HUMAN ACTS

• Human acts

  Actions which man performs knowingly, freely, and voluntarily. These actions are the result of conscious knowledge and are subject to the control of the will.
• Acts of man

  Actions which happen in man. They are instinctive and are not within the control of the will. Such actions are the biological and physiological movements in man.
• Essential attributes of human acts


  • Performed by a conscious agent who is aware of what he is doing and of its consequences
  • Performed by an agent who is acting freely, i.e., by his own volition and powers
  • Performed by an agent who decides willfully to perform the act
• Kinds of human acts

  • Elicited acts - acts performed by the will and are not bodily externalized
  • Commanded acts - acts done either by man's mental or bodily powers under the command of the will
• Elicited acts


  • Wish
  • Intention
  • Consent
  • Election
  • Use
  • Fruition
• Commanded acts


  • Internal - Conscious reasoning, recalling something, encouraging oneself, controlling aroused emotions, and others
  • External - Walking, eating, dancing, laughing, listening, reading, and others
  • Internal and External - Listening, studying, reading, driving a car, writing a letter, or playing chess
• Moral distinctions


  • Moral actions - actions which are in conformity with the norm of morality
  • Immoral actions - actions which are not in conformity with the norm of morality
  • Amoral actions - actions which stand neutral in relation to the norm of morality
• Intrinsic evil


  Something is intrinsic to a thing when it is integral to the nature of that thing. Actions that are intrinsically evil are prohibited at all times and under any circumstances.
• Extrinsic evil


  Some other actions are extrinsically evil because certain factors attached to them by way of circumstances render them opposed to the norm of morality. Actions that are extrinsically evil may be tolerated provided the circumstances rendering it to be wrong is first removed.
• Types of voluntariness


  • Direct voluntariness - accompanies an act which is primarily intended by the doer, either as an end in itself or as a means to achieve something else
  • Indirect voluntariness - accompanies an act or situation which is the mere result of a directly willed act
• Modifiers of human acts


  Factors that influence man's inner disposition towards certain actions. They affect the mental or emotional state of the person to the extent that voluntariness involved in an act is either increased or decreased. The accountability also increases and decreases.
• The greater the knowledge and the freedom, the greater the voluntariness and the moral responsibility.
• Modifiers of human acts

  • Ignorance
  • Passions
  • Fear
  • Violence
  • Habit
• Ignorance


  The absence of knowledge which a person ought to possess.
• Types of ignorance


  • Vincible - can easily be reminded through ordinary diligence and reasonable effort
  • Invincible - the type which a person possess without being aware of it, or, having awareness of it, lacks the means to rectify it
  • Affected - the type which a person keeps by positive efforts in order to escape responsibility or blame
• Passions or concupiscence


  Tendencies towards desirable objects, or, tendencies away from undesirable or harmful things. They are psychic responses that can be either moral or immoral.
• Types of passions


  • Antecedent - those that precede an act. They predispose a person to act.
  • Consequent - those that are intentionally aroused and kept. They are said to be voluntary in cause, the result of the will playing the strings of emotions.
• Fear


  The disturbance of the mind of a person who is confronted by impending danger of harm to himself or loved one.
• Violence


  Refers to any physical force exerted on a person by another free agent for the purpose of compelling said person to act against his will.
• Habit


  A lasting readiness and facility, born of frequently repeated acts, for acting in a certain manner.