CHAPTER 2: THE HUMAN ACTS
What comes into your mind when you
hear the word Human Acts and Acts of
Man?
PAUL J. GLENN defines Human Act as:
“An act which proceeds from the
deliberate free will of man”
HUMAN ACTS VS ACTS OF MAN
• Those actions which happen
• Those actions which man in man.
performs knowingly, freely, • They are instinctive and are
and voluntarily. not within the control of the
• Actions are the result of will.
conscious knowledge, and • Actions are biological and
are subject to the control of psychological/physiological
the will. movements in man such as
• Deliberate, intentional or metabolism, respiration, fear,
voluntary. anger, love, and jealousy.
ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES OF HUMAN ACT
1. The act must be deliberate.
2. The act must be free.
3. The act must be voluntary.
An Example could be a
person choosing to go
for a walk in the park.
KINDS OF HUMAN ACTS
• ELICITED ACTS
- are those performed by the will and are not bodily
externalized.
• COMMANDED ACTS
- Are those done either by man's mental or bodily powers
under the command of the will.
-Can either be internal or external actions.
TYPES OF ELICITED ACTS
• WISH-The simple love of anything.
• INTENTION-The purposive tendency of the will towards a
thing.
• CONSENT-The acceptance by the will of the mean
necessary to carry out intention.
• ELECTION-The selection by the will of the precise means
to be employed in carrying out an intention.
• USE-The employment by the will of powers to Carry out its
intention by the means elected.
• FRUITION-The enjoy bent of a thing willed and done
TYPES OF COMMANDED ACTS
• INTERNAL - Performed in the mind.
• EXTERNAL - Performed through the body.
• MIXED - Simultaneously performed by both mind and
body.
NORM OF MORALITY
- the standard of right and wrong in human actions
CLASSIFICATION OF ACTIONS RELATED TO
NORMS OF MORALITY
• refers to the shared consciousness of prudent people about
the propriety of a certain action or manner of behavior.
• It shows what is permissible in a given situation, the best
option as a matter of fact.
• stands for the norm of morality which is the standard by
which actions are judged as to their merits or demerits.
MORAL ACTIONS
- actions which are in conformity with the norm of morality.
- They are good actions and are permissible.
Examples: working, studying, telling truth, loving a friend.
IMMORAL ACTIONS
- actions which are not in conform- mity with the norm of
morality.
- They are bad or evil and not permissible.
Examples: committing murder, adultery, stealing, telling lies
AMORAL ACTIONS
- action which stand neutral in relation to the norm of
morality.
-They are neither good nor bad in themselves.
Examples: playing basketball is an amoral act, but playing
basketball when one is supposed to be attending a class is
wrong. Playing basketball out of sense of duty to the team
is good.
The Imputability of human acts
- means that the person performing the acts is liable of
such acts. It involves the notion of guilt or innocence. Thus actions
are either praiseworthy or blameworthy.
Sanctions and Penalties
Imputability – implies that the doeris either deserving of reward or
punishment. This is a basic requirement of justice.
The Penal laws of our country provide for a system of
punishments for crimes, ranging from simple fines to
imprisonment. The capital punishment, that is death penalty, is
reserved for “heinous crimes”.
Immoralities are not given corresponding legal punishments
such as fines or imprisonment. The Bible, however, speaks of
death as the punishments for “sins”. Though, the Old Testament
interpret this as death by execution, it refers more to a spiritual
VOLUNTARINESS
• comes from Latin word "voluntas" referring to the Will.
• essential to an act, without it an act is a mere act of man.
TYPES OF VOLUNTARINESS
1. DIRECT VOLUNTARINESS
- accompanies an act which is primarily intended by the doer, either as an end
in itself or as a means to achieve something else.
Example: Eating lunch, going to school, inviting a friend to a movie, reading a
book, or writing a note.
2. INDIRECT VOLUNTARINESS
- accompanies an act or situation which is the mere result of a di- rectly willed
act.
Example: Getting a failing mark is indirectly voluntary on the part the student who
has willingly neglected to study.
Thank You For Listening
and Participating
