TREDTWO Sir Paulus

Lesson 1: The Human Person as Agent of Morality

A. Man as a Moral Being

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms, “the human person, made in the image of God, is a
being at once corporeal and spiritual” (no. 362). The human body is human and living precisely because it
is animated by a spiritual soul. So closely united are body and soul in the human person that one must
consider the soul to be the “form” of the “body.” As Pope John Paul II has said, the human person’s “rational
soul is the form of his body,” and the “person, including his body, is completely entrusted to himself, and
it is in the unity of body and soul that the person is the subject of his own moral acts.”

Morality (from the Latin moralitas "manner, character, proper behavior") is the quality of behavior or
conduct that differentiates intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good (moral) and bad
(immoral).

Christian morality is the belief that the best way to live is to try to live in keeping with the teaching of
Jesus Christ. It is the art of correct living, that is, in accordance to the will of God.

The basis of all Catholic moral teaching is our belief in the God who created all things and in Jesus who
taught us even better how to live. We believe we are created in God's image and that we, and all creation,
are basically good. Yet we recognize our own tendencies toward evil, especially in an excess of our desires.
The Ten Commandments are part of the code known to the early Israelites that helped them to live better
lives in relationship with Yahweh. We believe in the same values, with certain changes because of our
knowledge of Jesus Christ.

We believe Jesus, as God become human "God among us," has most truly shown us how to live. Our moral
life is based on trying to live and treat others as Jesus did. The Bible is the primary source for
information on the life of Jesus. In it, we find that the Reign of God (or Kingdom of God) is the central
focus of Jesus' teaching.

Three Characteristics of Man’s Moral Nature:

1. Man by natural insight is able to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong, moral
and immoral. (All people, including those we regard primitive, have an understanding of what is right or
wrong, of what is permitted and prohibited behavior).

2. Man feels himself obliged to do what is good and to avoid what is evil. (He is moved by the
inner force of his being demanding that what is good “ought” to be done, and what is evil “ought” to be
avoided.

3. Man feels himself accountable for his actions so that his good deeds merit reward, while his
evil deeds deserve punishment. (Man feels content with himself for doing a good deed, or he feels
remorseful for doing an evil deed. All creatures have a system of reward and punishment based on the
concept of justice.)
B. Human Acts

Human acts are actions done freely and intentionally like playing, surfing the internet, reading a book,
cheating during tests, or hurting someone. Human acts are differentiated from acts of man which are
physiological and instinctive like breathing, feeling happy, or falling in love. Human acts are the results of
what we think and desire, and these reveals our moral character or behavior. They are the subject of moral
evaluation whether we are called and categorized as a moral or immoral, bad or good person.

Characteristics of a Human Act

Human acts are those done by a person who is acting knowingly, freely, and wilfully.

1. knowingly (knowledge) – the person is conscious and aware of the reason and the consequences of his
actions. Reading is a human act because we know that it will increase our knowledge for we will learn
something. Every person who is healthy physically and mentally is presumed to act knowingly.

2. freely (freedom) – the person acts by his own choice and initiative. This means he was not influenced by
another person or any situation to perform his action. It is not a voluntary action when a person does his
action under pressure or against his will. A woman is not acting freely when she decided to marry the man
just because she was pregnant but not truly in love.

3. willfully (will)- the person consents or agrees to the act, accepting it as his own, and assumes
accountability for the result. A student is acting wilfully when he reviews his lessons for the test.

C. Moral Distinctions

Human acts could be in agreement or in disagreement with the norms of morality wherein actions are
judged. They could be:

1. Moral – actions that are in conformity or agreement with the norms of morality (good and permissible
actions, such as telling the truth, helping the poor, etc.)

2. Immoral – actions that are not in conformity or in disagreement with the norms of morality (bad or evil
actions like stealing, killing, hurting, etc.)

3. Amoral – actions that stand neutral or indifferent with the norms of morality (neither good nor bad
actions, they become bad because of circumstances. Watching a movie is amoral but becomes bad when
you do not mind your baby brother who is crying because of hunger).
D. Impediments to a Human Act

Impediments in terms of a human act refer to the factors that influence the person to perform a moral act or
his disposition. We have to remember that a voluntary act is under the control of the intellect and will of
the person. These impediments interfere with the intellect and will and they either increase or reduce the
accountability of the person performing the action.

1. Ignorance - the lack or absence of knowledge needed by a person in doing an act. Every doctor is
expected to know anything about sickness and its cure; the teacher his subject of specialization; or the
architect with his plan of building a house. If these people do not know that, then they are responsible for
any violation in accordance to the rule of morality. The principle which states "ignorance of the law excuses
no one”, mean that the law applies also to those who are unaware of it and cannot use it as an excuse or
defense. That is why a driver who does not know the traffic rules is still accountable if an accident happens.

