Module 4

The Human Action as a

Hermeneutic Response to a
Moral Experience
 DISTINCTION BETWEEN HUMAN ACTS &
1 ACTS OF MAN

Human Acts
An act with moral value as it is the product of reason
and will’s determination.
Actions which “proceed from the deliberate free will of
man... and which are proper to man as man”. In other words,
human actions are those which proceeds from the free and
conscious acts of man always done for a purpose.
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 DISTINCTION BETWEEN HUMAN ACTS &
ACTS OF MAN

Acts of Man
An act devoid of moral value.
Actions which proceed from the natural programming of the
body such as “instinctive, thoughtless movements, mannerisms, and
reflex actions...” (De Finance, 1991: 35) They happen outside the control
of the human agent.
Actions that are based on instincts or driven by factors other
than reason and free will.
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 KNOWLEDGE, CONSCIOUSNESS, FREEDOM
2 AS ELEMENTS OF MORAL HUMAN ACTS

Knowledge or Consciousness
A requirement in human actions for the
act to be moral or not.
In the absence of knowledge is
ignorance.
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 KNOWLEDGE, CONSCIOUSNESS, FREEDOM
AS ELEMENTS OF MORAL HUMAN ACTS

Ignorance
Ignorance is said to be the absence of
knowledge that is ought to be there.
A condition of ignorance does not
automatically cancel out moral responsibility except
when such ignorance is totally beyond remedy.
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 TWO (2) KINDS OF IGNORANE

1) Ignorance in its Object

Such as, Ignorance of the Law – is the ignorance
in the existence of a duty, rule or regulation.
2) Ignorance of Fact
Ignorance of nature/circumstances of a forbidden
act.
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 Hence, a person who does
things with knowledge whether
partial or full is accountable
over his/her action.
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 KNOWLEDGE, CONSCIOUSNESS, FREEDOM
AS ELEMENTS OF MORAL HUMAN ACTS

Freedom
A requirement in human actions in which the act is
carried out voluntarily.
The exercise of freedom is only possible in the
presence of knowledge because a choice can only be
made if one is aware of the choices at hand.
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 Human actions emanate from our decision as
they involve responsibility from our part.
The moment we choose certain actions, we do
not only become liable over them and their possible
consequences but that we also become liable to
ourselves. And because the human agent cannot be
disassociated from his/her action, his/her choice of an
action that are done repeatedly/consistently defines
him/her.
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 EMOTIONS/FEELINGS PLAYING
3 SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN MORAL DECISION

Emotions
“Emotions are part of our basic responses to
a meaningful situation, and as a result, emotional
responses cannot be isolated from our ability to
recognize a moral issue or dilemma and our
willingness to act.” Greenfield (2007: 15)
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 EMOTIONS/FEELINGS PLAYING
SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN MORAL DECISION

Neuro-ethics
Emotion and reason do not necessarily oppose each other.
The presence of emotion is indicative of a normally
functioning brain and serves as a trigger calling the attention of the
mind towards its proper object.
“Emotions and thinking are ... complementary, synergistic,
parallel processes, constantly blending and interacting as a person
function.” (Greenfield 2007)
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 THE LIMITS OF FEELINGS & THE VALUE OF
4 REASON IN MORAL DECISION

Regret
It a product of wrong or bad decisions
and, normally, these kinds of decisions are done
haphazardly as dictated by upsurge of
emotions.
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 When we fell strongly about an issue, it is
tempting to assume that we just know what the
truth must be without even having to consider the
arguments on the other side. Unfortunately… we
cannot rely on our feelings, no matter who
powerful they may be. Our feelings may be
irrational; they may be nothing but the products of
prejudice, selfishness, or cultural conditioning.
Rachels (2007: 11) 13
 IMPARTIALITY AS DETERMINANT OF
5 REASONABILITY

Impartiality
To be impartial is to strike the balance between “my
interest” and the interests of everyone.
Moral impartiality demands that we “acknowledge that
other people’s welfare is just as important as our own [and not
to] treat the members of other group as somehow morally
inferior.” (Rachels 2007: 13)
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 THREE (3) MAJOR STEPS INVOLVED IN
MORAL REASONING:
1) Identify the fact of the case.
2) Identify ethical issues involved.
3) Consult Moral Principles & applying the most
appropriate moral principles. [Consequentialism
(Ethical Egoism, Group Consequentialism,
Utilitarianism), Deontological Ethics, Virtue Ethics,
Christian Ethics, Moral Absolutism, Utilitarianism,
and Moral Relativism]. 15
6 THE IMPORTANCE OF MORAL COURAGE

To be truly moral person requires a moral courage to

fight for what is right even if a self is sacrificed.
Knowledge does not necessarily guarantee morality.
It is one thing to know the right thing and it is another
to actually stand up and do exactly what one believes he/she
should do. What lacks is the Will Power, the moral courage,
the strength of character to stand up for what is right, true,
and proper.
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7 MORAL IMAGINATION
The ability to imaginatively discern various possibilities for
acting within a given situation and to envision the potential help and
harm that are likely to result from a given action.
Moral imagination is usually distinguished from reason for to
be imaginative one need not be restricted by reason.
But this does not mean that moral imagination is intrinsically
irrational for one can create imaginative representation of possible
worlds that, though unreal, nevertheless it has logic and consistency.
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8 MORAL IMAGINATION & SYMPATHY

Sympathy
Is neither empathy nor any other sentiment or passion (Smith).
In the imaginative process of sympathy, one does not literary
feel the passion of another, rather, one understands what another
experiencing from that person’s perspectives.
Sympathy is also a general principle of “fellow understanding”
that enables a person to understand another’s passion and interest even
if s/he resent or even abhor those passions or that person.
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 Thus, sympathy, along with imagination,
allows us to disengage ourselves and evaluate
a situation or person more dispassionately,
judiciously, or impartially. We must, however,
understand that moral imagination is a
necessary but not a sufficient condition for
moral decision-making.
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THANK YOU!

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