Taleon, Tumacole, Villo October 05, 2021

Determinants
of Morality
rality of actions.
A presentation as to how we should examine one's mo
Taleon, Tumacole, Villo October 05, 2021

Today's Agenda

1 Object of a Human Action

2 The Circumstances

3 The End or Purpose

Introduction

Analyzing the morality of the human act is said to be a What parts of a human action should we examine to decide
complex enterprise since it is affected by so many if the action concurs with human nature, as discussed in the
conditions which are within and without. Most of the previous section? Sometimes these three components are
moralists agree that to judge the goodness or badness of the only practical criteria a public administrator will have
any particular human act, three elements must be weighed to decide the morality of a public action. Essentially this is
from which every act derives its morality. They are: the the basis of the teleological approach.
Object of the act, the Circumstances surrounding the act,
and the End or Intention that the one performing the act has
in mind.
Let's begin!
 It is that which the action of its very nature tends to produce. Or in other
The Object words it refers to the effect which an action primarily and directly causes. It
is necessarily the result of the act without taking into account the
of the circumstances or the end. For example the object of setting fire to hut of a
slum-dweller is to burn whereas the end might be revenge. The object is
Human Act usually regarded as the primary factor for moral judgement of a human act.
From the viewpoint of object an act is generally classified as morally good,
bad or indifferent. For a morally good act, the object of it must be good.

The object of an action is the first part of any action in a morality assessment. The
object of any action is its essence. It is that which makes an action be what it is and
not something else. Every action has an object. The object distinguishes the act from
every other act. That object can be something good, bad or indifferent—that is,
neither good nor bad. Lying and telling the truth are examples of two actions that are
distinguished from each other according to moral criteria.
 Taleon, Tumacole, Villo October 05, 2021

The following principles apply to the object of every action.

An action whose object is bad by its An action that is good may become An action that is indifferent
1 2 3
very nature will remain bad and bad because of circumstances or (neither good nor bad) may
nothing can improve it—neither purpose. For example, telling the become good or bad
circumstances, nor purpose, nor truth is a good act. By telling the because of circumstances or
intention. A lie, defined as speaking truth, when silence would suffice, purpose. Walking may be
contrary to what is in the speakers to destroy another person's good an indifferent act. But
mind, remains a lie despite the name or character makes the good walking into a store to steal
purpose or circumstance involved. act of telling the truth a morally becomes a morally evil
Purpose and circumstance do not bad act because of the speaker's action because of the
make it anything (another object) purpose or intention. purpose.
except a lie.
Circumstances
These include all the particulars of the concrete human action which are
of the capable of affecting its morality. They are such things as the person
involved, the time, the place, the occasion, which are distinct from the
Human Act object, but can change or at times even completely alter its moral tone.
Circumstances can make an otherwise good action better for e.g. giving
food to a person who is almost dying of starvation. They can make good
an act which is otherwise indifferent, for e.g. sitting with a person who
is feeling lonely. But they can also make worse an act which is evil in
its object for e.g. robbing a beggar from his/her only meal of the day.
Since all human actions occur in a particular context i.e. at a certain
time and at a certain place, the circumstances must always be
considered in evaluating the moral quality of any human act.
 Taleon, Tumacole, Villo October 05, 2021

Circumstances are those qualities that make an Some moral circumstances are aggravating when they increase the
abstract act concrete and individual. goodness or badness of an action. Thus, stealing from a homeless
Circumstances include such things as the act person is an aggravating circumstance that increases the badness of
being done at a particular time, in a particular an already bad act. Circumstances are extenuating when they
place, by a particular agent, in a particular manner. decrease the amount of badness of an action. For example, to steal
Moral circumstances, not physical, are the criteria $10 from the Chase Manhattan Bank is not as bad as stealing $10
for assessing the goodness or badness of a human from a homeless person, but it is still an evil act. Moral
action. Moral circumstances may increase the circumstances are specifying when they make an indifferent act
goodness or badness of a human action. To strike become good or bad, or when they give a new kind of goodness or
another person in self-defense is one thing; to badness to an action. For example, taking money from a till is an
strike another without any provocation or indifferent act. If the money belongs to the taker, the act is all right.
justification is another matter But if the money belongs to another person, it is an evil, immoral
act.
Taleon, Tumacole, Villo October 05, 2021

