Freedom and Human Action Presentation PDF

Ms. Jessica R. Alibin (Subject Teacher)  Action can be defined as a ACTION process where an individual intentionally performs a behavior that involves some physical movement or decision- making. It is typically driven by beliefs and desires, leading to a...

Ms. Jessica R. Alibin (Subject Teacher)  Action can be defined as a ACTION process where an individual intentionally performs a behavior that involves some physical movement or decision- making. It is typically driven by beliefs and desires, leading to a choice that impacts oneself or the environment. WHAT DOES IT MEAN When we say that a person is acting, it means they are WHEN A engaging in a deliberate behavior or making a choice PERSON IS that reflects their intentions, beliefs, and desires. This implies that the person is not ACTING? merely responding to stimuli but is consciously involved in the decision-making process, leading to an observable outcome or effect in the world Here are the criteria that define action: First criterion is that something counts as action if it involve some sort of physical movement. PENYEBAB Second criterion is that action involves people’s belief and desires. Once one identifiesDAMPAKthe right PENANGGULANGA beliefs and corresponding desires, one can see N A belief whether the action is rational or irrational. that fails to lead the satisfaction of desires may be irrational depending on the context.  TWO CATEGORIE S OF  CATEGORY OF ACTION: Right Act - An act is right if it maximizes good according to Bentham (1907). It just seems more appropriate that when we talk about right actions, we are talking about actions that bring about a certain good or produce  TWO KINDS OF RIGHT ACTION: An obligatory act - is an act where one is morally duty bound to perform; it is not permissible for one to refrain from doing it according to Sidgwick (1907). A supererogatory act - is an action that is commonly known as CATEGORY OF ACTION: A wrong act - is commonly understood as an act that is morally forbidden for people to do. A morally forbidden act - is an act that people have an obligation not to perform. PHILOSOPH ICAL INSIGHTS Aristotle on the Power of Decision Man possesses will and intellect and that affects human acts. The imperative quality of a judgment of practical intellect is meaningless apart from will. Reason can legislate, but only through will can its legislation be translated into action. The task of practical intellect is to guide will by enlightening it. Thomas Aquinas on Love is Freedom Freedom does not apply to the necessities of nature or the general end, for these are not the objects of the will but the principles of willing. Citing Aristotle in chapter 48 of the second book of the Summa Contra Gentiles, St. Thomas says that the will is the principle of the self motion in humans. That is, humans are free to exercise their will and to choose particular things. (DV 24.1.) Jean-Paul Sartre, the meaning of human existence is found in man’s exercise of freedom and responsibility in the scope of man’s individual and social undertakings. Martin Heidegger, human existence can only be attained when man lives his life authentically. Authentic existence requires man to do the following: Man has to free himself from his inauthentic existence with the “they” so that man can own his existence. As man owns his existence, he has to project his possibilities; man has to make himself; As man makes himself, he has to experience dread, care, concern, guilt. Besides, man has to listen to the voice of conscience, so that he can resolve to live authentically; and  The human person naturally possesses an unforced, free, SOREN or voluntary way of making decisions. The human person KIERKEGA has the capability to think and decide what to do in life in his work “Either/Or (Enten- ARD Eller). Kierkegaard emphasized that the existence of the human person is situational, and every situation, the human person always faces the moment of making a choice Choosing what will happen next in one’s life is not only an act of freedom. This also leads to the actualization of our personality or the totality of the human person. Actualization of ourselves however is done only in the process of making decisions. Remember that our life as human beings is always situational wherein, we are  However, Kierkegaard stressed out that in actualizing ourselves and arriving at authentic existence through our choices must always be related to God. SIGN METHOD OF of right and ln matters wrong decision-making is DECISION-MAKING not that easy, as BY MICHAEL compared to other usual PENNOCK day- to-day or routine decisions. We may know the general principles like ” Do good and avoid evil" and "Love your neighbor as yourself.  S E A R C H We should always begin our process of deciding what is right and wrong by searching out the facts.  