Lesson 1: The Meaning of Human Act

Intended Learning Outcomes

Explain the meaning of human act, the morality and accountability of human act

Preparation

INTRODUCTION

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 learn in this Lesson in addition to the determinants of the morality of the human act.

ACTIVITY

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

Study your list. What is common to the items under acts of man' under human act?

Presentation

Act of Man versus Human Act

After studying the nature of the moral agent, the next thing to do is to study the nature of human act itself. Says Fr. Coppens, (2017) "Human 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) human 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. In other words, human acts are the acts or a moral agent. Hence, "actions committed by unconscious and insane persons, infants, or by those who are physically forced to do something, are not considered as human acts but acts of man." Likewise, "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 the pupil of the eye, perspiring, and jerking of the knee.

The Determinants of the Morality of Human Act

In his book earlier cited, Rev. Coppens, S.J. says that to know whether an individual human act is morally good, three things are considered. These are called the determinants of morality, namely, a) the object of the act, b) the end, or purpose, and c) its circumstances.

For an act to be morally good, all three determinants must be without a flaw, according to the received axiom: "Bonum ex integra causa, malum ex quocumque defectu"-- A thing to be good must be wholly so; it is not vitiated by any defect."

The object of an act is the thing done. In reality, it is not distinct from the act itself, for we cannot act without doing something, and that thing that is done is the object of the act; say, of going. eating, praising, etc. The act or object may be viewed as containing a further specification - e.g. going to church, praising God, eating meat. Now, an act thus specified may, when considered in itself, be good, bad, or indifferent; thus, to praise God is good n Iselt, to blaspheme is bad in itself, and to eat mecat 1s in itself be good, its an indifferent act. But for an individual human act to be good, its object, whether considered in itself or as further specified, must be free from all defect; it must be good, or at least indifferent.

The end, or purpose intended by the agent is the second determinant of an act's morality. The end here spoken of is not the end of the work, for that pertains to the object, but the end of the workman or agent. No matter how good the object of an act may be, if the end intended is bad, the act is thereby vitiated, spoiled or impaired. Thus, to praise God is good in itself, but, if in so acting the intention would be to play the hypocrite, the act is morally bad. This holds true whether the vicious end is the nearest, remote or last end; whether it be actually or only virtually intended. On the other hand, a good end, though ever so elevated, cannot justify a bad act; in other words, we are never allowed to do evil that good may result from there. Robin Hood robbed the rich and distributed the money to the poor. No matter how noble Robin Hood's intention was for robbing the rich, his act of robbing the rich is not morally acceptable.

The circumstances of time, place, and persons have their 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. (Coppens, 2017).

The object of the act is the act itself. The following are using instances: 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 parent, going to Mass on days of obligation, saving human life, respecting other's rights and property, having pure acts and thoughts, being true to marital commitments, telling the truth, etc.

The end, or purpose is the intention of the acting subject, or what inspires the acting subject. or example, rendering free service to a neighbor with the intention of boasting about it. Or helping a neighbor inspired by love of God. The first instance is immoral, while the second is moral.

Practice

1. Can an act of man be considered a human act if the action is carried out with malice? Why or why not?

2. Illustrate with at least 3 examples "The end does not justify the means.

3. Robin Hood robbed the rich and gave the money to the poor. Was his act justified? Explain your answer.

4. Relate an instance when you acted like Robin Hood. Was your act justified?

5. Among the three determinants of the morality of the human act, which did the Greatest Teacher focus on when teaching his followers the following:

...when you fast, don't be like the hypocrites, with sad faces; they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. (Matthew 6:16)

" So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets to be praised by men." (Matthew 6:2)

...when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen... (Matthew 6:6)

6. Time, place, person, and conditions surrounding the moral act may either increase or diminish the moral goodness or evil of a human act.

Illustrate this with at least 3 examples.

e.g. stealing money from your mother's wallet and stealing money (wallet) inside the church or a place of worship.

Performance

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING

Direction: Classify whether the given phrase refers to the act of man or a human act. Write 1 for the act of man and 2 for the human act.

____1. Deliberate

____2. Happen "naturally"

____3. Without reflection

____4. Freely chosen

____5. Automatic

____6. Performed in freedom

____7. Done voluntarily

____8. Without consent

____9. Thought out

____10. Judgment of conscience

REFLECTION

As a moral person, you perform human acts. What human act/s do you frequently perform?

SUMMARY

A human act is an action that is considered to be carried out voluntarily, whereas an act of man is an involuntary action.
A human act is an act on which an individual can make a conscious decision whether or not to carry out that act. An act of man is the natural act of vegetative and sense faculties such as digestion, the beating of the heart, growing, bodily reactions and visual or auditory perceptions.
For an individual human act to be moral, its object must be free from all defects, 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, the end, and the circumstances together. An evil end corrupts the action, even if the object is good in itself.

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