For What Its Worth /w Lyrics

HUMAN ACTS Introduction

Human persons – intelligent and free │ - capable of determining our own lives by our own free choices │ HOW? │ - by freely choosing to shape our lives and actions in accord with the truth → by making good moral choices - These choices performed as free persons are called HUMAN ACTS DEFINITION OF HUMAN ACTS  Acts which man does as man = acts proper to man as man  Acts of which he is properly master = because he does them with full knowledge and of his own will = actions performed by man knowingly and freely = will → properly enlightened by knowledge → supplied by the intellect  Therefore, Human acts are those acts which proceed from a deliberate freewill HUMAN ACTS – THE CONCERN OF MORALITY  only human acts are moral acts = it is only with human acts that man is responsible for his actions REASON AND FREEDOM – makes man a moral subject REASON - Human acts are either in agreement or in disagreement with the dictates of reason dictates of reason - shared consciousness of prudent people about the manner of action or behavior - Norm of morality which is the standard by which actions are judged as good or evil │ = good --- in harmony with reason = evil --- opposed to reason = indifferent --- neutral FREEDOM - makes man a moral subject - when man acts in deliberate manner --- he is the father of his acts - man is thus responsible for those acts --- he can acknowledge that he has done them because he wanted to --- and he can explain why he decided to do them = those acts can be morally classified – they are either good or evil INTELLECT AND WILL IN HUMAN ACTS - intellect and the will are not 2 successive acts but 2 elements of human acts - it is not that the intellect that knows and the will that decides but man who both know and decides through simultaneous use of the 2 faculties - will – directs the intellect to know - intellect – directs the will to want the object it proposes WILL - the only object which necessarily attracts the will --- ABSOLUTE GOOD perfectly known as such - Partial goods or God imperfectly known – will not necessarily attract the will WILL – naturally inclined to the good – but man may sometimes deliberately choose something morally evil, how come? - In this case, the will chooses a partially good that the will itself has commanded the intellect to present as such = how did it happen? │ = the will has a fixed inclination to the good – the will can only choose something bad when it is presented under its good aspects = it is due to the disordered disposition of the will with respect to its last end, and the means leading to it = there lies the culpability of the choice ACTS OF MAN - those acts which man performs without being master of them through his intellect and will = therefore, they are not voluntary EXAMPLES OF ACTS OF MAN  The natural acts of vegetative and sense faculties - digestion, beating of heart, growth, corporal reactions, visual or auditive perceptions. - but these acts may become human acts when they are performed with malice, or when we are directed by the will, when we look at something or arouse ourselves  Acts of persons without the proper use of reason – children or insane persons  Acts of people asleep or under the influence of hypnosis, alcohol or other drugs. - however, there may still be some degree of control by the will - but there is indirect responsibility if the cause of the loss of control is voluntary  Primo-primi acts – quick and nearly automatic reactions – reflex and nearly instantaneous reactions without time for the intellect or will to intervene  Acts performed under serious physical – or in some cases – moral violence