2. Passion or Concupiscence - is an intense emotion which urges ones feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for
something. They are either tendencies towards desirable objects which refer to positive emotions like hope,
love, bravery, and delight or tendencies away from undesirable objects which point to negative emotions
such as anger, fear, sadness, and hatred. Passions in themselves are not evil but since they compel a person
to act, they have to be controlled by reason in order not to result in an improper behaviour. It is a noble
thing to love but when you love the person extensively up to the point of limiting his freedom, then it is not
good anymore. As the popular phrase would say, “too much love will kill you”.

3. Fear - a distressing negative sensation or disturbance of the mind from a perceived danger. It is the
natural mechanism occurring in a person to respond to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of
danger. In short, fear is the ability to recognize danger by either confronting it or withdrawing from it.(also
known as the fight or flight response).Actions that are done with fear and do not conform with reason are
usually unjust or invalid. They do not bring progress to man who should live life to the fullest. Unreasonable
fear really affects negatively a person’s behaviour. A person who is afraid to jump from their burning house
in spite of the instruction of the fire rescuers who will catch him below with a safety balloon is unreasonable.
Because of that, he may be burned alive and get killed.

4. Violence - the use of any physical force to a resisting person that compels him to act against his will.
The presence of force prevents a person to think clearly according to reason. It is usually the end result of
conflict or misunderstanding. There is no question that when a person applies unnecessary force or violence
to someone who is resisting, it is an unjust act. For instance, rape and robbery both use force and the persons
involved from these acts are liable. Even the use of force by authorities like soldiers and policemen are
subject to reasonable force.

Even it is their call of duty, they cannot just shoot a robber to his vital parts to have an instant death but to
simply make sure that the person cannot retaliate but will still be alive.

5. Habit - a firm routine of behaviour that is done regularly. Anything you do automatically without
consciously thinking about it, or without specifically deciding to do it, is a habit. This is acquired and
developed through a continuous repetition of a specific action over a period of time. It is either good or bad.
Good moral habits are called virtues while the bad ones are called vices. Virtues are the underlying
principles of a good moral being. On the other hand, vices are considered immoral, depraved, and degrading
to the person.
E. Judging the Morality of Human Acts

● Determinants of Morality

The determinants of morality are so called because they are the basis for judging whether an act is good or
evil, moral or immoral. The object, the intention, and the circumstances make up the three "sources" of the
morality of human acts.

1. Object – this is the end of the act itself. 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). (the end of medication is curing an illness.)

2. Intention – this is the motive which is the doer wishes to accomplish by his action. 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.

3. Circumstances – are the historical elements surrounding the commission of an act, such as
status of the doer, the place, the time, or the intensity of the act. These are the interrogative pronouns –
who, what, where, with whom, why, how, and where. Only the act and the intention make an act good
or bad. The circumstances can increase or diminish the goodness or evilness of an act. 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.

F. Interrelations of the Determinants of Morality

An act is good when the object, the intention, and the circumstances are all good. A good act is vitiated by
an evil intention (praying in order to be seen as good). Some acts are evil in themselves (as fornication -
sexual intercourse between married or unmarried heterosexual adults, or between people who are not of
marriagable age (teens), or between persons who are not in a stable committed relationship; premarital
sex) and are always wrong to choose.

Only the act and the intention make an act good or bad. Therefore, the person's intention and the
circumstances, such as pressure or duress, cannot change a morally evil act, such as murder, blasphemy,
or adultery, into a morally good act. We cannot do evil so good will come from it.

♦ CIRCUMSTANCES contribute to increasing or diminishing the moral goodness or evil of human

acts.
♦ They can also diminish or increase the agent’s responsibility.
♦ BUT, they cannot change the moral quality of acts. They cannot make neither good nor right an
action that is in itself evil.
● Principle of Double Effect

The basic moral principle that we follow is to pursue and do good, and avoid that which is evil or bad
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1732, 1955). The principle of double effect is an ethical formula
that enables someone to evaluate the moral dimensions of complicated moral issues that may involve
consequences or side effects which are both positive and negative, good and bad. This principle may be
employed when one is considering an action that is morally good, yet the action involves one or more
unintended bad consequences. Because these consequences are side effects, and not directly willed, the
choice that brings them about is morally acceptable.

A human act with double effect, one good and another evil, is morally permissible under four
conditions. A violation of any of these conditions makes an act unjustifiable.

1. The nature-of-the-act condition.

The action must be either morally good in itself or indifferent (amoral).

2. The means-end condition.

The good effect is not produced by means of the evil effect or the evil effect is used to achieve the good
effect. It is never justified to do evil in order to attain something good. (Robin Hood)

3. The right-intention condition.

The intention must be the achieving of only the good effect, with the evil effect being only an unintended
or accidental side effect.

4. The proportionality condition.

The good effect must be of equal or greater proportion to any evil effect which would result.