Some philosophers maintain that circumstances are the The most difficult problem in situation ethics is that
sole criterion for judging the morality of a human action. it often makes morality subjective and relative.
Joseph Fletcher, in particular, reflected this position. To a There is nothing to prevent two persons in same
certain extent, subscribers to the teleological theory circumstances from giving two diametrically
(interpretivists) may appear to focus more closely on the opposite meanings to the same action. This implies
circumstances of an action, to the extent that they strive to that an action that is morally good for one person is
understand or give meaning to a human action. However, morally evil for another. Although interpretivists do
interpretivists need not limit their consideration of subscribe to human reason as an interpreter of
morality to mere circumstances; they also can, as stated human actions, the person who focuses on the
above, consider the nature of the action and its purpose. situation alone cannot be sure of the moralitiy of at
least some actions.
End or Purpose
The end or intention of a human act is the purpose that prompts one to
of the perform such an act. Every human act, no matter how trivial, is done
with some intention. It is the reason for which the agent performs a
Human Act particular act. It is the effect that the agent subjectively wills in his/her
action. At times it can so happen that the intention of the agent
coincides with the object of the human act, for e.g. offering a glass of
water to a thirsty person to quench thirst. However at other times both
of them might be different. For e.g. a captured spy may commit suicide
in order to safeguard the secrets of the country. A human act to be
morally good the agent or doer must have a good intention—he must
want to accomplish something that is good in one way or another.
Taleon, Tumacole, Villo October 05, 2021

The end too can affect the morality of the human act According to the moralists a human act is said to be
just as circumstances do. A good intention can make morally good when it is good in its object,
better an act which is good in its object, for e.g. circumstances and also in the intention, for it is
helping a poor person to start a small business with believed that an action is good when each of these
the intention of making him independent. Also the three factors is conformed to order (Bonum ex
end can worsen a act which is already evil in its integra causa). If even one of these determinants is
object, for e.g. killing the father, who is the only contrary to order, the action will be bad, at least in
breadwinner in the family, so that his children might part (Malum ex quocumque defectu). The end of a
be on the street. To a great extent many of the actions human action is the purpose the person had in mind
that we do which otherwise might be indifferent while doing the act. It is the intention. People can
morally in themselves, but they receive their moral have only one purpose or have a variety of purposes
quality from the intention behind them in doing a particular act.
 Taleon, Tumacole, Villo October 05, 2021

We can deduce certain principles based on the purpose in mind when performing the act.

An action that is indifferent An action that is good because of its An action that is evil by its object
1 2 3
because of its object may object may become more good or less may become more wrong or perhaps
become good or bad because good or even bad because of the less wrong, but never good by its
of the purpose. For example, purpose. For example, to give a purpose. For instance, telling a lie is
jogging in itself is an donation to a homeless person is a morally wrong. But telling a lie to
indifferent act. When done to good action. If you give the donation defame another person is more
maintain good health, it just to get rid of the person, it is still a wrong. Telling a lie "to get out of
becomes a good act. When good action, but not as good as in the trouble" or to protect the interests of
done to arrive at a place first case. If you give the donation to another person is still lying and still
where the person commits lure the homeless person into doing wrong, but less wrong because of
theft or murder, it becomes an something evil or immoral for you, the the purpose. A good end does not
immoral action. donation becomes an immoral act. justify a bad means.
Taleon, Tumacole, Villo October 05, 2021

The mind is just like a muscle — the

SOURCES:
- https://insightsonindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ethics-and-human-action-consequences.pdf?
fbclid=IwAR3CdLNOl9L6F0q8VTzp7Vl3FOY4PBnykqiNRmByMhtXm6Sz_rs66RvL7K4
- https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/38261/1/Unit-3.pdf?
fbclid=IwAR2Z2Il1wTuU6m7u9ACPsHsZT03CPnUEBbhX1-JrM4mBR62zI1wWpPt-Bgc
Taleon, Tumacole, Villo October 05, 2021

Thank you!
Have a great day ahead.