MODIFIERS OF HUMAN ACTS

Introduction - ideal for man = to act deliberately = with perfect voluntariness | = intrinsic principles (knowledge and freewill) are employed - BUT this is not always the case – it is not always possible = There are times when a degree of doubt or reluctance accompanies an act or our emotions take control of us, creating swift reactions and stirring our impulses - There are factors that can influence or really influences man’s inner disposition towards certain actions - They affect the mental and emotional state of the person = therefore, they may increase or decrease voluntariness and consequently, the accountability PRINCIPLE: “The greater the knowledge and freedom, the greater the voluntariness; and the greater the voluntariness, the greater the moral responsibility.” – Alfredo Panizo - Man does not act in a vacuum – he is an organism; meaning to say, his movement is qualified as a response to certain stimulus - His total make-up is the sum of all his experiences = there are lots of factors around him that we should take into account. (For ex., personal background, education, social upbringing, religion, personal hopes, aims and dreams etc.) = they contribute to his development, to his choices and decisions and to his behavioral preference MODIFIERS OF HUMAN ACTS a) Ignorance b) Passions c) Fear d) Habit e) Violence a) IGNORANCE - Erroneous knowledge or simple lack of knowledge - Absence of knowledge which a person ought to possess = Ignorance of FACT = Ignorance of LAW “Ignorance of Law exempts no one” - implies that one who has done wrong may not simply and directly claim ignorance as defense or justification or to be freed from sanction attached to the Law that was violated - implies that one should not act in the state of ignorance but always strive to dispel it 1) Vincible Ignorance - form of Ignorance which can be easily remedied through ordinary diligence and reasonable efforts 1.a) Affected Ignorance - a person possess this kind of Ignorance when a person employs positive efforts to be ignorant in order to be escape responsibility - it is Vincible Ignorance explicitly wanted = studied ignorance 2) Invincible Ignorance - kind of Ignorance which a person possesses without being aware of it or lack the means to rectify it PRINCIPLES: 1) Invincible Ignorance renders an act involuntary - a person is not liable or cannot be culpable if he is not aware of his ignorance or when there is no means of rectifying his ignorance 2) Vincible Ignorance does not destroy but lessens voluntariness and the corresponding accountability over the act - when a person becomes aware of one’s ignorance, he/she has the moral obligation to rectify it- and to act with this is a form of imprudence 3) Affected Ignorance though it decreases voluntariness, increases the accountability over the resultant act - it interferes intellect – decrease voluntariness - it is willed to persist – increases accountability - refusing to rectify ignorance is malicious – and malice is graver if ignorance is used as an excuse for not doing the right thing b) PASSION - Either tendencies towards desirable objects (positive emotions like love, desire, delight, hope, bravery etc) or tendencies away from undesirable or harmful things (negative emotions like horror, sadness, hatred, despair, fear, anger etc) Passions – psychic responses –niether moral or immoral - however, man is bound to regulate his emotions and submit them to the control of reason 1) Antecedent Passions - precedes the act - predisposes a person to act 2) Consequent Passions - those that are intentionally aroused and kept - voluntary in cause; the result of the will playing the strings of emotion PRINCIPLES: 1) Antecedent Passions do not always destroy voluntariness but they diminish accountability for the resultant act - they weaken the will power without obstructing freedom completely - therefore, crimes of passion are always voluntary although accountability is diminished because it interferes with the freedom of the will 2) Consequent Passions do not lessen voluntariness but may even increase responsibility - consequent passions are direct results of the will which fully consents to them instead of subordinating them to its control c) FEAR - disturbance on the mind of the person – being confronted by an impending danger or harm to himself, to his loved ones or to his property - one is compelled to decide to perform an act so as to avoid threat of future or imminent evil 1) Act done with fear - certain actions which by nature are dangerous or risky - in theses cases, fear is a normal response to danger - these actions are voluntary because the doer is in ful control of his faculties and acts inspite of fear - fear here is an instinct for self-preservation (we even fear new experiences or situations) ex. Being left alone in a strange place, being asked to speak before a group of people 2) Act out of fear or because of fear - fear here becomes a positive force compelling a person to act without careful deliberation - fear modifies the freedom of doing, inducing the person to act in a certain predetermined manner, even without his full consent Ex. A child – studies/reads his books – out of fear of his mother A man – stops smoking – fear of contracting cancer PRINCIPLES: 1) Acts done with fear are voluntary - acting inspite of his fear and is in full control of himself 2) Acts done out of fear are simply voluntary although conditionally involuntary - simply voluntary = person remains in control of his faculties - conditionally involuntary = if it were not for the presence of something feared, the person would not act or would act in another way - Intimidating or threatening as person with horror is an unjust act - Legally speaking, acts done out of fear – invalid acts Ex. Contract – made out of fear – voidable – later be annulled 3) Acts done because of intense fear or panic are involuntary - panic – obscures the mind – in this mental state, the person is not expected to think sensibly d) HABIT - permanent inclinations to act in a certain way - lasting readiness and facility born of frequently repeated acts or for acting in a certain manner - acquire the role of second nature – moves a person to perform certain acts with relative ease Habit – not easy to overcome or alter - requires a strong-willed person to correct a habit Voluntary Habits - those caused by the repetition of voluntary acts Involuntary Habits - a habit becomes such if the will is resolved to remove it and there is a struggle to overcome it PRINCIPLES: 1) Actions done by force of habit are voluntary in cause, unless a reasonable effort is made to counteract the habitual inclination - Bad Habits – voluntary in cause because they are results of previously willed acts done repeatedly - as long as the habits are not corrected, evil acts done by force of habit are voluntary and accountable - can be not accountable – if a person decides to fight his habit. For as long as the effort towards this purpose continues, actions resulting from such habit may be regarded as acts of man because the cause of such habit is no longer expressly desired e) VIOLENCE - any physical force exerted on a person by another free agent for the purpose of compelling the said person to act against his will Ex. Bodily torture, maltreatment, mutilation, etc PRINCIPLES: 1) External actions or commanded actions performed by a person subjected to violence, to which reasonable resistance has been offered, are involuntary and are not accountable - active resistance should always be offered to an unjust aggressor - if resistance is impossible and there is a serious threat to one’s life, a person confronted by violence cab offer intrinsic resistance 2) Elicited acts, or those acts done by the will are not subjected to violence and are therefore voluntary Will – a spiritual faculty – therefore, not within the reach of violence - In history – there are thousand heroes who suffered death instead of surrendering their will to their tormentors. Thos who succumbed and submitted to the wishes of their tyrants should not be considered as villains because they easily gave in to their tormentors because every man has his own limit of endurance

