Republic of the Philippines

Carcar City College

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Subject: ETHICS Discussion Final 1c & 1d

Class Schedules: BPA – 1A

BPA – 1B
BPA – 1C

Topics:

THE END OF HUMAN ACT

KINDS OF GOOD
CONSEQUENCES OF HUMAN ACT

I. OBJECTIVES:

At the end of this lesson, the students whould be able to:

1. identify proximate and remote end;

2. analyze the kinds of goal;
3. enumerate and analyze the different kinds of goods; and
3. discuss the consequences of human actions.

II. ACTIVITY

1. What is your goal in life?

2. explain the difference between the end of act and the end of the doer.

III. ABSTRACTION

What is the end of the Human Act?

The “end” refers to the goal of an act. It is either the end of the act itself or the end of
the doer.
1. End of the act?
The end of the act is the natural termination or completion of an activity. For example, the
end of the reading is comprehension; that of jogging is physical exercise; that of taking
medicine is treatment; that of eating is nourishment.
2. End of the doer?
 The end of the doer is the motive or intention why a person performs an act. A person, for
example, reads to feel relaxed, jogs to be physically fit, eats either to appease hunger or to
indulge his appetite. A woman takes glutathione to be fairer and prettier.

What are the ends of the doer?

The end of the doer may be classified according to: a. proximate and remote, b.
intermediate and ultimate.
a) The proximate end is the goal which the doer wishes to accomplish immediately.
The remote end is the goal which the doer wishes to accomplish sometimes later.
The proximate end of doing regular exercises makes your day more relaxing and
refreshing. Its remote end is the promotion of your health.
b) The intermediate end is that which is sought as a means for obtaining another thing.
The ultimate end is that which is desired for its own sake. The intermediate end may
lead to another intermediate, or to an ultimate end. The ultimate end completes an
act and stops further activity. A student may think of graduating summa cum laude as
his ultimate goal. The series of activities which engage him in school, like attending
classes, writing reports, joining a club, and studying hard to get an excellent grade-
are intermediate ends leading to the ultimate end of getting the highest honor during
graduation.
The ultimate end is the motivating factor that urges the person to act
even to the point of undertaking the tasks which are dangerous.
Our daily experiences in life may be difficult, but if they are related attaining
the ultimate ends we take them as challenges since they find meaning in
relation to the ultimate end.

What are the principles that govern the end of human activity?

1. Every action is performed for the sake of a definite end or purpose.

Man must first have a motive in order for him to act. A motive may be instantaneous
as when one stands up to answer the phone. Sometimes a motive comes out from a
well calculated effort, as when a student decides on how much money will he spend
for lunch so he can still enjoy his money allowance for playing “DOTA”. Some modest
and inconsequential. Some are significant and important.
Actions are considered deliberate or intentional if they are done for a purpose.
Actions are said to be accidental if they are done without an intended purpose.
2. Every action is intended towards an ultimate end.
Every action is directed towards accomplishing something. NO sane person
would take a walk without wanting to go somewhere. Even a person who
takes a leisurely-walk walks aimlessly still has the goal.
3. Every doer moves himself towards an end which he thinks suitable to him.
Man’s wish is directed towards something which is suitable and beneficial to him.
That which is good is the only thing suitable to man; naturally, man’s tendency is to
act towards what is good . It is unusual for a person to desire evil for its own sake.

Are all “ends” “good”?

