Code of Ethics: Lecture 3 1 of 2

Prof. Raquel Bermudez

Source: http://www.catholicculture.org
http://www.wikipedia.org
Code of Ethics for IT- Afurong, Manaois & Ringor

Morality

- from Latin “moralitas" meaning manner, character, proper behavior;

refers to the concept of human action which pertains to matters of right and
wrong—also referred to as "good and evil.
- Quality of human acts which lead us to call some of the good and some evil.
- Conformity or non-conformity of act with the norm.

Conscience- the impulse toward morally “right”.

Guilt- a feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong, etc.,
whether real or imagined.

Determinants of Morality

They are the factors in human conduct that determine whether it is good or bad.
There are three such determinants of morality, namely the act in itself, the motive of
the act, and the circumstances of the act.

Axiom: “bonum ex integra causa, malum ex quocumque defectu” which

means “Goodness arises from an integral cause, evil arises from any
defect whatsoever”.

A human act is good when it is good in itself, in its motive or purpose, and its
circumstances. A defect coming from any of these aspects renders an act morally
objectionable.

I. The Act in Itself (Object) - meant what the free will chooses to do--in thought,
word, or deed-or chooses not to do.

II. The Motive of the Act (End) - the motive or the reason why an action is
performed.

III. Circumstances of the Act- all the elements that surround a human action and
affect its morality without belonging to its essence. Some circumstances so affect the
morality of an action that it changes its species, as stealing a consecrated object
becomes sacrilege and lying under oath is perjury.

 Who- refers primarily to the doer of the act, or the receiver of the act. This
circumstance includes age, status, relation, family background, educational
attainment, health and social economic situations of the person/s involved in
the act.
Code of Ethics: Lecture 3 2 of 2
Prof. Raquel Bermudez
Source: http://www.catholicculture.org
http://www.wikipedia.org
Code of Ethics for IT- Afurong, Manaois & Ringor
 What- refers to the act itself and to the quality of the results of such act. The
graveness of robbery, for example, is measured by what is stolen and by how
much is stolen. Similarly, the relative importance of a murdered victim
determines the seriousness of such crime.

 Where- refers to the circumstance of place where the act is committed. Rape
done inside the church is more scandalous than that of which is done in the
privacy of a house. Murder done before a crowd is more heinous than which is
done in an isolated place.

 With Whom- refers to the companion or accomplices in an act performed.

This includes the number and status of the persons involved. The more people
are in the commission of an act , the greater and more serious is the crime.

 Why- refers to the motive of the doer.

 How- refers to the manner how act is made possible. Was the killing
accomplished with deceit? Was it done by the use of torture? How an act is
performed contributes to the malice of an act.

 When- refers to the time of the act. A murder committed when the victim is
sleeping is more offensive than the one done when the victim is wide awake.

Note!

To be morally good, a human act must agree with the norm of morality on
all three counts: in its nature, its motive, and its circumstances. Departure
from any of these makes the action morally wrong.