Two Types of Human Actions

1. Human Act (actus humaini) – An action that is performed with the use and consent of our thinking (intellect and judgment) and our willing (doing); also called “personal acts”. • Above: elder brother; bored teen-ager. 2. Acts of Humans (actus hominis) – Actions that happen without the intervention of our thinking and willing. These include: a. Biological processes – like digestion, breathing, etc. b. Actions performed without, or a physically impaired use reason and intellect – like people asleep, lunatics, drunk or drugged people. c. Spontaneous reactions that precede any intelligent and willful activity – like the first reaction of anger or joy or sadness, etc. d. Forced acts carried out against a person’s personal decision and will. The Human Act Up Close Two Components of the Human Act 1. The Intellectual Component – An action may be said to be a human act if the person uses his intelligence in order to know or recognize a particular object or action. We cannot will to do something without knowing what it is, or what it’s for. A human act is something we do consciously. We know what we’re doing and why. We also know the object of our action, that is, the person or thing that receives our act. 2. The Volitive Component – Volitive, from the Latin, voluntas, “will”. Every voluntary act of persons is directed towards what s/he thinks is “good”. (This includes people with impaired conscience or morals.) Human acts are willed, deliberate, purposeful acts done with freedom. Two Kinds of Voluntary Acts and Their Effects Acts 1. Perfectly Voluntary Act – An act that is performed with full attention and full consent of the intellect and the will. 2. Imperfectly Voluntary Act – An act that is performed in which either or both the attention and the consent of the doer are imperfect or impaired. Two possibilities: a. Imperfect attention and consent: A drunk pissing in public; a drug addict murdering his family while loaded. b. Full attention but imperfect consent: A soldier being tortured and eventually confessing army secrets. 3. Voluntary Active Act – An act in which committing something creates an effect. 4. Voluntary Passive Act – An act in which the effect is attained by a person’s choice not to act. Two types: a. Positive Passive Act: When the omission of an act prevents evil from happening. • A priest keeping quiet about a person whose confession he heard while his parishioners talk about her; • A student who keeps his eyes on his own paper during a test despite the temptation to look around. b. Negative Passive Act: When the omission of an act results in evil. • Not confessing that you know the rapist or drug dealer at large; • Keeping quiet about first-hand information about fraternity-hazing, drug users and pushers. Effects 1. Directly Voluntary Effect – The effect of an action is directly voluntary when the deed is in itself the intended goal (when deed and goal are one and the same); OR if the deed is intended for another willed goal. 2. Indirectly Voluntary Effect – The effect is indirectly voluntary if the effect is merely permitted or allowed to happen as an inevitable result of another intention. Transition to “Freedom” There is still one vital prerequisite to actions of human beings in order that we may say they are human acts, and in order that we may judge whether a certain human act is moral or not. Without this prerequisite, this essence of the human person, we cannot be fully held responsible for what we do. But because we believe that we are responsible for our voluntary acts, we presume there is this one prerequisite that makes us thus accountable, and this is the prerequisite of FREEDOM.

