ACTS

The following is the classification of human

acts according to the degree of voluntariness
or intention of the agent that influences
them:
1. a) PERFECT VOLUNTARY ACT – done with full knowledge and
full consent
of the agent.
b) IMPERFECT VOLUNTARY ACT – done with some defect in the
knowledge or consent of the agent.
2. a) SIMPLE VOLUNTARY ACT – chosen by the agent because he
likes doing the
act.
b) CONDITIONAL VOLUNTARY ACT – chosen by the agent under
 forgotten.
c) HABITUAL VOLUNTARY ACT - act done as a result
of a
present intention similar to a past
intention
which is forgotten already.
d) INTERPRETATIVE VOLUNTARY ACT – act
influenced by an
intention which is presumed to be present in an
agent who lacks the ability to express his actual
intention.
4. a) POSITIVE VOLUNTARY ACT – act of commission.
b) NEGATIVE VOLUNTARY ACT – act of omission.
5. a) DIRECT VOLUNTARY ACT – act which is intended in itself by the
agent.
b) INDIRECT VOLUNATARY ACT – the result or effect of another act
which is
An agent is responsible for the evil effect of an
act which he directly intended when the
following conditions are fulfilled:

1. The agent must foresee the evil effect of

his
act.
2. He must be free to stop from doing the
act
which is the cause of the evil effect.
3. He must be morally obliged to stop doing

the act which is the cause of the evil

effect.
 1. The act must be good in itself or at least
morally
indifferent.
2. The evil must not come first than the good
effect. At
least, they should happen simultaneously.
3. There must be a sufficient reason for doing the
act.
A sufficient reason for doing the act exists
when:
a) the good effect is more important or at
least
equally important with the bad effect.
b) the act is the only means of achieving the
good
effect.
4. The intention of the agent must be honest.
 a) INVINCIBLE (unconquerable) IGNORANCE
– is that
ignorance which cannot be cleared up or the
knowledge that is lacking cannot be acquired.
CAUSES:
(i) It is impossible to remove the ignorance
because
one is no way of suspecting that he is
ignorant.
(ii) It is morally impossible for one to obtain the

knowledge (lack of means of removing the

ignorance).
No wrong act makes one responsible if it is
performed in invincible ignorance inasmuch as
the
element of knowledge is lacking and such lack of
knowledge is not due to the fault of the agent.
b) VINCIBLE (conquerable) IGNORANCE – an be
cleared up if one uses sufficient diligence.

(i) SIMPLE VINCIBLE IGNORANCE – exists

when one uses some but not enough diligence to
remove his ignorance.
If one performs a wrong act which wrongness
one is unaware because of simple vincible ignorance,
one is responsible. However, the responsibility is
lessened by the presence of that ignorance.

(ii) CRASS or SUPINE VINCIBLE

IGNORANCE – that which can be cleared up but is
left fully undisturbed.
Crass or supine ignorance lessens the
responsibility to an act.
(iii) AFFECTED VINCIBLE IGNORANCE – one
deliberately entertains in order that he not be
involved by what investigation may arise.
Affected ignorance increases the
responsibility of an agent to his wrong action.
2. FEAR – mental disturbance brought about by
the understanding of a present or imminent
danger. The danger may be real or imaginary, for
as long as something is understood as a danger, it
can cause fear.
a) Grave fear - aroused by the presence of a

danger:
(i) that is regarded by most people as
serious.
b) Slight fear – aroused by:
(i) a danger that is not serious.
(ii) a grave danger that is not very probable.

One acts through fear if it is fear that causes him to act.

Actions performed through fear are voluntary and so
one is responsible.

One acts with fear if fear accompanies one’s act but does
not cause it.

Actions performed with fear are simply voluntary

because the agent chooses to do the act with or
without fear.
3. PASSION or CONCUPISCENCE – strong
tendencies towards the possession of something good
or towards the avoidance of something evil. Passions
are also known as emotion or feeling.
LOVE – like of an object
HATE – dislike of an object
DESIRE – approach to an object
AVERSION – retreat from an object
JOY/DELIGHT – possession of an object
SADNESS/SORROW – dispossession of an object
HOPE – approach to object that is attainable
DESPAIR – approach to object that is unattainable
COURAGE – approach to evil as obstacle to a desired good
FEAR – retreat from evil as obstacle to a desired good
ANGER – approach to revenge as a good desired against evil or
 In themselves, passions are indifferent. They may be called good when
ordered by the rational will to help man in the practice of virtue or in the
attainment of that which is morally good.
Passions are considered bad when used by the rational will to
accomplish morally evil actions.
Two kinds of passions:
a) ANTECEDENT PASSION is that which arises immediately before
reason and the will can control the psychological situation.
(i) antecedent passions may completely destroy freedom and moral
responsibility, when they suddenly arise and compel us to act before any
control of the will is possible.
 (ii) antecedent passions lessen freedom and the responsibility of the
agent because antecedent passions tend to blind the judgment of the intellect
and to block the freedom of the will.

b) CONSEQUENT PASSION – deliberately aroused by the will in order to

ensure a willing operation.
Consequent passions however great d not lessen the voluntariness
but may increase it because these passions are deliberately excited and
they are voluntary in themselves.
or evil according to whether they influence one to do good
or evil.

If repetitive evil acts, it is vice; if repetitive good acts, it is

virtue.

Two general principles may be stated concerning the effects

of habits on the responsibility of evil actions:

a) evil habits do not lessen the responsibility of evil actions

performed by force of habit if the habit has been

recognized as evil and is freely permitted to continue.

b) evil habits lessen the responsibility of evil actions

performed
by force of habit if one is sincerely trying to
correct the habit.
5. VIOLENCE – is a force by a free and external cause
exerted on a person to compel him to perform a certain
action against his will. The cause exerting the influence
must be external and free.

Thus, we exclude internal causes like diseases, hunger,

thirst, etc. and causes not capable of acting freely, such as
the elements of nature like storm, strong wind, lightning,
flood, etc.

There are three principles that may be applied in

determining the effect t of violence on the voluntariness of
the act and imputability of the agent.
b) If one does not resist the violence as much as possible,
the
responsibility of the evil act is lessened but not
taken away.

c) If one sees that any resistance is not effective, there is

no
obligation to resist. The reason is that one is not
obliged to do what is useless.

(i) such resistance might show one’s lack of consent to

the
act to which one is being forced.
(ii) such resistance might help one in preventing
internal
consent to the external act.