Philo Notes Lessons 1-3.pdf

The Nature of Human Acts B.2. Evil – human acts are in opposition with right reason Definition B.3. Indifferent – they stand in no positive Hu...

The Nature of Human Acts B.2. Evil – human acts are in opposition with right reason Definition B.3. Indifferent – they stand in no positive Human Act (Actus Humanus) – act preceeds relation from knowledge and freedom (free willingly) Act of Man (Actus Hominis) – man’s animal act Constituents if the Human Acts – essential of sensation and appetition without free choice elements for an act to be human - act of man can become human act 1. Knowledge – deliberation or - human acts are moral acts advertence. No human act is possible - for human acts, man is responsible and without knowledge. imputed (praise or blame, reward or 2. Freedom – under control of the will punishment) 3. Voluntariness – there must be both A man is what his human act makes him knowledge and freedom Classification A. Based on Complete Cause A.1. Elicited Acts – begin and perfected in Voluntariness of Human Acts the will itself (e.g. listening) a. Wish – simple love of anything Degrees of Voluntariness whether realizable or not (e.g. I do so a. Perfect and Imperfect long to see you tonight) Perfect – the agent fully knows and fully b. Intention – purposive tendency of intends the act (e.g. telling a lie) the will regarded as realizable (e.g. I Imperfect – there is some defect in the will see you tonight) agent’s knowledge intention, or both c. Consent – further intention of doing (e.g. adding the details in narrating) what is necessary to realize the main b. Simple and Conditional intention (e.g. If I will see you Simple – human act done whether the tonight, I consent to how really to see agent likes or dislikes doing it (e.g. you) washing the dishes after the family d. Election – selection of the will of the meal) precise means to carry out the Conditional – agent’s wish to do intention (e.g. I will select riding my something other than that which he is bike to see you tonight) actually doing with dislike (e.g. washing e. Use – employment by the will of the dishes with a wish of just watching bodily or mental powers to carry out TV) intention by the means elected (e.g. c. Direct and Indirect To actually see you, I will command Direct (voluntary in se) – human act my mental and bodily powers to willed in itself carry out my intention) Indirect (voluntary in causa) – human f. Fruition – satisfaction of an intention act which is the foreseen result of fulfilled (e.g. I will experience this the another act directly willed moment I will actually see you) Example: The father’s direct act of A.2. Commanded Acts – begin in the will killing the rabbit is called voluntary in se and are perfected by the action of mental while the result, sorrow of his children, or bodily powers (e.g. hearing) which he does not directly will, is called a. Internal – acts by internal mental voluntary in causa. powers (e.g. effort to remember) d. Positive and Negative b. External – acts effected by bodily Positive – the agent is ought to do and powers (e.g. eating halo-halo) is doing it (e.g. student attends class on c. Mixed – act that involve both (e.g. scheduled time) solving a math problem) Negative – the agent is not ought to do B. Based on the Relation of Human Acts to but is doing it (e.g. student misses class) Reason e. Actual, Virtual, Habitual, Interpretative B.1. Good – human acts are in harmony Actual (intention) – human act willed with right reason here and now (e.g. “I do” in vows)  Virtual (intention) – human act done as a. Ignorance of Law – ignorance of a result of a formerly elicited actual the existence of a duty or rule intention even if that intention be here b. Ignorance of Fact – ignorance of and now forgotten (e.g. faithfulness of the nature or circumstances spouse throughout their marriage) c. Ignorance of Penalty – Habitual (intention) – human act done ignorance of precise sanction in agreement with, but not as a result affixed to the law of, a formerly elicited and unrevoked B. Ignorance in its Subject actual intention a. Vincible (culpable) – lack of Interpretative – the judgement of proper diligence and is his fault prudence and common sense would be Degrees: presence if opportunity if it were given  Crass (stupid/gross) – total lack of effort to Principle of Indirect Voluntariness dispel it The agent is responsible for the evil effect of a  Simply vincible – some cause directly willed when the following efforts but not whole- conditions are met: hearted effort  Affected – positive a. When he can readily foresee the evil effort is made to retain effect, at least in a general way b. Invincible (inculpable) – proper b. When he is free to refrain from doing diligence cannot dispel. The what causes evil effect agent does not know and is not c. When he is bound to refrain from doing at fault what causes evil effect Degrees: Principle of Double Effect  Physically – no human effort can dismiss it The agent may lawfully perform an act which  Morally – extremely has two effects, one