What is Ethics? Etymologically:It comes from two Greed word ethos,meaning a characteristic way of doing things, or a body of customs. Hence, it is a study of human customs or ways of doing things. Classical Definition: It is the science of the morality of human acts. It is a science because it is a systematic body of knowledge meant to guide men in their pursuit of the good and happy life. Ethics is therefore a practical science; it is not a speculative science that merely theorizes. Ethics is meant to be applied, i.e., it teaches how men ought to live. Note: Ethics can be divided into two: A. General Ethics – concerns the individual and what he ought to do to live happy and fruitful life in this world. B. Special Ethics – concerns the individual as a member of society. All problems concerning society and the social order are taken up. THE IMPERATIVES OF ETHICS Ethics presupposes some imperatives or sine qua non, “those with which” Ethics would not be possible. These imperatives are: 1. the existence of God or a Supreme Being 2. the existence of human freedom; 3. the existence of an afterlife, i.e., life beyond the grave, or the immortality of the soul What is Morality? Mortality is the quality of goodness or badness of human acts. It is also the rightness or wrongness of human acts as they conform or do not conform to standards. Human acts are those that are done with full knowledge and full willingness or deliberation. Acts that are done without full knowledge or full willingness or deliberation or both are termed acts of man.Human acts must conform to a standard to determine whether they are good or bad, right or wrong, moral or immoral. MORAL THEOLOGY *Moral Theology seeks to relate the Christian to the complex realities of living in the world. *Interested on the implications of the Christian faith. A.Ethics of Being B. Ethics of Doing Ethics of Being *Interiority of the person. *Actions are always expression of a person. *It pays attention to what is happening to the person performing actions rather than on the actions the person performs. *It asks: What sort of person should I become because I believe in Christ? *Character Ethics of Doing *Interiority of the person get expressed in behavior *Right actions come from a good person *Attends not only to the duties and obligations of the person acting but also to the circumstances which make up the moral situation *It asks: What sort of action should I perform because I believe in Christ? *Action Five Guidelines to the Development of Moral Theology Vocation of the Christian - Call to Holiness - Invitation from Christ to a personal response of love. Love God through one’s neighbor - The life of Christian must live daily in word and deed. - As a service for others not purely between God and individual. More Biblical - More thoroughly nourished by scriptural teaching. - Imbued with a deeper sense of the Word of God as revealed in scripture and of the history of Man’s salvation through the mystery of Christ found in the bible. More Scientific - constant dialogue with other field of study. On Going Task - Socially oriented and must come into grips with contemporary problems. THREATS TO LIFE: WHATEVER IS OPPOSED TO LIFE *Murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, suicide WHATEVER VIOLATES THE INTEGRITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON *mutilation, torments inflicted on body and mind WHATEVER INSULTS HUMAN DIGNITY *Subhuman living conditions slavery imprisonment human trafficking disgraceful working conditions ALL THESE ARE: Poisons to human society Against the order of reason. THEY ARE: Expanding with new prospects Opened up by scientific technological progress. IRONY Progress in science and technology Regress in moral life. GRAVE CONCERN: Broad sectors of public opinion JUSTIFY certain crimes against life. HOW? By invoking the rights of individual freedom and By obtaining exemption from punishment even authorization by the state, so that these crimes can be done with total freedom IT IS GRAVE AND DISTURBING THAT CONSCIENCE IS DARKENED BY WIDESPREAD CONDITIONING AS A RESULT, IT HAS BECOME DIFFICULT TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL ROOTS AND SOURCES OF CONTEMPORARY MORAL TRENDS 1. Profound Crisis of Culture CULTURE pattern of human knowledge, customary belief, and behavior of a racial, religious, or social group the characteristic features of everyday existence shared by people in a place or time the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices CAUSE: Skepticism in relation to the foundations of knowledge and ethics EFFECTS: difficulty in grasping clearly: - The meaning of human existence - The meaning of man’s rights and duties MAN FINDS HIMSELF LOST 2. Existential and Interpersonal difficulties EXISTENTIAL *grounded in existence or the experience of existence *Aggravated by the complexity of society where people no longer want to take responsibility for their neighbors 3. Situations of Acute Poverty, Anxiety or Frustration CONCLUSION: THE CONTEMPORARY MORAL TRENDS MAKE THE CHOICE TO DEFEND AND PROMOTE LIFE DEMANDING AS SOMETIMES TO REACH THE POINT OF HEROISM