This document provides an introduction to ethics. It defines ethics as the study of human conduct and morality. The document outlines the objectives of understanding human acts versus acts of man. It differentiates human acts, which proceed from free will, as voluntary, knowing, and under rational control, versus acts of man, which can be involuntary or natural behaviors. The document discusses how human acts relate to reason and can be good, evil, or indifferent. It describes the levels of voluntariness from perfect to imperfect and direct versus indirect acts. Examples are provided to identify the type of voluntariness. The doctrine of double effect is introduced regarding acts that can have both good and bad effects.

1. Introduction to
Ethics
GEC 8 - Ethics

2. Review on Ethics
 Greek – ethos = characteristic way of living /acting
which is proper to man as a rational being
 It is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature and
the morality of human conduct
 Morality – refers to the quality of goodness or badness
in a human act.

3. Objectives
 Understand the nature of human act
 Differentiate human acts from acts of man
 Explain the different components of human acts
 Investigate critically the concept of voluntariness of
human act in relation to the agent’s culpability

4. Pretest
Identify if the following actions are human acts or acts of
man
1. Sleeping
2. Studying
3. Giving food to the needy
4. Beating of the heart
5. Breathing
6. Blinking of eyes
7. Cheating
8. Running
9. Voting during election

6.  Actions that proceed from the deliberate free will of man.
 Characterized as:
 Free and voluntary acts of man
 Acts done with knowledge and consent
 Acts which are proper to man as a rational being since man
has been gifted with rationality and freedom of will; and
 Acts which are conscious and under our control and for which
we are responsible

7. Acts of man
 Actions that are naturally exhibited by man and such
they are morally indifferent (neutral)
 Natural involuntary – actions performed intuitively or
involuntarily
 Natural voluntary actions – actions within control of man’s
will but only for some period of time

8. Human acts in relation to reason
 Good acts – done in harmony with the dictates of
right reason
 Evil acts – done in contradiction to the dictates of
right reason
 Indifferent acts – neither good nor evil

9. Voluntariness of Human Acts
 Perfect voluntary – performed with full knowledge and consent
 Imperfect voluntariness – actions that occur when there is no
perfect knowledge or consent, or when either both of the
knowledge or consent is partial
 Direct Voluntary – actions intended for its own sake, either as
means or as an end
 Indirect Voluntary – actions not intended for its own sake but
which merely follows a regrettable consequences

10. Colossians 3:17
 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do
everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

11. Identify the voluntariness of the following actions
 Driving while you are under the influence of alcohol and
you hit someone
 Copying your classmate’s answer during exam
 Stealing because you are very hungry
 Injuring a person because he was trying to kill you

12. An act having Two effects (Doctrine of Double Effect)
 Is it morally right to do a certain action from which good
as well as bad/evil effects follow?

13. Decide is the act is good or evil
 Lying in order to save a life of a woman being chased
by her abusive husband.
 Aborting a baby due to ectopic pregnancy
 Stealing in order to feed the hungry
 Taking medicine to take away one’s life in order to
avoid him/her from suffering severely due a disease.

14. Doctrine of Double Effect principles and
conditions
 The action must be morally good in itself, or at least
morally indifferent.
 The good effect of the act must precede the evil effect.
The evil effect is morally allowed to happen as a
regrettable consequence.
 There must be a grave or sufficient reason in doing the
act.
 The evil effect should not outweigh the good effect or, at
least, the good effect should be equivalent in
importance to the evil effect.

15. Thank You!!!