This part is concerned with developing your

understanding of – (1) what human act as willfully done

is, (2) the modifier of free will, and (3) feelings and moral
decision making.

With the completion of this self-learning module, you

should be able to:
 
Describe free will as an essential attribute of human
act.
Cite and explain the principles related to passions and
habits as modifiers of will.
Capture and analyse feelings in a personal moral
experience
Acts as Willfully Done
 
One essential attribute of an act to be truly
human is the willingness to do the act.

Act can be judged as moral or right as it conforms to

the norms of morality,
immoral or wrong as it does not conform with the
norms of morality or,
amoral or indifferent as it cannot be determined as to
whether it conforms or not to the norms of morality.
Passions and Habits: Modifiers of the Will

Passion or concupiscence, are either

tendencies towards desirable objects or
tendencies away from undesirable or
harmful things.
The former are called positive emotions;
the latter negative emotions.
Passions
  Passions are either antecedent or consequent.
Antecedent passions are those that precede an act. It
may happen that a person is emotionally aroused to
perform an act. Antecedent passions predisposed a
person to act.
Consequent passions are those intentionally
aroused and kept. Consequent passions therefore are
said to be voluntary in cause, the result of the will
playing the strings of emotions.
 Thus a young man may deliberately arouse himself
sexually by reading pornographic magazines.
Or a victim of injustice may intentionally nurse his
resentment towards his tormentor.
The young man who commits lasciviousness after
arousing himself sexually and the fellow who commits
vengeance due to his cultivated resentment are both
morally accountable.

(these are examples of consequent passions)

 Principle I: Antecedent passions do not always
destroy voluntariness but they diminish accountability
for the resultant act. Antecedent passions weaken the
will power of a person without however, completely
obstructing his freedom. But in so far as antecedent
passions interfere with the freedom of the will, one’s
accountability is diminished.
Principle II: Consequent passion do not lessen
voluntariness, it may even increase accountability. This
is because consequent passions are direct results of
the will which fully consent to them instead of
subordinating them to its control.
Habit: Modifier of the Will
  Habit as defined by Glenn is “a lasting readiness
and faculty, born of frequently repeated acts, for acting
in a certain manner. They assume the role of a second
nature, moving one who has them to perform acts
with relative ease.
  It also implies that a habit is not easy to
overcome or alter. It requires a strong willed person to
correct a habit successfully within a limited period of
time. Thus alcoholics and smokers find it almost
impossible to reform.
Habit
Habits are either good or bad.

Principle: Action done by force of habit are voluntary

in cause.

Evil actions done by force of habit are voluntary and

accountable, for as long as the habit is not corrected,
***unless a reasonable effort is made to counteract
the habitual inclination.
Feelings and Moral Decision-Making

Feelings As Instinctive Response to Moral Dilemmas

  Ethics is also a matter of emotion; Ethical
judgments are emotional as people emotionally
express strong approval or disapproval of different
acts.  
Feelings as obstacles to Making the Right Decisions
Feelings/Emotions can become obstacles or
impediments to becoming ethical. Especially when
feeling’s roles in ethics are misinterpreted or
exaggerated.
Ethical Subjectivism.

What is it?
Relativity, Subjectivity and Objectivity in Ethics:

Objectivism claims that there are objective

standards of right and wrong which can be
discovered and which apply to everyone.

A view called relativism maintains that what is right

or wrong depends on the particular culture
concerned.

Subjectivism states that all moral standards are

subjective matters of taste or opinion.
Ethical Subjectivism
 
1. Ethical subjectivism is a meta-ethical theory.
2. It holds that the truth or falsity of ethical
propositions is dependent on the feelings,
attitude, or standards of a person or group of
persons.
3. It denies that there is objectivity in morality.
4. Moral judgments are not about objective facts,
but are simply about our personal feelings.
5. Subjectivists hold that there is no such thing as
objective right or real wrong.
Controversial Ethical topic:

• Abortion
First group: Abortion is immoral!
Second group: Abortion must be tolerated
Third group: No moral stance is objectively
right and wrong, your moral opinions are
merely based on your feelings!
 
 Homosexuality is wrong!
He is not stating a fact about homosexuality,
he is just reporting his feelings towards it.
Feelings Can Help in Making the Right Decisions
Emotions like our love for family and friends
play crucial part in giving meaning to life.
There are situations in which our feelings and
likings are relevant to the rightness of our
decisions and actions.
Feelings should not be removed in the sphere
of morality. There are times when feelings are
relevant to the rightness of decisions and actions.
Feelings Can Help in Making the Right
Decisions
Ethics-without-feeling goes against Christian
philosophy’s emphasis on love, in which we
should serve God with a joyful heart or feeling.
Sometimes, rational thinking is not the only
proper way to make an ethical decision.
Nonetheless, feelings and emotions
involved in moral thinking should be anchored
on careful deliberations.
Six ways to Control Your emotions and Make Better Decisions
 
1. Pause and assess the situation. This simple act can save you
headaches down the road. Give your brain enough time to
evaluate the current situation so you can make the right
choice.
2. Don't always rely on your gut. Intuition, more commonly
known as “gut feeling”, is one of our most basic instincts. It
helps us identify cues in the environment so we avoid danger
and survive. But avoid trusting this human sense when it
comes to games of chance (i.e. circumstances that rely on a
50/50 probability). The best examples would be gambling
and the stock market. So when can you rely on your gut? -
When there are skills or experience involved.
Six ways to Control Your emotions and Make Better
Decisions
3. Put it in writing. You’re not going to feel better right
away – however, keeping notes about your day is a
tried-and-tested form of therapy. It’s free, it gives you
some alone time, and you can review your thoughts
later for more clarity.
4. Narrow your options. Narrowing your selection will
not only save you a lot of stress, science says you’ll be
happier with the choice you’ve made, too!
Six ways to Control Your emotions and Make Better
Decisions
5. Ask the majority. One of the best tricks to choosing
the right decision – especially if it involves big risks – is
to ask for a second opinion.
6. Avoid burnout. Get some rest. Not only will you feel
refreshed after waking up, your mind will be clearer to
pick a better option.
SYNTHESIS:
A willfully done action can be altered by the presence
of passion and habit.
Feelings are instinctive responses to moral dilemmas.
Yet as responses they may either be obstacles or helps
in making moral decisions; that is why there is a need
to be on guard against the improper use of feelings in
moral decisions.