Human Acts and Responsibility: Scope of The Module
Human Acts and Responsibility: Scope of The Module
1
Module III
Lesson Objectives:
After studying this lesson on human acts vs. acts of man, you shall be
able to:
1. give illustrations of human acts and acts of man; and
2. see through the examples the end, means and circumstances in
every human act.
When the Lord was asked whether it was allowed to revere both Caesar
and God at the same time with the intention to trap him, the Lord's answer
was a classic in making fine distinctions: "Render unto Caesar the things
that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
Mental reservations can sometimes be resorted to. When a pest asks for
a person at the door or on the telephone, one can answer, "He/she is not at
home." What was withheld or reserved was the continuation, "for you." Or
if a snoopy neighbor who has no business to know asks where we had been
at 12:00 midnight, we can answer that we were in school - which was the
truth - but, and here is the mental reservation which was left unsaid: "but
we went to the disco after school." Or if a wife asks her husband if he has
money for their children's matriculation, he may not resort to mental
reservation if indeed he has the money. Under oath, one may not likewise
mentally withhold or reserve information. Or if asked by a custom official
whether one has anything to declare, one may not say "No" if indeed one is
carrying dutiable goods.
One must, however, use tact when one answers a patient who is
moribound or nearing death. While it is true that one must not lie to him,
one ought not to be blatant in telling him that he has only three months to
live. What ought to be answered must not be contrary to the truth but
which must not be brutal either. A good answer is that some special remedies
are being discovered and prescribed for his illness, and that while one is
alive, there is hope.
Rape is intolerable under any circumstance because it is the use of
force and violence to drag one to sex. Rape is usually reported among
unmarried strangers but rape takes place whenever there is no consent on
the part of either spouse.
Murder is a crime in any region at any time. Murder is defined as
killing a person without having a right to. Hangmen, executioners,
guillotiners are appointed by the State to kill persons found guilty of
heinous crimes. During war, soldiers kill the enemy. These kinds of
killing do not constitute murder. Neither does self-defense, because in
this case, it is one's right to life pitted against another's right to life. It
must be stressed that killing in self-defense is allowed only when there is an
actual struggle and not a mere threat or hint to kill. What about cannibals
who kill for their food? Cannibals do not murder but merely kill, if it is for
food. Cannibals, however, are also capable of murder when they take the
life of people they despise. Hence, a distinction must be made between
murder and killing. Killing, per se, is not evil, but murder is.
Suicide is self-murder and therefore evil. Suicide is taking one's own
life as though it were his. The pagan philosopher, Plato, wrote that we
are mere sentries in life and we may not leave our post until the appointed
time ( see Phaedo).
There are some human acts that are not patently evil, unlike the above
mentioned examples. There are, however, intrinsically good acts like
praying, giving alms, helping people which can deteriorate into evil. In
these cases, the rule must be applied: for a human act to be considered
good, all the three constitutive parts, the end, means and circumstances, must
be good.
Praying is in itself good. The end or purpose is to open one's heart to
God. But there are some persons who stay in church all day long,
neglecting their children. In this case, the end and the means are good, but
because the circumstances, namely, length of time, is out of focus, the entire
act becomes questionable. This means that it can no longer be said that
prayer is always and thoroughly good. In all things, propriety is to be
observed. There is a proper time, a proper place, a proper manner of doing
things.
During a fire, some persons volunteer to help victims carry their
belongings. On the surface, the act is good. The end or purpose of these
persons, however, is to steal these belongings when no one looks.
Because the end is evil, the entire act becomes evil.
Sometimes the end or purpose is to help the poor, which is good
intention. But the means employed is actual stealing or extortion. The entire
act becomes evil. The proper means should have been petition, appeal,
moral suasion. The end never justifies the means. The Machiavellian
doctrine that " the end justifies the means" is patently wrong. One may not
murder or steal or rape in order to save a life or even a kingdom.
Almsgiving is good in itself because the poor are helped. But if the
intention of almsgiving is to obtain a tax shelter for dubious income, the
act of almsgiving acquires a different slant. On the other hand, if the
intention is good, there should be no thought anymore as to what a beggar
will do with the money. If the help is given with the right motive, the act
is good even if the recipient of the largesse uses the money for liquor or
for gambling.
Circumstances, which is the third constitutive part of a human act,
deserve special treatment. The circumstances, if good, do not make an act
good if the act is evil. Circumstances, in fact, can make an evil act
worse. A murder, whether committed is church or in the beach or in the
schoolroom, is evil. Stealing is in itself evil and when committed at
night, it becomes worse. On the other hand, praying is good whether done
in a moviehouse or swimming pool or disco pub. However, when praying
becomes extended as to pre-empt a person's duties like working or taking
care of a family, the circumstance of extension or time renders praying
questionable. Walking may be good but excessive walking to the
detriment of health renders a good action evil. Circumstances can
enhance the goodness or badness of a human act but do not render an evil act
good and can even render a good act evil.
No act is in the concrete indifferent.
A human act when mulled over or theoretically pursued may be indifferent
or neutral as to goodness or badness. Once done, that human act becomes
either good or bad and no longer indifferent. For example, if one just
wanders about walking or drinking or writing a poem or studying one's lesson
or cleaning one's gun, these are indifferent. If one actually walks for health
reasons, walking becomes good. The same applies to drinking. Actually
writing a poem or studying one's lesson for a good end are good acts.
Cleaning one's gun will either be good or bad depending on one's
intention. If one cleans a gun to prevent it from rusting, the act is good; if
done for the purpose of shooting an enemy during peace, the act is evil.
Walking can even become evil if the assassin walks to the place of his
crime, whereas walking to church or to a home is good… Drinking is in itself
is indifferent; but when concretely done, it becomes either good or evil
depending on whether one intends to get drunk or merely to socialize.
This is the meaning of the ethical dictum "No act is in the concrete
indifferent."
All our concrete actions therefore are either good or bad; provided
they are done consciously. Unconsciously done actions like somnambulism
or those actions done during asleep, or actions done under hypnosis are acts
of man and therefore involve no responsibility.
Module III
Lesson 1
A. Determine whether the following acts are (a) human acts; or (b)
acts of man. On the blank before each number, write only the
letter representing your answer.
__________ 5. The late Senator Benigno Aquino came back from his exile
abroad aware of what might happen to him.
B. On the blank each number, write the word or words that complete
each given statement.