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ETHICS

Prelim

Lesson Objectives
At the end of the lessons, students will be able to:

 define Ethics;
 differentiate Ethics from Morality;
 distinguish morally good person, immoral person and amoral person;
 determine acts that are morally good and not;
 differentiate human acts and acts of man;
 enumerate the essential qualities of an act to be classified as human act;
 give examples of human acts;
 identify the classification of human acts;
 predict valid and invalid judgment of beauty;
 discuss the modifiers of human act;
 determine the morality of human acts;
 explain norms of morality;
 explain what law is;
 summarize the essential matters of law;
 define what conscience is; and
 interpret the different kinds of conscience.

Introduction
Definition of Ethics
- Derived from the Greek word ethos, meaning characteristic way of acting, and ethike or doctrine
of morality.
- Human conduct implies the free and deliberate use of the will, which is characteristic of human
acts. Hence, the word Ethics is suited to designate the science of human conduct.
- Mos or moris is, on the other hand, the Latin equivalent, which also means custom, or
“traditional line of conduct”. It is from the root word that the word moral or morality is derived.
Thus, Ethics is identical to moral science or moral philosophy.
- The term morality is synonymous with the word ethics in terms of their etymological meaning.
But there remains a shade of difference.
Ethics – deals more on the principles and laws on the morality of human acts; it provides the person
with the knowledge that he may know what to do and how to do it. In other words, ethics provides the
guides to the performance of an act.
Morality – the implementation of ethical principles and laws. The practice of ethics.
Morally good person – one who correctly distinguishes what is right from what is wrong not only in
knowledge but also in practice.
- One who acts in accordance with ethical norms.
Immoral person – one who does not act or behave in conformity with practiced moral principles or
norms.
Amoral person – an individual who does not have the ability to distinguish between what is morally
good act and what is morally evil one.
- One who cannot identify and accept moral norms, resulting into some sort of abnormality or
deviancy.

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The division of Ethics
1. General Ethics – the basic course in the science of Ethics. It consists of the basic notions and
fundamental principles and norms of morality. It includes brief study of philosophy of man and
its main subject matter, however, is the study of human acts where more time and effort are
allotted for its deliberation and mastery.
2. Applied Ethics – it consists of special concerns, whether individual or institutional, to which
moral norms and principles are applied.
MAN AND HIS EXISTENCE
Who is man?
Socrates – according to him, man is made of body and soul. The soul is distinct from the body, and is
likened to God in memory, understanding, indivisibility and immortality.
- Happiness is the highest value of man. Happiness is attained only by man’s intellectual virtue
according to the Greek thinker.
- For Socrates, “know thyself” is both a basic intellectual principle and moral precept.
Plato – he viewed that the soul of man is the immediate product of God’s action. The soul is spiritual,
rational, autonomous and immortal.
- Souls are incarnated into bodies as a consequence of sin which is committed by coming in
contact with matter.
- The spiritual soul is the thinking principle in man. If man lives well on earth, his soul will go to a
place of happiness. Death liberates the soul from the prison of the body.
Aristotle – he posited the soul as the substantial form of the human body. The soul, which is created
by God, is spiritual and immortal according to him.
- Man is vegetal, animal and rational.
- Rationality is man’s proper function as man, differentiating him from plants and animals.
Lao-Tse – he simply encourages man to be virtuous in order to attain “Tao” (God).
Kung-fu-tse, or Confucius – he taught men with his “Golden rule” (Do not impose on others what you
do not wish for yourself) in order to attain happiness and self-protection.
Gautama Buddha – he was called “the Enlightened One” during his time, he wrote that man strives for
happiness, which cannot be attained in this changing and illusory world because “happiness means
changelessness, evenness of being, peace”.
The three oriental mystics commonly hold the doctrine that the only way for man to reach happiness is
to liberate himself from the slavery of sensual pleasures of this world and from selfishness. While their
concept of the soul is not explicitated, their affirmation of its existence is clearly implied. The soul is the
one to reach happiness because the body is rather hindrance.
Various Emphasis on the Concepts of Man
1. Man as body-soul composite – the soul is distinct from the body.
2. Man as a rational animal – man thinks and reasons out.
3. Man as embodied subjectivity – man is not static entity. Man undergoes a continuous change.
4. Man is a being-in-this-world – there exists an interconnection between the world and the
human body. Man gives meaning to the world, and the world gets its meaning from the
subjectivity of man.
5. Man as socius and interhuman – man lives in the midst of fellowmen. He cannot afford to live
alone without the presence of other people.
6. Man as a person – man has that drive to improve and develop himself/herself in the journey of
life. He cannot remain to be stagnated.
7. Man as an absolute value – man is the center of the universe, giving meaning to it, a being of
human dignity created in the image and likeness of God, he cannot be valued in terms of
quantity (material, money) which are temporary and relative value.

