The Morality of human Actions Sunday Rice and Stew (Catholic Catechism) 24th Oct. 2021.
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Sunday Rice and Stew
(Catholic Catechism)
24th Oct. 2021.
The Morality of human Actions
All human actions can be morally evaluated when freely chosen in consequences of a judgement of conscience.
They can therefore be evaluated to be good or bad. There are three factors that determine the morally of human actions.
They include;
- The object chosen
- The intention/end
- The circumstances
An evil human action cannot be justified by reference to a good intention.
- The Object:
The Object also known as the Will power, is the catalyst behind every human actions. This refers to the ability to chose what is right and wrong.
We have been given the mandate to chose whether to do good or evil at all time. Human actions are been controlled by the choices we make in life.
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The object chosen orally specifies the act of willing accordingly as reason recognizes and judges it good or evil.
There are concrete human actions that it is always wrong to choose, because their choice entails a disorder of the will, i.e., a moral evil. One may not do evil so that good may result from it.
- The Intention/End:
The end or intention has a lot to do with the objection chosen. A good object chosen will lead to a good end/intention and a bad objection chosen as well will also lead to a bad end/intention.
If we have a good will but the end is morally bad then it is not accepted or morally bad then it is accepted or not morally right. E.g., if we lie to gain a favor, our action might be right to us but the end is bad.
Therefore, it is not acceptable. An evil human action cannot be justified by reference to a good intention. “The end does not justify the means.” St. Thomas Aquinas.
- Circumstances:
This refers to the either the environment, social pressure, duress or emergency etc. from which a human action is carried out or performed.
There are human actions which in themselves independently of circumstances and intentions are always gravely illicit by reason of their object, such as murder, adultery, blasphemy and perjury.
One may not do evil so that good may result from it.
The circumstances, including the consequences, are secondary elements of a moral act. They contribute to increasing or diminishing the moral goodness or evil of human actions (for example, the amount of a theft).
They can also diminish or increase the agent’s responsibility (Such as acting out of a fear of death). Circumstances of themselves cannot change the moral quality of acts themselves; they can make neither good nor right an action that is in itself evil.
A morally good act requires the goodness of its object, of its end, and of its circumstances together.
May God bless you dearest as you read and learn. Remember to use the comment section to send your feedback, questions and contributions on the topic for this week.
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