MORALITY

BSN - 1B Group 3

Estalilla, John Paul Javier, Jan Vier

Faller, Trixie Mae Judaya, Roteszamay
Fuentes, Justine Larrazabal, Enrique Jose
Gabriente, Merry Noelle Malaza, Chuchie
Halasan, Trisha Marie Marte, Kent Anthony
Jao, Hannah Therese
01 Description
of Morality
Objectives:
Define and understand the
concept of morality
Morality is the relation of human acts
to the norm of morality. It is the
quality (or property) or a human act
whereby it measures up to what it
should be as a step towards the
objective last end of human action.
The morality of an act, its character
as good or evil, is not a mere external
denomination or classification.
02
NORM OF
MORALITY
Objectives:
To understand the basic
understanding of what norm of
morality means
NORM
a rule or standard for our judgement.

NORM OF MORALITY
the criteria of judgement about the sort
of person we ought to be and sort of
action we ought to perform
OBJECTIVE NORM OR MORALITY
the ultimate norm of morality

Eternal law as defined by 2 saints: Can be understood as Eternal Law

St. Thomas Aquinas

“the exemplar of the divine wisdom as directing all action
movements”
St. Augustine
“the divine reason or will of God commanding natural order of
things to be preserved and forbidding that is be disturbed”
Therefore...

in the objective norm of morality, the

Eternal law serves as the basic moral
judgement given to humans with a
purpose to guide their human acts. Eternal
law is directed towards the common good
and cannot be directed to promote the
private welfare of individuals.
SUBJECTIVE NORM OR MORALITY
the proximate norm of morality

Can be understood as conscience

CONSCIENCE
- is a subjective awareness of the moral quality of one’s own
actions as indicated by the moral values to which one subscribes

Conscience has 2 different aspects....

cognitive or reflective aspect imperative or authoritative aspect

COGNITIVE ASPECT IMPERATIVE ASPECT

function of conscience discerning the Conscience does not merely give

goodness and badness of human arguments for one action rather
action is important. another, but it decides in favor of one
action

SO....
the role of conscience in the subjective norm of morality does not only
make judgement over certain actions that we have done as right or
wrong, but it arouses a peculiar feeling of pain that is extremely
unpleasant. This pain of conscience is identified by moralists as one of
the reasons for avoiding wrong actions.
CONCLUSION

In conclusion, there are no two norms

but only one: for conscience is the
judgement of human reason recognizing
and applying the Eternal law in individual
acts.
03 Definition
of Morality
Objective:
To define and understand the
concept of morality and the
morality of an act.
MORALITY
is the relation of human acts to
their norm. It is the quality (or
property) or a human act
whereby it measures up to what
it should be as a step towards
the objective last end of human
action, or fails to measure up.
MORALITY OF AN ACT
The morality of human acts depends on......

The object chosen

The end sought or the intention

The circumstances of the action

CONCLUSION

Therefore, it is true that a human

act is a free act; and, in a true
sense, it is a moral act (i.e., has
morality, is right or wrong, good or
evil) because it is free.
04
DIVISION
OF
MORALITY
Objectives:
To define and understand the
different divisions of Morality
To define the three determinants
of morality and understand its
relevance in performing morally
good human acts
Material and Formal Intrinsic and Extrinsic

The human act performed is Intrinsic morality is when a

in itself, in relation to human act performed stands by
morality, is considered reason of what is considered to
materially good or evil. be universally accepted as good
and evil

When a human act is conditioned Extrinsic morality is when a

by an individual’s understanding human act is determined by the
and will, in relation to morality prescription of laws or rules that
the human act would be are implemented by a
considered formally good or evil. community, country, religion etc.
THE THREE DETERMINANTS OF MORALITY

The Object or The Act

what is actually done. It is basically the act itself

The End or The Intention

the purpose for which an individual acts. What drives an
individual to do a human act?

The Circumstances
the individual conditions in a certain time and place that
are not part of the nature of an act.
HUMAN ACT AS A MORALLY GOOD ACT
For a human act to be considered a morally good act, It must fit within the
3 determinants of morality- it must be good in itself or objectively, in its
end, and in its circumstance.

“Bonum ex integra causa,

malum ex quocumque defectu”

(“A thing to be good must be entirely good; it is

vitiated by any defect”).
CONCLUSION
Morality has two divisions which are material and formal,
and intrinsic and extrinsic. There are also 3 determinants
of morality and these are the object, the end, and the
circumstances. The divisions and determinants of morality
help us determine morally good human acts from other
human acts.
 The Ethics
05 & of Morality
and Morality

06 of Human
Acts
Objectives:
To define the ethics of
morality where acts as good
in themselves and of other
acts as intrinsically evil.
 Custom cannot account for the universal acceptance of
some acts as good in themselves and of other acts as
intrinsically evil.

How did the custom come into being?

If as a dictate of right reason, because all people

saw that certain things were in line with their
rational desires and certain other things opposed to
these, then the argument falls to nothing, and is
merely an indefinite restatement of the true
doctrine that certain acts are perceived by right
reason as good and other acts as evil.
Human legislation cannot account for the universal acceptance
of some acts as good in themselves and of other acts as
intrinsically evil.