The concept of good is synonymous to that of end or purpose. As mentioned

above, man does not wish anything except those that suits and benefits him; he acts with the
intention of obtaining something good for himself; he does not desire evil for its own sake.
Hence, good is equivalent to the end or purpose of an act- It is either ultimate end or the
intermediate end.
Aristotle (cited by Agapay, 2008) defined “Good” as “anything which fits or suits a
function”. Education is good either because it suits one’s hunger for wisdom and
knowledge, or the need for self-esteem. In a higher-level, if an action fits the moral integrity
of a person, then that action is considered as good.
Actions are considered to be good if they fit to the human nature- they are “maka-
tao”. Actions are considered to be evil if they are unfit to the human nature- they are “hindi
maka-tao”.
Aristotle teaches that the good that truly fits the function of the soul since it is the soul
which constitutes the essentiality of rational nature. Consequently, we speak of action as
being in accordance or not with the “dictate of reason”. Thus, we consider human
actions as good when they are consistent with reason (Agapay,2008).
What if a person sees evil as something good? When someone desires evil as
an end, it is only because he views is subjectively, as something good. Evil which is
presented to the mind as something good is called an apparent good. It is evil disguised as
good. For example, a suitor who kills his rival regards his immoral action as “good” means to
ride himself of a rival for the love of a woman. Thus, during election, a politician will cheat by
buying votes in order to win (Agapay, 2008).

What are the kinds of Good?

1. Essential and Accidental. Essential goods are this that satisfy the need of person
as a human being. For example, food, shelter, clothing, and education are essential
goods. Accidental goods, on the other hand, satisfies the want of a person. For
example, cell phone, laptop, expensive clothes, perfume, and the like.
2. Real and Apparent. Anything which has intrinsic value is considered as real good.
Persons, relationships, and activities are examples of real good. An apparent good
is an evil which is viewed subjectively as something good, such as prohibited drugs
and vices.
3. Perfective and Non-perfective. Perfective goods are those that contribute to the
integral growth or development of a person, such as education, virtue, food, sports,
medicines, and also relationships. Anything that merely contributes to the external
appearance or convenience of a person is non-perfective good. For example,
money, new car, brand new cell phone, expensive clothes, etc.
4. Perfect and Imperfect. Imperfect is referring to anything lacking in some qualities.
All material things are imperfect. Anything that is endowed with all essential qualities
needed to satisfy a need is perfect.
4.a. Perfection is either absolute or relative. While a relative perfection is complete
only in some aspects, absolute perfection means complete in all aspects, perfect
circle, perfect scores are examples of absolute perfection.

What is The Greatest Good?

The Scholastic philosophers used the word “summum bonum” which means the
“greatest good”. The greatest good is in itself perfect and is capable of satisfying all
human desires. It is also considered as the ultimate good, because it is the absolutely final
thing which is sought for its own sake. Since every human activity is a tendency towards the
attainment of something good then its movement is towards the possession of the greatest
good.
According to Aristotle, the greatest good is happiness. He writes: “By absolute final,
we mean that which is sought for its own sake, and never as a means to something else.
Happiness is something to be of that sort. We also pursue that for its intrinsic value, never as
a means; whereas we pursue honor, pleasure, wisdom, and all the virtues, both for their own
sakes (we would want them even if they will lead to nothing further) and for the sake of
happiness, since we think we shall attain happiness by means of them. But no one wants
happiness as a means to these other things, or indeed as a means to anything else at all”
(Agapay, 2008). In a way, the purpose of human existence is the attainment of the greatest
good.

What is Happiness?

Happiness is not just an emotion or something of value but a state of being since
happiness contributes to the perfection of a person. It is the state of perfection arising
from the possession of what is good. Thus, the possession of the greatest good makes a
person perfectly happy, just as the possession of wealth makes an individual a rich man
(Agapay, 2008).

What do people desire?

1. Some people whose ultimate aim is on acquisition of wealth, fame, popularity,

power, and money. But these things do not satisfy human desire completely.
These things are perishable; fame, and popularity can easily be tainted by a
rumor of indiscretion. These extravagant desires only make them greedy.
2. Some people give more importance on health and physical beauty where in
fact, through illness and age, these are easily lost.
3. Some people indulge themselves in worldly pleasure. But pleasures do not
last for long and often lead to unhappiness. Eating delicious foods is
pleasurable but eating so much of them causes stomachache if not unwanted
weight or obesity.
4. Some people would want to dedicate themselves to the cultivation of science
and arts. This is a worthy pursuit which leaves a mark in the lives of other
people. But knowledge is not useful unless it becomes an instrument for
helping other people.
5. Some people would consecrate themselves to the religious life. But the
practice of religion and the cultivation of virtues are aimed at attaining spiritual
perfection.

