Lesson 4: The Morality of

Human Acts and Moral

Accountability
 Learning Outcomes:

During the learning engagement, you should be able to

● describe human acts and acts of man, and
● differentiating them through justifications/ sample situation
Introduction

In ethics, we have to know the difference between acts

of man and human acts. We need to differentiate one
from the other because moral accountability of the
human person lies on it. It is only when a human
person makes human acts that he/she is responsible for
his/her actions. What then is human acts differentiated
from acts of man?
 Paul
Glenn (1965:3) defined human acts as “an act which proceeds
from the deliberate free will of man.”

 WhileKarl Peschke (1985: 247) defined human acts (Actus

Humani) as “actions that proceed from insight into the nature and
purpose of one’s doing and from consent of free will”.
 Agapay (2008:21) also purported that human acts are actions
which are done by a human person as a result of his/her
knowledge, freedom and voluntariness, hence, these actions are
performed by man knowingly, freely, and voluntarily.
Therefore,Baldemeca, et. al (1984:92) claimed that
human acts are “classified as good or bad, right or
wrong, and thus, subject to morality and its norms.”
Fernandez
 (2018:30-31) generalized, three
important elements or constituents are
obviously present for an act to be strictly
considered a human act: knowledge, freedom,
and voluntariness or consent—on the part of
the acting agent.
Here,
 it is worth noting that human acts are free
and conscious acts of a human person which are
proper to humans alone.
These actions are what make a human being

“truly human”, an earthly creature different and
distinct from all others.”
 Activity: Diagnostic Exercise

Instructions:
1. Make a list of specific actions that can be classified as human
acts, as well as actions that can be considered as acts of man.
2. Provide justification to your list.
 Processing

Most
 textbooks in Christian Ethics and morality
dealing with the subject usually distinguish between
human acts from acts of man.
While human acts, as mentioned, proceed from one’s

conscious knowledge as well as freedom and
voluntariness, the same cannot be said for acts of man.
The
 latter are simply actions which happen in the
person “naturally,” even without his/her awareness
of himself/herself while doing them.
These actions are done without deliberation,

reflection and consent.
They are performed just instinctively.

Thus, it can be rightfully said that all
human acts are acts of man, but not all
acts of man are human acts.
Acts of man, therefore, are those that humans
share with animals whose actions and
movements emanate from purely sensual
nature.
 Formation:

 Direction: The following questions will be posted by your

teacher on a social media account (e.g. Facebook), where you
are to post your one-sentence reply.
1. What have I learned in this module?
2. What have I done?
3. How can I improve?
 Synthesis

Focusing exclusively on human acts is limited.

Contemporary ethicists point to the importance of
“personhood.” It is the human being himself/herself who
gives meaning and receives significance from the acts
that he/she executes. While human acts and personhood
are always bound together and even inseparable, the
primacy of the person cannot be contested.
Assessments:

 Diagnostic exercise (See Activity 1 under Learning

Activities.)