If human legislation means law in the true

sense, then we are back in our own position,
for true human law is an ordinance of reason
in line with the Eternal Law, and it exists
because there really are acts good in
themselves to be prescribed, and acts evil in
themselves to be forbidden.
The arbitrary decision of God’s will cannot account for the
universal acceptance of some acts as; Good in themselves and
of other acts as intrinsically evil

God is infinitely perfect, His acts are

therefore infinitely right and reasonable.
Hence an arbitrary decision of the Divine
Will without reference to the Divine
Reason is so impossible as to be
absolutely unthinkable
 MORALITY OF HUMAN ACTS
The arbitrary decision of God’s will cannot account for the
universal acceptance of some acts as; Good in themselves
and of other acts as intrinsically evil.

God is infinitely perfect...

His acts are therefore infinitely right and reasonable. Hence an

arbitrary decision of the Divine Will without reference to the Divine
Reason is so impossible as to be absolutely unthinkable.
CONCLUSION
Custom, Human Legislation and the arbitrary of God's will
comes into form because it dictates right reason among
men however it cannot hold an account for the universal
acceptance of some acts from good or evil. Also the
morality that is present helps us to distinguish what is
right and wrong in the circumstance that can be
manipulated. Since, Law exists and custom is limited so
our morals can be influenced, we need a strong
foundation of truths within us that will stand upon doing
right things in life.
07
Theory of
Moral
Instincts
Objectives:
To understand the implications,
meaning, and ideas that go about
in the Theory of Moral Instincts
Understanding the ethics behind
moral sense
Know the actuality that is caused
by our moral sense
Theory of Moral Instincts
Called Moral Intuitionism or Moral
Sensualism
Asserts that we discern good and evil by
a blind instinct or a sense faculty, and
not by our understanding.
Consists of the urge or predisposition to
judge human actions
Humans are moral beings by nature
When did conscience come to be?
Image Source: http://statusmind.com/clever-facebook-status-2030/
According to Darwin conscience is:
is a necessary consequence of high intellectual

powers, such as exist in modern humans.

is the most important difference “between man and

the lower animals”

is an outcome of natural selection.

is not by itself directly promoted by natural

selection, but only indirectly as a necessary

consequence of high intellectual powers

You are having a long exam for biochemistry today. You
haven’t studied at all for the exam due to other reasons.
You are planning to cheat the exam for you to have a high
score or even have a passing remark for this test. Upon
administering this thought, a part of you says that it is
wrong and will not help you in the long-run.
Contradiction
When we do good or evil as a human act, we know, we

understand, that we are doing good or evil. Therefore, we

do not act by blind instinct nor is our conscience a sense-

judgment.

The relation of acts to the Norm of Morality is an abstract

relation, not material or bodily things such as the senses

require for their object.

 CONCLUSION
The theory of moral instincts plays a key role in morality
wherein it discerns our good and evil deeds. This,
moreover, talks about the purpose of our instincts in life.
Think of it as an imaginary angel or a devil that is fighting
for your conscience in doing the supposed action. This
sentimentalism that we feel about in each of our actions
showcases our capability to have morality in a sense of
benefitting not only ourselves but for others as well.
08
Theory of
Moral
Usefulness
Objectives:
Understand the major concepts
portrayed within the theory.
Know and understand the
utilitarian mindset in our lives.
Know ways in which utilitarianism
is portrayed.
Theory of Usefulness
Called Utilitarianism
It is the moral value of an action is
determined
Usefulness comes from goodness, not
goodness from usefulness; and
harmfulness comes from evil, not evil
from harmfulness.
Certain human acts are intrinsically good
or evil
Say there is a train coming towards a group of 3
people tied to the tracks and you’re standing by
the lever to make the train go onto a different
path that is heading towards yourself. Which
direction would you let the train go?
A utilitarian would pull the lever to
make the train head in his/her
direction.
In a utilitarian view, killing one
person creates a greater amount of
good than killing 5 people.
This explains that the rightness of
an action is determined by the
value of its consequences
Moreover, Utilitarianism is
a...
form of consequentialism that relays
the consequences of certain actions.
form of judgment that would make the
code of morals as changeable.
 CONCLUSION
The utilitarian sense of mind allows for the complete beneficiary
for that of the majority than that of a singular person. The definition
of good or bad is not necessarily considered for the theory of
utilitarianism due to its “broad” spectrum. Good or Evil is
represented by the effect that it has brought upon by the majority.
Additionally, Utilitarians believe that the purpose of morality is to
make life better by increasing the number of good things (such as
pleasure and happiness) in the world and decreasing the number of
bad things (such as pain and unhappiness).
09
The End of the
Agent (Principles,
Ethics, Morality of
Human Acts)
Objectives:
To understand the definition of
the end of the agent and what it
means in morality
To Know and identify the
principles involved in the end of
the agent.
THE END OF THE AGENT
means what the agent (doer, performer) intends or
wishes to achieve by his act

A human act that is good may still be evil by reason of the end when
an individual does something with no good intention truly intended.