On the Consequences of Human Acts

1. What are the consequences of human acts?

Man forms habit by constant repetition of an act. Frequent repetition of an act
makes the agent strongly inclined towards the act, and in this strong inclination lies the
active or operative habit of so acting. Since human acts have morality, the habit of
performing any human act will be a moral habit. If it is a good moral habit, it is a virtue. If
it is an evil moral habit, it is a vice. From this, we say that the consequences of human
acts are virtues and vices.
2. What is virtue?
The word virtue comes from the Latin word virtus, which has military character
meaning courage and bravery of the soldier. The word itself is derived from the noun
vir, a man. Hence, virtue is, quite literally, manliness- it is the mark and characteristic of
the true and upright man.
 In Ethics, virtue signifies that habitual manliness and power for good acts which
arises from the frequent performance of such acts. The plural virtues refer to different
habits of acting well the special name of different virtues.
A virtue may be: a) natural, like our inclination towards learning and education;
b) supernatural, like faith in God; c) acquired, like courage; d) physical, like body
strength and perfection; e) intellectual, like wisdom and knowledge; f) theological, like
faith; and, g) moral, like fortitude. In Ethics, we deal only with acquired moral virtues.

3. What are the moral virtues?

The chief moral virtues are: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
These are also cardinal virtues. The term cardinal is derived from the Latin word cardo,
meaning hinge. Hence, moral virtues depend upon the “hinges” of the cardinal virtues.
a) Prudence- is the virtue of understanding which enables one quickly and clearly
to know, in concrete circumstances, the best means to an end, and it further
inclines one to take these means promptly and accurately. A prudent man is not
whimsical or capricious, no he is weak, hesitant, or over-cautious. Prudence is
expressed in the axiom, “Virtue stands in the middle.”
b) Justice- is the virtue that inclines one to always render to everyone his due. It
behooves a person to recognize and pay his debt.
c) Fortitude- is the virtue which inclines one to face danger with intrepidity,
especially such dangers as threaten life.
d) Temperance- is the virtue which controls one in the pursuit and use of the
pleasures of life, especially those that attract most strongly, and which poses
consequent danger of excess and disorder.

4. What are Vices?

The habit of performing a morally evil act is vice. A single evil human act is a sin; and
the vice is the habit of sin.
The following are the vices as opposed to the cardinal virtues:
a) As Against prudence- imprudence, precipitateness, lack of docility,
carelessness, capriciousness, improvidence, smartness, trickery, fraud, etc.
b) As against justice- injustice, ingratitude, cruelty, etc.
c) As against fortitude- inconstancy, impatience, weak spiritedness,
presumptuous boldness, stubbornness, insensibility, etc.
d) As against temperance- pride, lust, anger, gluttony, fanatical rigorousness,
false humility, morose, gloomy, etc.

IV. Assessment

1. How are virtues formed?

2. When working in a government office whose department is
overbearing and unreasonable, what is the virtue that you
need to develop in order to survive in your job?
 V. Application

1. Do you think that the absence of fears is a mark of fortitude?

2. Can a person be considered just although he may appear unfair?
3. Give one example of the axiom, “Virtue stands in the middle.”

Sources:
1. Ariola, M. (2018) Ethics.Manila.Unlimited Books Library
Services & Publishing Inc.
2. Agapay, R.B. (2008) Ethics and the Filipino People,
Manila: National Book Store
3. Bebor, E. (2006) Ethics: The Philisophical Discipline of
Action, Manila Rex Bbook store
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics

Prepared by

DENNIS JAKOSALEM
Instructor

Checked by:

DR. MAGNALISA BONALOS

BPA Department Head

MARY JESHIEL F. ALEGRADO, MAED-ELT

IMD Coordinator

DOLLY ANN B. DELA CRUZ-CARACA, MAED, ET

Quality Assurance Director

Approved by:

EDWARD MAGLUCOT, Ph.D

Dean for Academic Affairs