good and one evil, when difficult to dismiss it the following conditions are met: C. Ignorance in its Result a. When the evil effect does not come a. Antecedent (before) – precedes before the good effect so as to be a all consent of the will means to it b. Concomitant (while) – b. When there exists a reason, accompanies an act even if proportionately grave or weighty, which ignorance did not exist. It is calls for the good effect non-voluntary c. When the agent intends the good effect c. Consequent – follows upon exclusively, and merely permits the evil Ethical Principles effect as a regrettable side-issue a. Invincible ignorance destroys We must never do what is evil, even though the voluntariness of an act – goof may be looked for and intended as a result not a human act, not imputable of it. b. Vincible ignorance does not destroy the voluntariness c. Vincible ignorance lessens the Modifiers of Human Acts – lessen the moral voluntariness of an act character of the act and diminish responsibility d. Affected ignorance in one way lessens and in another way 1. Ignorance – lack of knowledge increases voluntariness a. Negative – absence of intellectual knowledge in man 2. Concupiscence – passion A. Antecedent – unstimulated b. Privative – absence of knowledge that ought to be present B. Consequent – directly or indirectly stirred up c. Positive – presence of a false knowledge (mistake, error) Ethical Principles A. Ignorance in its Object  a. Antecedent concupiscence lessens Conscience is the judgement of human the voluntariness of an act – reason recognizing and applying the Eternal disturbs mind and hinders calm Law in human acts. judgement. Less responsibility. Morality – relation of human acts to their b. Antecedent concupiscence does not norm destroy the voluntariness of an act – responsibility while diminished, is Determinants of Morality not cancelled c. Consequent concupiscence, Determinants – will decide whether a however great, does not lessen the human act measures up or not to the norm voluntariness of an act – full 1. Object – the act itself. responsibility - The indifferent act is determined by the 3. Fear – anxiety or worry of mind end (motive) and the circumstances A. From Fear – caused by fear which affect it B. With Fear – accompanying 2. Motive (End of the Agent) – agent’s Ethical Principles personal intentions over and above a. An act done from fear, however what it naturally tends to. great, is simply voluntary, although - Good itself may still be evil but evil in it is regularly also conditionally itself cannot be good involuntary – does not excuse an Ethical Principles evil act a. A good act done a good motive 4. Violence – external force becomes better; it will become best Ethical Principles if done for several good motives a. Acts elicited by the will are not b. An evil act done for an evil end subject to violence; external acts becomes worse; it will become caused by violence, to which due worst if done for several motives resistance is offered, are in no wise c. A good act done for an evil end is imputable to the agent entirely evil if the end is the whole 5. Habit – repeated acts motive of the act Ethical Principles d. An evil act can ever become good a. Habit does not destroy by reason of a good end voluntariness; acts from habit are e. An indifferent act becomes good if always voluntary, at least in cause, done for a good end, and evil if as long as the habit is allowed to performed for an evil end endure 3. Circumstances – conditions that affect an act and may affect it morally a. Person (Who) – Who is the agent? Morality of Human Acts To whom is the act done? b. Quality or Quantity (What) – What Morality – quality of human acts which leads us is the extent of the act? Was the to call some as good or evil (not good). A thing injury slight or serious? Was the is good in as much as it can answer a tendency, amount stolen large or small? appetite, or desire. c. Place (Where) – where did the act A human act always has a last end take place? d. Means (With What Ally) – what is - Objectively: Summun Bonum (greatest used in the performance of the act? good), the Limitless Good, God e. Manner (How) – How did the agent - Subjectively: perfect happiness perform the act? Was he in good or Norms (Standard) of Morality bad faith? f. Time (When) – How long did the a. Divine Reason/Eternal Law – ultimate agent retain an evil thought, long norm; by St. Thomas Aquinas period or momentarily? b. Human Reason/Conscience – g. The End of the Agent (Why) – proximate norm similar to the second determinant Ethical Principles a. An indifferent act becomes good or evil by reason of its circumstances b. a good act may become evil by reason of circumstances c. A good or evil act may become better or worse by reason of circumstances, and may even become best or worst from its circumstances d. An evil act can never be made good by circumstances e. A gravely evil circumstance destroys the entire goodness of a good act f. A circumstance which is not gravely evil does not entirely destroy the goodness of a good act