On the contrary,
a human act that is evil cannot be made good by reason
of the end for which it is performed.

The influence of the end of the agent can be strong enough to swerve
a good act out of line with reasons which make it bad, but it is not
strong enough to bring a bad act into line with reason to make it good.
PRINCIPLES OF THE END OF THE
AGENT
An objectively good act performed for a good purpose takes
on new goodness from the good end;

An example of this is a man who gives alms to relieve distress, to honor God, and to
do penance,

Ethics is the moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conduct of
an activity and the branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles.

It is the code of moral standards of conduct for what is "good" or "right" as

opposed to what is "bad" or "wrong". Morality is the quality of human acts which
leads us to call our actions as good or evil.
(i) An indifferent act becomes good or evil by reason of its
circumstances. A good act may become evil by reason of circumstances.

(ii) A good or evil act may become better or worse by reason of

circumstances. An evil act can never be made good by circumstances.
(iii) A bad or sinful act which is gravely evil or mortally sinful destroys the
entire goodness of an objectively good act.

(iv) A circumstance which is evil, but not gravely so and not mortally sinful,
does not entirely destroy the goodness of an objectively good act.

Morality is the quality and human act that measures inevitably to the
human act as such.

either to the act considered objectively as a deed performed, or to the act

considered as characterized by its circumstance, the end of the agent
(i) An objectively good act performed for a good purpose such as a good end of
the agent, takes on a new goodness from the good end and if it has several good
ends, it takes on a new goodness from each.

(ii) An objectively evil act performed for an evil purpose such as an evil end of
agent that takes on a new malice or evil from the evil end; and if it has several
evil ends, it takes on a new malice from each.
(iii) An act which is objectively good, but done for an evil end, is entirely evil if
the evil end is the whole motive of the act; likewise the act is entirely evil if the
evil end is gravely evil and is mortally sinful.

(iv) An objectively evil act can never become good by reason of a good end.

(v) An act which is indifferent objectively becomes good if done for a good end,
and evil if done for an evil end.
(vi) An act which is indifferent objectively becomes good if done for a good
end, and evil if done for an evil end.
CONCLUSION

the end of the agent creates the ultimate

decision of an action by reason. Where a good
objective is good but can be evil due to reason
or intention while a bad objective which is
morally wrong to begin with cannot be
overpowered by a good reason and will remain
evil.
10
The
Circumstances
(7 Circumstances)
Objectives:
To understand how
circumstances affect an act and
how it affects it morally.
To discuss and learn on the
different circumstances.
Circumstances are conditions that shape and morally influence
an act, even though they do not belong to the very core or
essence of an act as such.

We enumerate seven circumstances. These are usually set forth

in mnemonic Latin line: Quis, quid, ubi, quibus auxiliis, cur,
quomodo. quando. Which may be freely translated as follows:

Who, what, where, with what ally,

In what condition, when, and why?
In conclusion, there are times where
circumstances can affect the morality of
the action only in degree, that is, they
increase or diminish its goodness or malice
11
The
Circumstances
(Morality of Human
Acts)
Objectives:
To understand how
circumstances affects the
morality of human acts
To learn on Human acts and its
correlation to The Circumstances
circumstances add to “the act” a new good or evil, differing in nature, or
species from that of the act.the circumstance of time in the case of an evil
intention long entertained merely increases the evil, merely makes “the
act” worse, but leaves it unaltered, or rather, with no new kind of evil
added

The circumstances which merely increase or diminish the moral quality of

an act, leaving it in the same species or nature, are called circumstances
which make the act better or worse. The circumstances that add a
specifically new moral character to the act are called circumstances that
change the nature of the act.
CONCLUSION
Circumstances mitigates a bad act by
making it more acceptable or less bad,
or it aggravates an act by heightening
the consequences. For instance, the
consequences of stealing are
aggravated or mitigated depending on
what is stolen, the parties involved,
and the location.
12 The Circumstances
(Ethical Principles)
Objectives:
To understand the definition of an
ethical principle and how it is
related to the circumstances
which affects morality·
To discuss and learn about the 6
ethical principles
Ethical principles provide generalized frameworks that may be employed in the resolution of
ethical dilemmas in our daily lives. These principles may be applied to our interpersonal
relationships as well as to our professional lives. An ethical principle is a base accepting
position which directly or indirectly leads to an ethical standard.

Autonomy Beneficence
Self determination and right to freedom of choice The principle of doing good and providing care to
others

Nonmaleficence
Justice
Avoiding actions that cause harm (whether intentional
Fairness or “equal treatment of equal cases”
or unintentional)

Veracity Fidelity
Honest and complete disclosure of relevant Loyalty and honesty in terms of keeping
information promises/commitments, may it be stated or
implied.The relationship that exists between
individuals which enforces the person to keep
their commitments, based on virtue and caring
CONCLUSION
Ethical principles do not provide a straightforward guide that
guarantees the making of an ethically correct decision, nor can
they offer guidance about ranking when the principles appear
to conflict with one another. Instead, they point only to
considerations that should be weighed when making
decisions.