2. “The smallest act
of kindness is
worth more than
the grandest
intention.”
Oscar Wilde
3. Objectives
At the end of the lecture/handout, the
students will be able to:
1. Define human act;
2. Distinguish human acts from acts of man;
3. Explain the constituents of human acts
4. Classify the items either as human act or act of man. Write 1
for human act and 2 for act of man.
1. Breathing
2. blinking of the eyes
3. observing diet
4. dilation of the pupils of the eyes
5. perspiring
6.tutoring the slow learners
7. preparing for board exams
8. jerking of the knee of Man
Act
Human
Act
Activity
5. Not all acts of the human person as a moral agent are
considered human act. Some may be classified as acts of
man. This is what you will Iearn in this Lesson in addition to
the determinants of the morality of the human act.
Focus questions.
• How does human act differ from act of man?
• What are the three bases of moral accountability?
• Which can modify moral accountability?
• How can feeling be a modifier in moral decision-making?
• What is meant by reason and impartiality as minimum
requirements for morality?
INTRODUCTION
7. • Says Fr. Coppens, (2017) "(h)uman acts
are those of which a man is master,
which he has the power of doing or not
doing as he pleases."
• In the words of Panizo, (1964) "(h)uman
acts are those acts which proceed
from man as a rational being."
• Observing prescribed diet, tutoring
the slow learners and preparing for
board exams are examples of human
acts.
"• Actions which merely happen in the
body or through the body without the
awareness of the mind or the control
of the will are not human acts but
merely acts of man."
• Examples of acts of man are
breathing, blinking of the eyes, dilation
of pupil of the eye, perspiring and
jerking of the knee.
Acts of Man
Human Act
9. Object
The object of an act is the thing done.
The act or object may be viewed as e. g., going to church,
praising containing a further specification God, eating meat.
The object of the act is the act itself. The following are
instances: using the name of God with reverence; sincerely
invoking God's name or the names of saints (the evil object is
using the name of God and the saints in vain), honoring one's
parents, going to Mass on days of obligation, saving human
life, respecting others' rights and property, having pure acts
and thoughts, being true to marital commitments, telling the
truth, etc.
10. End
• The second factor in determining the morality of an act is the
objective or purpose that the agent intended. The end being
discussed here is the end of the worker or agent, not the end of
the work, which belongs to the object.
• The act is vitiated, spoilt, or impaired if the intended outcome
is bad, regardless of how wonderful the act's purpose may be.
Therefore, while praising God is fine in and of itself, doing it
with the purpose to appear hypocritical is morally wrong. This is
true whether the venomous end is the first, last, or farthest
end; whether it is genuinely intended or just figuratively.
11. End
• However, even a good purpose cannot justify a terrible act; in
other words, we are never permitted to do evil in the hopes
that good will come of it. Robin Hood stole from the wealthy
and gave the proceeds to the underprivileged. No matter how
wonderful Robin Hood's motivation for robbing the wealthy
may have been, the act of robbing the wealthy is immoral.
12. Circumstances
The circumstances of time, place and persons have theirs
part in determining the morality of an individual act. The
moral character of an act may be so affected by
attendant circumstances that an act good in itself may be
evil when accompanied by certain circumstances; for
instance, it is good to give drink to the thirsty, but if the
thirsty man is morally weak, and the drink is intoxicating, the
act may be evil.
The circumstances, including the consequences, refer to
the time, place, person, and conditions surrounding the
moral act. They either increase or decrease the moral
goodness or evil of human acts.
13. Morally good
A morally good act requires the goodness of the
object, of the end, and of the circumstances
together. An evil end corrupts the action, even if
the object is good in itself (such as praying and
fasting "in order to be seen by men").
14. • A human act is an act on which an individual can make a conscious decision
whether or not to carry out
that act.
• For an individual human act to be moral, its object must be free from all
defects must be good, or at least indifferent. The end or purpose intended by
the agent for that act must likewise be good.
• Circumstances surrounding the human act such as time, place, person, and
conditions surrounding the moral act may either increase or diminish the moral
goodness or evil of a human act.
• A morally good act requires the goodness of the object, of the end, and of the
circumstances together. An evil end corrupts the action, even if the object is
good in itself.
Key Takeaways