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Human Existence
Rene Descartes – “cogito, ergo sum”, I think, therefore I exist.

Human Existence is the consciousness of:


1. One’s own being;
2. The other human, hence man is a being with others;
3. The world, thus man is a being with others in the world;
4. In time, man is a being with others in the world in time. Man has past, present, and future time.
Consciousness here means total presence to oneself, the other human, in the world in time.
Some Human Existential Experiences
1. The experience of the good – (joy, healthiness, fullness, life) man knows and feels the good.
He tends to do the good. He is attracted to things that are good. By nature, man is good himself.
He is created and procreated good. The experience of evil confirms the experience of the good.
2. The experience of the beautiful – man’s capacity to appreciate is directed toward the
beautiful, whether it is a value or an act.it is part of man’s nature to be attracted to it which is
normally spontaneous. The presence of the ugly affirms the experience of the beautiful.
3. The experience of love – every human creature has the capacity to love; to love himself, to
love others, and God. Man is a lover and a beloved. It is love that keeps man alive and happy.
Without love man cannot exist even a single moment. The experience of hatred strengthens
love in a way. Hate does not really negate love. It confirms it. Love is not felt concretely if hatred
is never experienced. In fact, hatred happens because of love.
4. The experience of existence – summing up all the experiences mentioned is the experience of
existence, the experience of living in the cosmos. The phenomenon of death is a concrete proof
of life. No one can die without first living. Otherwise, nothing will die. The fact of death confirms
the fact of life and existence.
5. The experience of happiness – happiness is said to be the goal of human living and the
crowning point of human existence. To be happy is our innate desire. Happiness is what we are
striving for in this life and we hate to be unhappy.
MAN AND HIS ENDS
- End is the very cause of human acting. End is the very reason why an act is performed, the very
reason for its existence.
- The end of human act is good. If the end is desirable and attractive to the person, then it must
be good.
- There is no man who would intend evil for its own sake. There is no one who would intend to
attain evil for an end. This is because evil is ugly, not good, hence not desired or attracting for
any person. If one is attracted to evil, he must not be a normal person. Evil per se cannot be
desired as an end to be attained.
The Good
1. Good as to utility – an object or act is perceived as good when it is useful for one’s purpose
and satisfaction. The goodness of an object is relative depending on its usefulness or
destructiveness or non-usefulness to our purpose at the moment.
2. Good as to beauty - people consider an object or act as a thing of beauty when it satisfies their
aesthetic appetite. The judgement of beauty remains both subjective and objective. Thus, the
saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is somewhat true but it is half-truth. There must be
a conformity between the “eye” of the beholder and the reality of the object perceived. The
absence of conformity means invalidity of the judgement.
3. Good as to nature or reality – goodness by nature is real, not accidental. Some things are
seen as good, not because of usefulness or aesthetic value, but because it is its nature and
reality. In other words, the nature of the objects is goodness itself.
Moral good – it is applied specifically to beings of moral nature: human beings. There seem to be
goods or goodnesses that are morally evil. In reality, however, these are not goodness but skills. And
skills are not all morally good.
- Being good to himself, good to other people, good to environment, and good to God.

