to the garage and drive the private car. (Use) Be in the party and socialize with new people/friends and be famous. (Fruition)

13. Commanded Acts Internal Acts – seem to be like elicited act because it is also solely in the mind of the agent. However it requires the body to complete it. Examples: Efforts to remember, conscious reasoning, effort to control anger, deliberate use of the imagination in visualizing a scene External Acts – acts done by the body under the direction of the will. Deliberate walking, eating, writing, speaking. Mixed – this is the combination of the internal and external acts as the word suggests. Example, when studying, one uses the mind and the body.

14. Morality of Human Acts Morality of Human act refers to the goodness or badness of an act. These are called “morally good” or “morally evil”. When the act is done in accordance to the law of God and human reason, which is attested to by the conscience, the act is morally good. On the other hand, if there is a violation on the law - morally evil

15. God’s Law

16. Sources of Morality 1. The Object –It is the aim or goal of a certain action. The object directly chosen by the will determines the basic morality (good or bad). The person's intellect sees this as according to moral standards (good) or not according to moral standards (evil).

17. Sources of Morality 2. The Intention – the means of attaining the object. The person also has an intention which determines the act's morality. An intention can guide many acts or even a whole lifetime (as loving God). One act can have a multiplicity of intentions (Doing a favor to help someone and also to receive a favor in return). However, a good intention can never turn an evil act into a good one. A good purpose cannot justify evil means. However, an evil intention can make a good act into an evil one, such as giving alms to gain praise.

18. Sources of Morality 3. Circumstances – these are environments or conditions prevailing when the action is done. These are the who, what, where, when, with whom, under what condition and why the action was performed. Only the act and the intention make an act good or bad. The circumstances can increase or diminish the goodness or evil. For example, stealing a large amount of money increases the evil, while fear of harm can lessen a person's responsibility. Circumstances can never make an evil act into a good one.

19. One of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things. When life doesn't go as planned—whether it's a bad day at work, a fight with a friend, or just feeling down—it's easy to get caught up in the negativity. But we have the choice to react differently. Think about those moments when everything seems to be falling apart. We can choose to take a deep breath, find a silver lining, and keep moving forward. It's like deciding to laugh off a rainy day instead of letting it ruin our plans. This freedom to choose our reactions helps us find peace and happiness, even when things are tough.

20. Assignment 3 The difference between human acts and acts of man? What makes man responsible for his actions? What makes a man superior from the other animals?