ETHICS

Name: ________________________________________

Lesson title: Difference between Acts of Man and Human Act

Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:
1. Differentiate Human acts from Acts of man.

References:
- Agapay, Ramon. Ethics and the Filipino pp 65-68. National Book Store Publication,
Mandaluyong City
- (https://thinkingthroughthesumma.wordpress.com/20
11/08/07/object-end-and-circumstance-the-determinants-of-moral-action/

B.MAIN LESSON
Activity 2: Content Notes
Human Act – is an action done by an agent knowingly, freely and willfully (or voluntarily).

Determinants of Human Acts

● Knowledge – An action performed by conscious agent who is aware of its action and its
consequences.
● Freedom – it must be performed by an agent who is acting freely, without any external factors
affecting its actions.
● Voluntariness – it must be performed by an agent who decides willfully to perform the act.
Act of Man- It is an action done by an agent, which does not have one or more determinants of
Human Acts.

Ethics is not concerned with acts of man, but only with human acts. Human acts are moral acts.
The nature of human acts makes man responsible. Human acts are imputed to him as worthy of
praise or blame, of reward or punishment. They tend to be repeated to form habits. Habits
coalesce into what we call a man’s character. Thus, we find verified the dictum of Ethics: “A
man is what his human acts make him” (Glenn, 1968).

HUMAN ACTS AND ACTS OF MAN

Human Acts are different from Acts of man. We cannot talk about goodness and badness of an
act if we are dealing with acts of man. Only with human acts can we determined whether an act
is moral or immoral.

Acts of man are: acts that happen “naturally” acts done without self-awareness without
deliberation, reflection, consent. Instinctive, spontaneous acts that human beings share with
other animals.
Human Acts- acts with conscious knowledge, acts that are done freely, acts done with consent.
Human acts are those that are freely chosen in consequence of a judgment of conscience.
The three moral determinants/determinates of the human act are:
- the object (the objective character of an act) ex. Murder is objectively wrong.
- the end (or intention),
- and the circumstances.

For an action to be morally good, all three determinates must be good. A lack in any of them
will, at least in a qualified way, make the morality of the act to be bad.
1. The object of the human act is that which is actually done. From this, we get the character of
the objective morality. There are actions that are objectively in conformity or not in conformity
with the created human person, and thus, actions in conformity with them or against them are
objectively good or evil as such.
For example, the object of murder is the taking of an innocent life. Murder is objectively wrong,
and thus the taking of an innocent life is never morally good. No intention or circumstances can
make it to be otherwise, and this is because of its basis in reality itself. It is the eternal law,
which we are created under, that establishes this objective moral order, and we and our actions
are, by our very creation, subject to this eternal law. However, the subjective nature of us as
human may reduce the culpability of our action if we do not know that the object of our action is
morally evil. While this cannot change the objective nature of the act, one may be more or less
morally responsible for the good or evil of the action based on one’s knowledge of the
objective character of the act.

2. The second moral determinate is the intention, and this is the purpose or motive for which the
agent acts. While a wrong intention can make a morally good act subjectively wrong and cause
culpability in the agent, a good intention can never make an objectively evil act to be good. The
end does not justify the means.
All intentions should be in conformity to the objective truth, and again this is to be found in the
eternal law. Humans first of all find this “written in their hearts” and this participation of the
rational creature in the eternal law is called the natural law. Conscience is closely related to this,
as it is a judgment of reason. Our intentions, then, must be in conformity with our conscience.
Besides the natural law, we also have the revealed truths from God, and we are obligated to
form our conscience in accordance with both. Our culpability in this is only known perfectly by
God.
3. The circumstances of an action are individual conditions of specific acts in time and place that
are not of themselves part of the nature of the action. They do, however, modify the moral
quality of the action. The who, what, when, and where of actions are bearing on the goodness
or otherwise of specific actions. These circumstances cannot, of course, make an objectively
evil action to be good, but they can increase or decrease both moral culpability and the degree
of goodness or evil in the act.
(https://thinkingthroughthesumma.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/object-end-and-circumstance-the-
determinants-of-moral-action/)

Activity 3: Skill-building Activities

A. Developmental Activity
Direction: Classify whether or not the following instances are human acts. Write VOLUNTARY if
it is human act, and NON-VOLUNTARY if it is an act of man.(See examples # 1 & 3)

Voluntary 1.) A car driver accidentally bumped the tree.

Non-Voluntary 2.) Peter, without intention to listen, heard his neighbor said something
against his cousin.
Non-Voluntary___ 3.) Sophia had a nightmare and inadvertently punched her roommate.
Non-Voluntary 4.) Maria had a glimpse of the victim when the ambulance passed.
Non-voluntary 5.) Mr. X had a diarrhea last week.
Non-voluntary 6.) Y intended to shoot Z, but X was hit. Consider the act vis-à-vis X.
Voluntary 7.) Consider Y’s act in relation to Z.
Voluntary 8.) Paul felt like urinating after watching the news. (Consider the watching
act).
Non-Voluntary 9.) Consider the feeling to urinate.
Voluntary 10.) Consider the act of urinating in the comfort room’s urinal.

B. Formative Assessment
Directions: Read the given situation below and answer the questions that follow.
Situation: Brandon works in a police force. One day, his family was kidnapped, and the
kidnappers told him to rob a bank, and give the money to the kidnappers or else, his wife and
two daughters will be killed. He is aware that what he is doing is wrong, but for the sake of his
family, he did rob a bank.

Questions:
1. Can Brandon’s actions be subjected to morality? Why?
Answer: No. It is because there are absence of freedom and consent

2. Explain how the three determinants of morality (object, intention and condition) worked or
applied in his action.
Answer:
1. Objectivity: The object of robbing a bank is morally wrong

2. Intention: The intention is good which is to save his family. But the end cannot
justify the means

3. Condition: The situation demands an immediate action of Brandon. Thus his

decision modifies the moral quality of the action. We call this as
mitigating circumstances.

Activity 4: What I Know

Note: This serves as your review and summary of what was learned from the session. You have
to monitor how your knowledge has changed by reviewing the questions in the What I Know
What I Know Questions: What I Learned
(Activity 4)
1. What is human act?
Answer: Human Act is an action done by an agent knowingly, freely and willfully
(or voluntarily).

2. What is an act of man?

Answer: Acts of man are acts that happen “naturally” acts done without self-
awareness without deliberation, reflection, consent. Instinctive,
spontaneous acts that human beings share with other animals.

3. What makes an act human?

Answer:

3. Activity 5: Check for Understanding

Direction: Describe act of man and human act in one word each and justify briefly your
description.

Act of Man

Human Act

C. LESSON WRAP-UP
1) Activity 6: Thinking about Learning
Directions. Read and understand the message of the text below and write an essay about it in
not less than one paragraph. Its content must be grounded on human acts.
“People live as if they will not die. And people die as if they have not lived.”(Mahatma Ghandi)

Answer: