Impediments to a Human Act

I. Ignorance
- is the absence of knowledge needed by man
in the performance of an act.

Kinds of Ignorance
a. Invincible Ignorance – the lack of required
knowledge that ordinary efforts,
conscientiousness, and proper diligence
cannot remove.

b. Vincible Ignorance – the lack of required knowledge

that ordinary efforts, conscientiousness and
proper diligence can dispel.
Impediments to a Human Act
Kinds of Vincible Ignorance
a. Antecedent Ignorance – when ignorance
comes before the will can decide on the
morality of an act. Here, action is done
because of ignorance and through
ignorance.

b. Concomittant Ignorance – has causal effect on

the action. The action is performed in
ignorance and with ignorance.

c. Consequent Ignorance – ignorance is

dependent on the will’s decision.
 Impediments to a Human Act
II. Concupiscence or Passion – is the natural inclination
of the sense of appetite towards what is
consciously perceived as a sensuous evil.

Kinds of Concupiscence
a. Antecedent Concupiscence – is present before
any act of the will is made due to
the suddenness of the passion as
surging forth uncontrolled.

b. Consequent Concupiscence – is present when

the intellect is aware of the hidden passion,
and the will chooses to fosters or to arouse
the passion.
 Impediments to a Human Act
III. Fear - is the apprehension of an impending danger
and prompts the agent to shrink from the
threatening evil.

IV. Violence – is the exercise of an outside physical

force upon a resisting person to compel him to act
against his will.

V. Habit – is the a firm and stable behavior pattern of

acting with ease and readiness as a result of acts
frequently repeated. Good moral habits are called
virtues.
 Norms of Morality

It is an authoritative standard to which a human act

must conform to be morally good.
 Criteria to be considered:
1. It must not be subject to change.
2. It must be universal.
3. It must be accessible to all.
4. It must apply to all conditions of life.
5. It must be a single standard.
 Law
A rule enacted or customary in a community
and recognized as a joining or prohibiting
certain actions and enforced by the imposition
of penalties.
Eternal Law – the highest norm of morality. It is
the objective and the universal law whereby
God orders, directs and governs the entire
universe and the ways of the human
community according to the plan of His
Divine wisdom and love.
Natural Law – unchanging moral principle
common to all human beings; an observable
law relating to natural phenomena.
 Conscience
It is the most secret core and sanctuary of man.
There he is alone with God, whose voice echoes
in his depths.
 Dimensions of Conscience
a. Synderesis – is the basic tendency or capacity
within us to know and to do the good.
b. Moral Science – is the force of conscience. It
empowers us to search out the objective
moral values in each specific situation in
order to discover the right thing to do.
c. Conscience – the specific judgment of the good
which ‘I must do’ in this particular
situation.
 Sources of Moral Wisdom: Formation of Conscience
a. Experiences
b. Testimony of Scripture
c. Rich heritage of stories, images, language, rituals,
devotional practices, and spiritual disciplines which
nurtures one’s moral vision and practices.
Four Points of Moral Analysis
1. Agent
2. Beliefs
3. Situational analyses
4. Moral norms
 Kinds of Conscience
1. Antecedent – if the judgment on the morality of an
action is passed before the action is realized.

2. Consequent – if it evaluates an act already

performed.
2.1. Right – if the actions conforms to the objective norms
of morality
2.2. Erroneous – if the act conform to the objective norms
of morality.

1. Vincible – the error can be corrected with some good

will and thus, culpable.
 Kinds of Conscience
4. Invincible – the moral agent is not aware of any error and thus,
inculpable.

4.1. Perplexed – when confronted with two alternative

precepts the agent is afraid of choosing any of the
alternatives.

4.2. Lax – without sufficient evidence, the person is inclined

to judge a thing to be lawful when in reality, it is
unlawful, slightly evil when actually it is gravely evil.

4.3. Scrupulous – when practical reason cannot definitely

decide whether the action to be done is good or evil.
 Kinds of Conscience
5. Certain - when judgment is passed with no
fear whatsoever of being in error.

6. Doubtful – when practical reason cannot

definitely decide whether the action to be done
is good or evil.