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Classification of ends
1. The end of the act – the end of the act is that end toward which the act of its own nature is
immediately directed. It is the direct object of the act.
Example: a rich man donates food to the poor. The end of the act (donating) is to satisfy the
hunger of the poor and relieve them of grief.
2. As end of the agent – the end of the agent can be different or the same as the end of the act
depending upon the agent. For example, a politicians donates P5000.00 to the church. His ends
could be: gratitude to God for a favour; to obtain popularity among the Christians; out of love for
God and people; reparation for his sins, or to help paint the church, or all of it.
3. Temporal ends, intermediate ends - when an end is subject to time and place, it is classified
as temporal, in the sense that it does not last forever, but good only for a certain time or it is
good only for a certain place or space.
4. The ultimate end – the last and final goal of human act and the human agent. It is called the
end-of-all-ends, since this cannot be used to attain any higher end. The ultimate end is
permanent and absolute, and can never be converted as means. There are two aspects of the
ultimate end:
a. Subjective ultimate end – aspect which is the subjective possession of the objective
ultimate end by the person. The possession results to enjoyment or happiness.
b. Objective ultimate end – this aspect is inseparable from the subjective ultimate end. When
combined with the perceived objectively by the agent outside himself. The objective ultimate
end subjective aspect, the objective ultimate end gives the agent, happiness by possession
thereof.
Perfectly Happiness – man’s last end or ultimate goal. And only when this ultimate end is attained that
man’s craving for happiness rests
Some Ultimate Goals of Life – chosen by certain thinkers
1. Materialistic Ethics – the supreme good of human life are human pleasures and satisfaction.
This type is classified into Hedonism and Utilitarianism.
a. Hedonism – the highest end of human life is found in sensual pleasures and bodily
satisfaction man can enjoy in this world. These includes biological, sexual and social
pleasures and all kinds of bodily enjoyments.
b. Utilitarianism – it holds that the ultimate end of man is the possession of political power
through conquests of other nations. Social utilitarianism teaches that the greatest value of
man consists of the maximum welfare of the entire society.
2. Ultra-spiritualism – this type of ethics takes spiritualism matters and virtues in this life as the
ultimate end of man. There are two forms of this kind:
a. Greco-Roman Stoicism – takes virtue and abstinence from sensual pleasures as the
highest end of man.
b. Humanistic Personalism – Christian Wolf and others hold that the ultimate end consists of
human perfection through knowledge, virtue, honor which must be acquired.
3. Progressive Ethics – it takes indefinite progress, material or spiritual, as the ultimate end of
man. According to Aristotle, the final goal of man is the continuous acquisition of all temporal
goods, which may be socio-economic-political, or cultural and moral progress, taken as a whole,
as general or individual well-being in society.
These ultimate values ignited the following remarks:
1. Temporal happiness and temporal progress as ultimate end of man is egoistic, limited to
temporal values, and lacking foundation for moral imperative. It ignores divine values and it
does not give meaning to human suffering.
2. Self-perfection and well-being, taken as the ultimate goal of life, have received these similar
criticisms: they are individualistic, hence, egotist; lacking superior values like love and
concern for others; limited in the naturalist sense, denying religious and divine values.
Christian Ethics
- It emanates from the teaching of Jesus Christ and His Church, embodied in the Holy Scriptures
and church doctrine.
- The ethical ultimate goal of Christianity is two-faced: God’s Glory and Salvation of Mankind.
- There are two basic points in Christian ethics:
1. God promises salvation to man, and

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2. Man freely accepts the condition for his salvation: to do or not to do God’s will (the
commandments).
- Man is free to accept and perform the conditions. He is not forced to do such. But this is an
agreement between man and God. It is a covenant intended by God, however, to be fulfilled by
man. For man to be saved, he must do his part. God has done his part.
Human Act

- This is referred to as the human activity of man as man by which he attains an end he wants to
obtain.
- Acts of rationality of man. They are the rational acts of human person which involves
understanding and free will.
- They are the free and conscious acts of a human being proper to man alone, emanating from
deliberate free will.
- Paul J. Glenn defines human act as “an act which proceeds from the deliberate free will of man”
Acts of Man

