This document discusses the fundamental principles of ethics. It differentiates between a human act, which proceeds from deliberate free will, and an act of man, which can be either natural and involuntary or natural and voluntary. It also outlines five principles regarding how the circumstances surrounding an action can impact whether it is considered good, evil, better, or worse. These principles state that circumstances can change an indifferent act or a good act into an evil one, but an evil act is never made good by circumstances.
This document discusses the fundamental principles of ethics. It differentiates between a human act, which proceeds from deliberate free will, and an act of man, which can be either natural and involuntary or natural and voluntary. It also outlines five principles regarding how the circumstances surrounding an action can impact whether it is considered good, evil, better, or worse. These principles state that circumstances can change an indifferent act or a good act into an evil one, but an evil act is never made good by circumstances.
This document discusses the fundamental principles of ethics. It differentiates between a human act, which proceeds from deliberate free will, and an act of man, which can be either natural and involuntary or natural and voluntary. It also outlines five principles regarding how the circumstances surrounding an action can impact whether it is considered good, evil, better, or worse. These principles state that circumstances can change an indifferent act or a good act into an evil one, but an evil act is never made good by circumstances.
of human conduct. In the process of the nature of human conduct, it is important that we differentiate between the human act and the act of man. The distinction between this two is an important process in the determination of the morality of man’s action.
The Nature of Human Act
HUMAN ACTS – are actions that proceed from the
deliberate free will of man. These actions are therefore done with knowledge and consent willfully carried out by the person.
THE PRINCIPLES INVOLVED IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES
OF THE ACTION
Paul Glenn (1968) writes five principles involving the
TWO CATEGORIES OF ACTS OF MAN implications of the circumstances of the act:
1. Natural involuntary actions- these actions of man
1. An indifferent act can become good or evil through that are performed intuitively or involuntarily. circumstances. 2. Natural voluntary actions – are actions that are 2. A good act can become evil through circumstances. within the control of man’s will but only for some 3. An intrinsically good act can become better or an period of time. intrinsically evil can become worse through circumstances. 4. An evil act can never become good through circumstance. 5. A good act done with evil means destroys the entire objective goodness of the act.