The Moral Good of Human Acts

• What role do moral values play in behavior?


  Moral values help in improving behavior, instilling respect, and enhancing relationships with others.
• How do good moral values affect decision-making?


  Good moral values allow a person to make the right decisions and improve their interactions with others.
• Who introduced the concept of Chun Tzu?


  Confucius
• What does the term Chun Tzu refer to in Confucianism?


  Chun Tzu refers to an ethical person or gentleman.
• According to Aristotle, what does the doctrine of the mean suggest?


  The doctrine of the mean suggests that any virtue will be ruined by excess or deficiency.
• What are the five virtues emphasized by Aristotle?


  Jen, Li, Yi, Chih, and Hsin.
• How did Confucius define humaneness to Ran Rong?


  He defined it as "do unto others as if doing unto yourself" (The Golden Rule).
• What does Jen (Ren) represent in Confucianism?


  Jen is the most important virtue, representing benevolence, humaneness, and goodness.
• What is the Rectification of Names in Confucianism?


  It is the idea that society works harmoniously when each person understands their proper role and acts accordingly.
• What are acts of man (Actus Hominis)?


  Acts of man include animal acts of sensation and appetition that are not deliberate and free.
• How is an act of man defined?


  An act of man is performed without conscious control, deliberate will, or responsibility.
• What distinguishes a human act (Actus Humanus) from an act of man?


  A human act proceeds from the deliberate free will of man and is consciously controlled.
• What are elicited acts?


  Elicited acts begin and are perfected in the will itself.
• What are commanded acts?


  Commanded acts are perfected by the action of mental or bodily powers under the control of the will.
• What are the kinds of acts of man?

  The natural acts of vegetative and sense faculties, acts of persons who lack the use of reason, and quick automatic reactions.
• What is intention in the context of human acts?


  Intention is the purposive tendency of the will towards a realizable thing.
• What are the types of intention?


  Actual, virtual, habitual, and interpretative intention.
• What is actual intention?


  Actual intention is the intention that influences a person at the time of performing an action.
• What is virtual intention?


  Virtual intention is an intention that was once made and continues to influence the act but is not present in consciousness at the moment of performing the act.
• What is habitual intention?

  Habitual intention is a decision of the will to attain a given end that does not influence a particular act.
• What is interpretative intention?


  Interpretative intention is an intention that has not been made but would have been if the person had been aware of the circumstances.
• What is consent in the context of human acts?


  Consent is the acceptance by the will of means necessary to carry out intention.
• How are human acts related to reason?


  Human acts are either in agreement or disagreement with the dictates of reason, which constitutes their morality.
• What are the categories of human acts based on their relation to reason?


  Good, evil, and indifferent acts.
• What is the principle of double-effect?


  The principle states that the act itself must be good or morally neutral, and the good effect must be equal or greater than the bad effect.
• What are the essential elements for an act to be considered a human act?

  Knowledge, freedom, and voluntariness.
• How does knowledge relate to human acts?


  No human act is possible without knowledge, as the will cannot act unless enlightened by the intellect.
• What is the role of freedom in human acts?

  A human act is determined by the human will and must be free, meaning it can be performed or refused by the will.
• What is voluntariness in the context of human acts?


  Voluntariness means that an act must be guided by knowledge and must be willed.
• What is the difference between perfect and imperfect voluntariness?


  Perfect voluntariness is when the agent fully knows and intends the act, while imperfect voluntariness has some defect in knowledge or intention.
• What is the difference between simple and conditional voluntariness?


  Simple voluntariness is present in any act performed, while conditional voluntariness is when the agent wishes to do something else but performs the act with dislike.
• What is an example of a human act involving knowledge, freedom, and voluntariness?


  Harry helping an injured woman by calling for an ambulance demonstrates knowledge, freedom, and voluntariness.
• What are the three elements that determine the morality of human acts?

  The object of the act, intention, and circumstances.
• What is the object of the act in moral evaluation?


  The object is the good toward which the will deliberately directs itself.
• How does intention affect the moral evaluation of an action?


  Intention resides in the acting subject and determines the action by its end.
• What role do circumstances play in moral acts?


  Circumstances are secondary elements that can increase or diminish the moral goodness or evil of human acts.
• What is the principle of double-effect regarding the good and bad effects of an act?


  The good effect must come first or simultaneously with the bad effect, and the good effect must be equal or greater than the bad effect.
• What must the intention be in the principle of double-effect?


  The intention must be good from the start.
• What is the significance of knowledge in the context of human acts?


  Knowledge is essential as it enables the will to act; without knowledge, the will is blind.
• How does the intellect relate to the will in human acts?


  The intellect proposes the good to the will, which then tends towards it.