- Activities of man as animal. These acts are not deliberately done, nor voluntary; they are
performed without the free will of the agent.
- Examples of these are beating of the heart, acts done during sleep or dream, sensation by the
five sense organs, seeing, eating, among others.
- He following are signs of acts of man:
1. They are not done deliberately. The agent performing the act is not conscious of his actions
going on. The action he is doing is not under the command of his consciousness.
2. The acts are not done freely. They may be done by force, that is, without the freedom of
choice of the person.
3. The acts are done involuntarily. The acts do not emanate from the heart of the agent.
- It does not demand responsibility and imputability from the agent. Acts of man are not subject to
morality. They are amoral acts. Thus, they are not the concern of the study of Ethics.
Three essential qualities required of an act in order to be classified as human act:
1. The act must be deliberate. The agent does it consciously; he knows that he is doing the act
and aware of its consequences, good or evil.
2. The act must be free. The person who is doing the act must be free from external force.
Otherwise, the act is not his own. The act must not be done out of fear.
3. The act must be voluntary. The act is done out of the will and decision of the agent. The act
emanates from his heart.
Examples of human act are the following:
- An act of decision to select a degree course
- An act of killing someone
- An act of marriage
- Choice of life partner
- To love
- To vote for a candidate
- Act of teaching or studying, etcetera.
Classification of Human Acts:
A. Elicited Acts – emanate from the will of the agent. It is a will-act begun and completed in the
will without bodily involvement.
1. Wish – it is a natural inclination of the will towards an object. The wishing of the will includes
objects that are possible or impossible to be realized by the wishing subject and it could be
possibly or impossibly attainable.
2. Intention – this is the will’s tendency towards something attainable but not obligatory. For
instance, an invitation to attend a birthday party or to go for a walk at the park.
3. Consent – the acceptance of the will to implement the agent’s intention. An invited person
consents to go to the affair for instance.
4. Election – the agent chooses from among a variety of means what he believes to be the most
effective to carry out an intention. If I go to Manila, I select to go by bus instead of the airplane,
or taxi.

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5. Use – this is the will’s command to make use of the selected means in carrying out the
intention. Since I chose to go to Manila by bus, I start calling up the company office for the trip;
prepare things for the trip’s purpose and then go.
6. Fruition – this is the enjoyment of the will as a result of the attainment of the object desired
earlier.
B. Command Acts – those acts involving both body and mind, necessary to carry out the elicited
acts.
1. Internal Acts – these acts refer to the purely mental faculties under the command of the will.
Examples are: deliberate imagination for a certain purpose, intentional recall, meditation, and
rationalization.
2. External Acts – these acts are done by the body as commanded by the will. Illustrative
examples are the following: talking, deliberate motion like running, walking, hand gestures,
writing or eating. While these acts are classified as “acts of man”, they become human acts
when done with advertence and with the will.
3. Mixed – mixed acts are those done by bodily and mental powers. Examples are the act of
studying, sharp shooting, chess playing.
The existence of Human Act
- For every act that is done, there is always a corresponding end, or a goal. It is this end in view
that gives the act the reason for its existence. If there is an act, the agent has an objective in
mind. To attain such, he makes the act as a means to reach that objective or end.
Human Act and Responsibility
Responsibility – the ability of a person to respond to a need or problem in a given situation. The ability
to respond is an internal quality of a person which is free and voluntary yet morally obligatory in himself.
A responsible person has the feeling of moral obligation to do an act as a response to the demand of
the situation.
Free Will and Freedom
Will – a man’s natural tendency of being attracted to what is good and beautiful and to be repulsed
from what is evil and ugly, after they have been presented by the intellect.
- Will is free when it acts without any pressure from outside.
Freedom – the absence of constriction. The power to be and to act under free will and, choice.

- Unlimited freedom does not exist. Freedom is limited by the rights of others, things or persons.
The Modifiers of Human Act
- Ignorance, concupiscence, fear, violence, and habit.
1. Ignorance – the lack of knowledge in man of a certain thing expected to have been known by
him. It also leans the presence of what is falsely supposed to be knowledge.
a. Ignorance in its object –it refers to the subject’s ignorance of the law; fact, or
corresponding penalty.
Ignorance of law – the absence of knowledge a person ought to possess.
Ignorance of fact – ignorance of the nature or circumstances of an act that is generally
forbidden in the community.
Ignorance of penalty – lack of knowledge of the sanction imposed by the law to violators.
b. Ignorance in its subject – this aspect of ignorance lies in the agent who has no knowledge
of the law, fact or penalty.
Vincible ignorance – one that can easily be overcome through diligence and exertion of
efforts by the subject.
Invincible ignorance – one which the subject concerned cannot possibly overcome due to
lack of means, among the factor.
Affected ignorance – preferring to remain ignorant in order to escape responsibility and
accountability when he violates such.
c. Ignorance in its result – refers to the relation of ignorance to the act done out of ignorance.
Antecedent ignorance – precedes the consent of the will.
Concomitant ignorance – accompanies an act that would be performed even if there was
no ignorance.
Consequent ignorance – a vincible ignorance but the subject deliberately refuses to
conquer it.
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2. Concupiscence – refers to bodily tendencies (appetite) of man sometimes called the passions.
Antecedent concupiscence – suddenly spring up into action without the sanction of the will.
Consequent concupiscence – involves knowledge and consent of the agent, so he is
responsible for the act and, therefore, accountable for its consequence.
3. Fear – refers to a person’s perturbed state of mind due to an impending danger or evil that
might befall him anytime.
4. Violence – refers to a physical external force inflicted on a person by a free agent for the
purpose of compelling said person to do an act against his will.
5. Habit – refers to repeatable acts of a person done with facility and ease.
Moral Principles

