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The Fundamental Principles of Ethics

This document discusses the nature and classification of human acts. It defines human acts as actions that proceed from deliberate free will. Human acts are characterized as free, voluntary acts done with knowledge and consent. The document distinguishes between good acts that are in harmony with reason, evil acts that contradict reason, and indifferent acts that are neither. It also discusses the principles of direct and indirect voluntariness as well as the principle of double effect for classifying indirect voluntary acts.

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Seniorb Lemhes
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479 views11 pages

The Fundamental Principles of Ethics

This document discusses the nature and classification of human acts. It defines human acts as actions that proceed from deliberate free will. Human acts are characterized as free, voluntary acts done with knowledge and consent. The document distinguishes between good acts that are in harmony with reason, evil acts that contradict reason, and indifferent acts that are neither. It also discusses the principles of direct and indirect voluntariness as well as the principle of double effect for classifying indirect voluntary acts.

Uploaded by

Seniorb Lemhes
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Fundamental

Principles of Ethics
The Nature of the Human Act
 Human acts are actions that proceed from the
deliberate free will of man. These actions are
therefore done with knowledge and consent
willfuly carried out by the person
The Nature of the Human Act
Human acts are characterized as:
 1. the free and voluntary acts of man
 2. Acts done with knowledge and consent
 3. Acts which are proper to man as a rational

being since man has been gifted with rationality


and freedom of will
 4. Acts which are conscious and under our

control and for which we are responsible.


The Nature of the Human Act
 Acts of man refers to certain types of actions
that are naturally exhibited by man and as
such they are morally indifferent (or neutral)
because we cannot judge them to be either
ethical or unethical.
The Nature of the Human Act
 There are two categories of acts of man:
 1. natural involuntary actions: these actions

of man that are performed intuitively or


involuntarily. E.g. blinking of the eyes
 2. natural voluntary actions: these actions

that are within the control of man’s will but


only for some period of time. E.g. breathing,
sleeping, eating, walking.
Human Acts in relation to Reason
 Good acts are those done by man in harmony
with the dictates of right reason.
 Evil acts are those actions done by man in

contradiction to the dictates of right reason.


 Indifferent acts are those act that are neither

good or evil.
The voluntariness of the Human Acts
 Perfect voluntariness: actions performed with
full knowledge and with full consent
 Imperfect voluntariness: actions that occur

when there is no perfect knowledge or


consent, or when either or both of the
knowledge or consent is partial.
 Direct voluntary: actions that are intended for

its own sake, either as a means or as an end,


e.g. murder stealing
The voluntariness of the Human Acts
 Indirect voluntary: actions that are not intended
for its own sake but which merely follows as a
regrettable consequence of an action, e.g.
bombing an enemy’s hideout that leads to the
killing of non-combatants within the area.
Indirect actions are still considered voluntary for
the simple reason that when we act, we will the
whole act including it consequences; and since
we place the cause, we also indirectly will the
effect, although this in itself is regrettable.
The voluntariness of the Human Acts
 “Causa causae est etiam causa causati”
 “The cause of the cause is also the cause of

the thing caused.”


The Principle of Double Effect
(The Indirect Voluntary Act)
 1. The action must be morally good in itself,
or at lease morally indifferent.
 2. the good effect of the act must precede

evil effect. The evil effect is morally allowed


to happen as a regrettable consequence.
 3. There must be a grave or sufficient reason

in doing the act.


 4. The evil effect should not outweigh the

good effect or, at least, the good effect


should be equivalent in importance to the evil
effect.

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