DETERMINANTS OF MORALITY

• Morality – consists in the conformity and non-conformity of an act

with the norm

• HOW DOES AN ACT RELATE TO THE NORM?

• HOW DO WE KNOW THAT A GIVEN ACT IS MORALLY OBJECTIONABLE
OR NOT?
Human Acts relate to the norm under
the following aspects:
•In Itself = as a deed
•In its Motive
•In its circumstances
• The 2 principal elements of the act, the object and the intention of
the agent must be ordained to the last end. The circumstances
though accidental to the action, must also be ordained to the last
end, since they could also be important.
• These 3 aspects are called Determinants of Morality

1. determine how an act is rendered good or bad on the basis of its

relation with the norm
2. the ordination of human acts to God depends on them, in
accordance with the condition of created beings
3. If these 3 principles or aspects are good, the action is good,
because it leads to God and makes the agent better.
• “BONUM EX INTEGRA CAUSA, MALUM EX QUOCUMQUE DEFECTU”
• - It means that, a thing is good if it has the fullness of its parts and it
is bad when it is deficient in any of its integral parts
•
• - In moral parlance: human act is good when it is good in itself, in its
motive, or purpose and circumstances. Defect coming from any of
those aspects renders an act morally objectionable. In other words,
like human anatomy, an act must have the perfection of its parts
• - Thus, a thing to be good must be entirely good, vitiated by any
defect.
I. ACT IN ITSELF/OBJECT

• - To consider an act in itself is to regard its nature

• - ACT = not simply a mental or bodily activity requiring an
expenditure of energy
= it is physical tendency towards a definite result

• - we are dealing here with the human act performed, the deed done

• - RESULT
a) end of the act (finis operis)
b) end of the agent (finis operantis) = motive of the doer
• - In physical sense = some actions are bad because they produce such
evils as pain, hunger, illness or death
• - In moral sense = actions are bad because they disturb the harmony
within the acting person
✓ they are unfit to the natural and spiritual
tendencies of the human soul
• Moral evils also produce physical harm and damage of oneself and
others.
✓ they are moral evils because what they destroy is
the innate goodness, the Image of God in our human
nature
• = Thus, moral evils are those that go against the natural law
 INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC EVIL

•INTRINSIC - implies a quality inherent in a

thing
- Thus, an intrinsic evil act is an act which
is evil in itself
INTRINSIC EVIL ACT

• = certain actions are in themselves objectively good and certain

others are objectively evil. Men have always regarded certain acts as
good in themselves because as a matter of fact, they are good
• = by its nature, that is, by its functional purpose is wrongful
• = natural law = tendency of man to actualize his potentials as a
rational creature, that is, to be a person
• TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF PERSON WE OUGHT TO BE ON THE BASIS
OF OUR NATURAL AND RATIONAL TENDENCIES = we can identify with
relative accuracy those actions that are to be avoided as intrinsically
harmful
• - The Decalogue of Moses and many human laws – identify some
actions like blasphemy, stealing, untruthfulness, murder and adultery
•
• an act which prevents man from realizing his true worth as a person is
intrinsically evil
• ex. Murder, robbery, rape, adultery, lies, slavery = they contradict the
demands of reason for justice, truth an decency
• = these actions are evil, not only because they cause unjust harm and
suffering to others but above all, they dehumanize their perpetrators,
reducing them to the level of beasts/ animals/irrational
• In the tradition and culture of all people – there are those actions
which are regarded with horror and great repugnance = this means
that it the consciousness of men certain actions are to be avoided as
extremely dangerous poisons; actions that cause misery and physical
afflictions to man
 EXTRINSIC EVIL
•EXTRINSIC - implies a quality which is
superficially added to a thing
•(Example, a coat of paint covering surface of
the wall without modifying the essentiality
of the wood constituting the wall)
•- extrinsic evil – an act which in itself is not
evil but is made evil nonetheless on account
of something else
•- extrinsic evil act – that which, although
good or indifferent in itself, is however
prohibited by the law
II. MOTIVE OF THE ACT/ INTENTION OF THE
AGENT

• - it is the purpose which the doer wishes to achieve by such action

• - it gives direction and motivation to an act = without a motive, an
act is meaningless, and accident
• - it comes FIRST in the mind as intention and occurs LAST in the
action as its culmination or fulfillment
WHAT IS A GOOD/BAD MOTIVE?
• GOOD MOTIVE= one which is consistent with the dignity of the human
person
• = one which is in accordance with the truth, justice, prudence and
temperance

• BAD MOTIVE? = one which grows from selfishness – such motive

provokes action detrimental to others
• - Excessive indulgence of the self – a form of personal injustice to
oneself, nursing the greed that destroys others