1. Invincible ignorance makes an act involuntary.


2. Vincible ignorance does not render the act involuntary, but reduces the voluntariness and the
corresponding accountability over the act.
3. Affected ignorance in a way reduces and in another way intensifies voluntariness.
4. Antecedent concupiscence diminishes the voluntariness of the act.
5. Antecedent concupiscence does not eliminate voluntariness of an act.
6. Acts done in fear are voluntary.
7. An act done out of fear, however great, is simply voluntary, although it is also regularly
conditionally involuntary.
8. External act which are commanded, performed by a person under pending violence which could
be reasonably resisted, are involuntary and, therefore, not imputable.
9. An agent is responsible for the evil effect of his indirect voluntary act.
10. The principle of double effect.
a. The act must be good in itself or at least morally neutral.
b. The good effect must be greater than the evil one, or equally important at least.
c. The act is the only means to attain the good effect.
d. The evil effect must be the last to happen.
e. The agent must be honest in his intention.
The Morality of Human Acts
Morality – refers to the goodness or badness of an act.
Morally good – a human act that is done in accordance with God’s law and human reason.
Morally Evil – act that is performed in violation of God’s law and human reason.
Determinants of Morality
1. The act itself and its object - a morally good act must agree with the norms of morality. It must
be good in itself, it must be good in its objective, so in its circumstances.
2. The end of the agent – the end of the agent in performing the act is that which the agent wishes
to attain by means of the act.
3. Circumstances – These are determinants of the morality of the act. To find out what are the
circumstances, we usually ask the questions: “who?”, “what?”, “where?”, “when?”, “with
whom?”, “under what condition?”, and “why?”.
Guide in formulating ends of actions (Glenn: 111 - 112:
1. An objectively good act done for a good end merits another goodness from such end.
2. An objectively evil act done for an evil purpose takes new evil from the evil end of the agent.
3. An act which objectively good but done for evil end, is entirely evil id the evil end is the whole
motive of the act.
4. An objectively evil act can never become good by reason of good end.
5. An act which is indifferent objectively may become evil if its intended end is evil.
Moral Principles arising from the determinant of Circumstances (Glenn: 116-117)
1. An indifferent act becomes morally good or morally evil depending on the circumstances.
2. An act that is evil in itself can never be converted good by circumstances.
3. A circumstance which is not gravely evil does not totally damage the goodness of an objectively
good act.

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The Norms of Morality
What is norm? – Ignacio defines it as a rule, standard, or measure. It is something by which we gauge
the goodness or evilness of an act. It is something with which an act conforms to be morally good; or
violate to be morally evil, and neutral to be morally indifferent.
Two norms of morality:
1. Eternal Law of God – the ultimate norm of human acts. This ultimate norm is independent of any
measure, hence called objective.
2. Human reason of man – the conscience of a person telling him internally what ought he to do.
This norm is found in the subject, hence called subjective.
Law – an ordinance of reason promulgated for the common good by one who has charge of society.
Definition of Law
1. A law is an ordinance – it is an order coming from legitimate authority. As an order, it is
binding upon the subjects to obey. A law is not a request but a command.
2. A law is an ordinance of reason – it is a result of intellectual and rational study. It has the
following qualities:
a. A law must be just.
b. A law must be honest.
c. It is possible to be fulfilled.
d. It is useful as guide to attain a goal.
e. It must be relatively permanent.
f. It must be promulgated.
3. A law must be promulgated – this means that the law must be publicized in order to be made
known to the people who will be subjected to it. The law takes effect only when the subjects are
aware of it.
4. A law must be for the common good – a law must serve the public good. A law should be a
‘liberating agency and not an enslaving one.”
5. A law must be promulgated in society – a law is applicable only to a community or society, to
social institutions like the state and the church, among others.
6. A law must be promulgated by one who has charge of society.
Classification of Laws