T H I N K After 1.Consider Alternatives searching out Life is so complex that there has to be just the basic facts one particular way of doing something. of moral Human creativity and inventiveness can cases, it is usually discover multiple ways of approaching necessary to the same issue, the same given problem. reflect more deeply on 2. Reflecting on the consequences them before Every act has certain consequences; some making a can be foreseen while others cannot. A decision. This reflection on the consequences, the results of  O T H E R S One undeniable fact about life is that humans are social beings. We are dependent on others for our very life, for our education, for our employment, for most aspects of everyday living. We are beings who live with others and for others. There are two things to consider: 1. How other people will feel? 2. Consulting others.  P R A Y When the sweat and hard work of searching, thinking, and considering others is completed, one ‘s task lit really only half begun. For the Christian, prayer is a powerful way to get God’s help in searching out his will for us. FREE as a natural given right, emanates from man’s capacity to think and actualize what he thinks. DOMIt is the power given to us whenever faced with choices which appear to be equally and pleasingly beneficial. MORA Is the rightness and wrongness of an act (R. Agapay, 1991) LITY Consists in the conformity and non- conformity of an act with the norm. (Agapay, 1991) HUMAN ACTS VS ACTS OF MAN 2 are actions are actions, performed by human beings which are with conscious instinctive and knowledge and involuntary are subject to and are not the control of within the the will. control of the will. Here are the characteristics of human acts: It must be performed by a conscious agent who is aware of what he/she is doing and of its consequence. It must be performed by an agent who is acting freely, that is, by his/her own volition and powers. It must be performed by an  CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN ACTS MORAL IMMORAL AMORAL ACTION are those ACTION ACTION are those are actions, actions, which actions, which which stand are in are not in neutral in conformity with the norms of conformity relation with morality. with the norms the norms of of morality. morality. Alfredo Panizo cites these important principles:  A person is held morally responsible for any evil effect, which flows from action itself directly, and necessary as natural consequences, though the evil effects are not directly willed or intended.  A human act from which two effects may result, one good and one evil is morally permissible under the following conditions: The action, which produces double effects, must be good in itself, or at least morally indifferent. The good effect must not come from the evil effect. To do evil in order to achieve something good is not justified. The motive of the doer must be towards the  DETERMINANTS OF OBJECT OF HUMAN ACT MORALITY MOTIVE OF CIRCUMSTANC ES OF HUMAN Human reason HUMAN The motive ACT These circumstances are: can see that ACT of an act is Who refers primarily to the doer of some acts are the purpose an act. What refers to the act itself, good because which the to the quality and quantity of the their natural results of such act. doer wishes Where refers to the circumstances purpose is good, to achieve of place where the act is what they by such committed. accomplish is good and that action. It is With whom refers to the what gives companion or accomplices in an act other acts are performed. evil because direction Why refers to the motive of the their natural and doer.  Different approaches in morality Thomistic approach or moral theology highlights the three elements which are called the sources of morality of the human act, because the human act derives its morality from their agreement or disagreement with the moral norm. These three elements are: The object of the human act is that effect which an action primarily and directly causes. It is always and necessarily the result of the act. The intention is the reason for which the agent undertakes an act. Circumstance are particulars of the concrete human act Consequentialist approach is also called as the Utilitarian Ethics. The ultimate end and consideration of this approach lies on the outcome or the result of an act. Morality is measured in terms of happiness, i.e., action is immoral if it produces bad consequences and an action is morally good if it produces good consequences regardless of the nature of an act. The prominent philosophers who advocated this Deontological approach etymologically originates from the Greek word “deon” which means duty. In this approach, moral standards exist independently of utilitarian ends. For this reason, it is also called a non-consequentialist approach. The most renowned philosopher under this approach is Immanuel Kant who formed the famous categorical imperative. Virtue approach or Virtue ethics follows from the principle that “too much or too little alike destroys perfection; it is a moderation which preserves it.” This approach is a rationally measured activity following the rule of JUST MIDDLE or GOLDEN MEAN. In the West, this approach can be attributed to Plato and Aristotle, and to