• Action springing from the self seeking its goal = such desire must be
moderated by prudence and fairness
• Old Testament = a good man is called a just man
- IF he acts rightly out of respect for himself
and out of his concern for others
 THE END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS
• - to the doer = an act is a means of achieving an aim or purpose
Ex. we study = to acquire knowledge, to pass the course, to receive a
degree, to qualify for a job
• Wrong = to attempt at a good purpose by evil means
Examples:
- Student may not cheat in an exam in order to graduate
- Employee may not fake his documents in order to be promoted in job-
- Public official may not accept bribe in order to finance a health center
• The axiom “The End does not justify the Means”
- means that the worthiness of purpose does not make an evil act good
(nothing is more pernicious than for a hoodlum to believe that he is
justified in robbing the rich because he wants to share the loot with
the poor = Robin Hood)
INSIGHTS ON THE EFFECTS OF THE MOTIVE ON THE
ACTION
(Paul Glenn

• a) An evil act which is done on account of an evil

motive is grievously wrong (an objectively evil act
performed for an evil purpose takes on a new malice
from the evil end. If it has several evil ends, it takes on
new malice from each)

• b) A good action done on account of an evil motive

becomes evil itself (An act which is objectively good but
done for an evil end is entirely evil. If the evil end is the
whole motive of the act, an act is gravely evil if the evil
end is gravely evil, and an act is only partially evil if the
evil is neither gravely evil nor the whole motive of the
act)
• c) A good action done on account of a good purpose acquires an
additional merit (an objectively good act performed for a good purpose
takes on a new goodness from the good end if it has several good ends)
• d) An indifferent act may either become good or bad depending on the
motive

• e)An objectively evil act can never become good by reason of a good
end
III. CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE ACT

• An ACT = an event = it happens in a definite time and place

• = accompanied by certain elements which contribute to the
nature and accountability of such act
• In Law = we speak of mitigating or aggravating factors affecting a
criminal act
• Morality = takes into account the circumstances surrounding an act:

|
- who
- what
- where
- with whom
- why
- how
- where
The WHO?

• - refers primarily to the doer of the act = who is the agent?

• - at times, it also refers to the receiver of the act = to whom is the
action done?
• - this circumstance includes the age, status, relation, family
background, educational attainment, health and socio-economic
situation of the person or persons involved in an act
 Observations:
• a) The moron, the insane, the senile, and the children below the age of
reason are considered incapable of voluntary acts and therefore are
exempted from moral accountability.
• - But actions against these persons are normally regarded most cruel
due to their helplessness in defending themselves

• b) Persons with higher educational attainment are presumed to know

“better” than those with little education. Accordingly, their liability is
higher. Indeed, “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
 Observations:
• c) Persons vested with authority have higher accountability than those
who merely follow their order or command. This is the meaning of
“command responsibility” which makes a superior or official
accountable for the actuation of those under their authority.

• d) The relationship between people involved in act may modify the

nature of such act.
- In this sense, adultery is different from fornication, and parricide from
homicide
• WHAT
• - refers to the act itself and to the quality and quantity of the results of
such act.
• - what is the extent of the act? Was the injury inflicted serious or slight?
Was the amount stolen large or small?

• WHERE
• - refers to the circumstance of place where the act is committed
• - where was the act committed?
• WITH WHOM
• - refers to the companion or accomplices in an act performed. This
includes the number and status of the persons involved. The more
people involved in the commission of an act, the greater and more
serious is the crime

• WHY
• - refers to the motive or intention of the doer
• HOW
• - refers to the manner how the act is made possible
• - under what condition? Was the action performed by the agent done in
good or bad faith?
• - How an act is performed contributes to the malice of an act

• WHEN

• - refers to the time of the act

• - when was the act committed?
Observations:

• 1) Circumstances may either increase or decrease the wrongfulness

of an evil act

• 2) Circumstances also may either increase or decrease the merits of

a good act

• 3) Some circumstances may alter the nature of an act

Observations:

• Ethical Principles:
1) An indifferent act becomes good or evil by reason of its
circumstance

2) A good act may become evil by reason of circumstance

3) A good or evil act may become better or worse by reason of the

circumstance and may even take on new goodness or malice from its
circumstance
Observations:

4) An evil act can never be made good by circumstance

5) A circumstance which is gravely evil destroys the entire goodness of

an objectively good act

6) A circumstance which is evil but not gravely so does not entirely

destroys the goodness of an objectively good act.
 CONCLUSION:
• Distinction between good act and evil act = it is not an illusion of the
mind
= There are good actions and there are evil actions and their realities do
not come from out mind
= Evil is not man’s invention = rather, it means that man uses his
freedom to do wrong
- only man can do something morally wrong = because only man has the
power to choose between what is good and what is wrong

To be an authentic person is to be a responsible person. He knows how to

use his freedom only as an instrument to do good