1. THE ETERNAL LAW – the divine reason and will commanding that the natural order of things
be preserved and forbidding that it be disturbed.
2. THE NATURAL LAW – this is an innate universal command engraved in the very heart of every
man and woman regardless of time and place. This is an innate in every human being; it is not
acquired. It is part of man’s nature and it is a command, an order, demanding to be fulfilled.
Other Classifications of Laws
A. By Author
1. Divine Laws – authored by God
2. Human Laws – authored by the church or by the state; or by other institutions.
B. By Duration
1. Temporal Laws – Laws made by man generally subject to time and place. They are not
absolute or permanent.
2. Eternal Law – it is God’s plan and providence for the universe.
C. Promulgation
1. Natural Law – these are laws innate and not acquired, directing creatures towards their
respective and proper ends in accordance with their respective natures.
2. Positive Laws – these are man-made laws such as those enacted by Church and State
authorities.
D. By Prescription
1. Affirmative Laws – this is a kind of law which is binding in nature, but not necessarily at
every moment. Example: “Honor thy father and thy mother.”
2. Negative Laws – these laws are binding always and at every moment. Example: “thou shall
not kill.”

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NOTANDA – The following points should be noted and be remembered in matters of law:
1. A law exist for the good of man; not man to exist for the good of law. A law is made to facilitate
the good of the individual and society. It is a guide for him to attain his goals. A law is definitely
a MEANS, not an end for its own sake.
2. A good law is pro-people, not pro-institution.
3. What is legal is not necessarily moral. Thus, abortion can be legalized; but it remains to be
immoral (murder).
4. An act maybe illegal; but it can be morally good. (Religious faith practice in China is illegal, but it
is morally good.)
5. Love cannot be equated to law, for law is only a servant of love. Do things not because of law
but do things because of love.
6. A genuine law is morally good, too.
- The greatest law is the Ten Commandments of God. This is summed up into two: LOVE OF
GOD and LOVE OF NEIGHBOR.
CONSCIENCE - The practical judgement of reason upon an individual act as good and to be performed
or as evil and therefore, to be avoided. It is a judgement of moral values, it is therefore a judgement of
the goodness and badness of acts.
Kinds of Conscience

1. Correct or true conscience – it discerns and dictates to the person what is good as good, what is
evil as evil.
2. Erroneous or false conscience – this conscience mistakes what is good as evil, and what is evil
as good.
3. Scrupulous Conscience – one that is extremely cautious or fearful to the point that the person
refuses to do or judge the act.
4. Lax conscience – the opposite of scrupulous conscience. What is sinful acts is judged as not
sinful or even good act. This conscience finds excuses for an evil act to be not sinful.
5. Certain conscience – it is for sure and firm judgement on an act without a bit of doubt.
6. Doubtful conscience – the opposite of certain conscience. The subject suspends judgment on
an act because he is not sure on the goodness or badness.

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Ethics
Prelim Assessment

Name: _________________________________________ Score: _____________


Course/Year/Block: _______________________________

I. TRUE or False
1. Man and animals are all moral being. ____________________
2. According to Socrates happiness is the highest value of man. _____________________
3. According to Plato if a man lives well on earth his soul will be incarnated again. _____________
4. An incarnated soul is a reward for living well on earth. _____________
5. According to Gautama Buddha, human soul cannot attain happiness. _______________
6. Strong and independent person can afford to live alone. ________________
7. Man keeps on changing in his entire life. _____________
8. Every human/person has its own quantity value. _____________
9. “Cogito ergo sum” means: I think, therefore I exist. _______________
10. Man is both good and bad by nature. _____________
11. It is a human nature to be attracted toward the beautiful. _____________
12. Without ugliness there is no beauty. _____________
13. Man cannot live without love. _____________
14. Hate is the opposite of love. _______________
15. There is no death if there is no life. ___________
16. Everything that is desirable for a person to execute an act has a good ending. _____________
17. It is normal for a person to be attracted to evil end because humans are born weak. _________
18. A good friend is a friend who is useful if he can fulfil the purpose of being a friend. ___________
19. A teacher who is very kind and friendly to students is a good teacher. ________________
20. Being good to what you do qualifies you to be a morally good person. ____________
21. Moral good is all about being good to other people. ___________
22. In Christian Ethics, man is forced to accept and perform the condition for salvation. __________
23. Killing a person because someone forced you to do it is an example of human act because it is
done consciously. ____________
24. Having a girlfriend/boyfriend is an example of human act. ___________
25. Your decision to enroll in KCP with your own choice of degree course is an example of act of
man. _____________
26. Freedom is the absence of constriction to everything. __________________
27. Unlimited freedom is only attainable by rich and powerful people. _______________
28. Ignorance of the law can save a person from being punished. __________________
29. A person is not responsible on the result of his human act. ____________________
30. Remembering what you did yesterday to know where you put your mobile phone is an example
of internal act. _____________

II. MULTIPLE CHOICE. Write the letter of your answer before the number.
1. A person who does not have the ability to distinguish between what is morally good act and
what is morally evil one.
a. Morally good person b. immoral person c. amoral person d. all of the choices
2. Person who correctly distinguishes what is right from what is wrong not only in knowledge but
also in practice.
a. Morally good person b. immoral person c. amoral person d. all of the choices
3. Person who does not act or behave in conformity with practiced moral principles or norms.
a. Morally good person b. immoral person c. amoral person d. all of the choices
4. Morality is different from Ethics, in what aspect?
a. Ethics is a science while morality is not.
b. Ethics teaches what is right and wrong while Morality teaches what is good and evil.
c. Morality is the application of Ethics.
d. All of the above
5. According to him, the physical body is a prison for the human soul.
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a. Socrates b. Plato c. Aristotle d. All of the choices
6. Plato says that soul can be freed from the human body through __________.
a. Doing good to others
b. Worshipping God
c. Death
d. None of the above
7. He encourages man to be virtuous in order to attain “Tao”.
a. Lao-Tse b. Confucius c. Gautama Buddha d. none of the choices
8. Why did Gautama Buddha said that happiness is not attainable in this world?
a. Because this world keep on changing.
b. Because human body is a slave of sensual pleasures and selfishness.
c. Both a and b
d. None of the above
9. This is the end goal of every human act in living.
a. Success b. wealth c. happiness d. power
10. An object or act as a thing of beauty when it satisfy their aesthetic appetite.
a. Good as utility
b. Good as to beauty
c. Good as to nature or reality
d. None of the above
11. Being who are moral in nature.
a. Human beings only b. all mammals c. all animals d. all of the choices
12. The ultimate goal of a man that stop man’s craving for happiness when it is attained.
a. Perfect life b. perfect happiness c. perfect body d. none of the choices
13. These are sensual pleasures and bodily satisfaction, man can enjoy in this world.
a. Hedonism b. Utilitarianism c. both a and b d. none of the choices
14. Its ultimate goal is to possess political power through conquest of other nations.
a. Hedonism b. Utilitarianism c. both a and b d. none of the choices
15. It takes virtue and abstinence from sensual pleasures as the highest end of man.
a. Hedonism
b. Utilitarianism
c. Greco-Roman Stoicism
d. Humanistic personalism
16. It holds that the ultimate end consists of human perfection through knowledge, virtue, honor
which must be acquired.
a. Hedonism
b. Utilitarianism
c. Greco-Roman Stoicism
d. Humanistic personalism
17. The last and final goal of human act and the human agent.
a. End of the act b. end of the agent c. ultimate end d. all of the choices
18. An end that is subjected to time and place.
a. End of the act b. end of the agent c. temporal end d. ultimate end
19. The end of an act is immediately directed to the object of the act.
a. End of the act b. end of the agent c. temporal end d. ultimate end
20. According to him, the final goal of man is the continuous acquisition of all temporal goods taken
as a whole.
a. Socrates b. Plato c. Aristotle d. Rene Descartes
21. It emanates from the teaching of Jesus Christ and his Church, embodied in the Holy Scriptures
and church doctrine.
a. General ethics b. applied ethics c. Christian Ethics d. none of the choices
22. It refers to an act that is done from the free will and conscious man.
a. Human act b. acts of man c. ethics d. all of the choices
23. Acts that are not deliberately done and are performed without the free will of the agent.
a. Human act b. acts of man c. ethics d. all of the choices
24. An act that does not demand responsibility and imputability from the agent.
A, human acts b. acts of man c. amoral acts d. none of the choices
25. An act is completed through the will of an agent without involving his physical body.
a. Elicited acts b. command acts c. both a and b d. none of the choices
26. An act that that involves both body and mind to carry out the will of an agent.
a. Elicited acts b. command acts c. both a and b d. none of the choices
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27. It refers to the subject’s ignorance of the law; fact, or corresponding penalty.
a. Ignorance in its object
b. Ignorance in its subject
c. Ignorance in its result
d. All of the above
28. It refers to the relation of ignorance to the act done out of ignorance.
a. Ignorance in its object
b. Ignorance in its subject
c. Ignorance in its result
d. All of the above
29. This aspect of ignorance lies in the agent who has no knowledge of the law, fact or penalty.
a. Ignorance in its object
b. Ignorance in its subject
c. Ignorance in its result
d. All of the above
30. A modifier of human act that refers to repeatable acts of a person done with facility and ease.
a. Concupiscence
b. Fear
c. Violence
d. Habit

III. IDENTIFICATION.
1. According to Aristotle, man is different from plants and animals, because man has
_______________________.
2. The total presence to oneself, to other human, and in the world in time in human existence.
_______________________
3. The ability of a person to respond to a need or problem in a given situation.
____________________________
4. The lack of knowledge in man of a certain thing expected to have been known by him.
_________________________
5. Refers to bodily tendencies of man sometimes called the passions. _____________________
6. It is something with which an act conforms to be morally good; or violate to be morally evil, and
neutral to be morally indifferent. _____________________________
7. An ordinance of reason promulgated for the common good by one who has charge of society.
___________________________
8. A law that is innate and it is a command demanding to be followed. ______________________
9. It is a judgment of moral values. _______________________________
10. This kind of conscience finds excuses for an evil act to be not sinful. _____________________
11. Ignorance of the nature or circumstances of an act that is generally forbidden in the community.
_________________________________
12. A vincible ignorance but the subject deliberately refuses to conquer it. ____________________
13. It refers to a person’s perturbed state of mind due to an impending danger or evil that might
befall him anytime. ______________________________
14. It refers to a physical external force inflicted on a person by a free agent for the purpose of
compelling said person to do an act against his will. __________________________________
15. This is the enjoyment of the will as a result of the attainment of the object desired earlier.
______________________________________
IV. Write if the judgment of beauty is VALID or INVALID.
1. Appreciating the beauty of the class muse. _____________
2. Promoting the slums area as the best place to live in. __________________
3. Stating that person with poor hygiene are the most attractive. _________________
4. Seeing the 3rd runner up contestant in a beauty pageant to be as beautiful as the queen.
_____________
5. Out of 500 audience, you belong to the 200 people who thinks that the contestant number 3 is
the most beautiful among the candidates. _____________
V. Put a check ( / ) in the blank if the statement shows the principle of double effect, put
an ( x ) if not.
1. You invited your friend to ride in your car because you have the same destination but, you met
an accident along the way that causes injury to your friend. _____________
2. Robinhood stealing from the rich to give to the poor people. _____________

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3. Cheating to pass the exam. ______________
4. Helping your working student friend to do his assignments that he become lazy in studying. ___
5. You lied to the policemen to help your friend escape from his crime. __________
6. A man who chooses his wife to be saved and let their supposed to be new born baby die due to
complications. ________
7. The president freed a scientist in prison in exchange of the medicine that can cure thousands of
people affected by the virus. __________
8. A man raped a woman to make her marry him. __________
9. A man donated a free foods to help the victims of flood unfortunately, some foods were
contaminated that causes diarrhea to the people. ______________
10. A female student aborted the child in her womb because her father might have a heart attack if
he will know about it. ______________
VI. Enumeration
A. Essential qualities needed for an act to become human act.
1._________________________________________
2._________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________
B. What are the signs/qualities of “act of man”?
4. ___________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________
6. ______________________________________________________
C. Give 2 examples of human act that are not given in the module.
7. _____________________________________
8. _________________________________________________
D. Give 2 examples of act of man that are not given in the module.
9. _________________________________________
10. __________________________________________
VII. In real life situation how would you solve the following dilemma? Write a brief explanation of
your answer.
1. You are the only witness of a crime scene where the killer is your brother, would you report to
the police officer? Why?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2. You were dating (not committed) with someone but then you suddenly fall out of interest
because you found someone new that is more interesting. What will you do?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Before the election you’re friend told you whom he will vote that is not same with yours. Will you
still say your honest opinion or not? Why?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
4. You are in a relationship. Is it okay to open your boyfriend/girlfriend’s mobile phone and social
media accounts? Why?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
5. You have a friend that is really in need of money but is lazy and he is asking you to help him
find a job. How will you help him?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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