NORMS OF MORALITY

INTRODUCTION

- since childhood, we learn early the difference between good and bad

- It could then be said that everybody has a natural inclination towards morality = Even in primitive society, morality plays an essential role in the form of things allowed and prohibited

- Morality then is a universal phenomenon; manifested in every person in every society

NORMS

- in general, they are considered as standard of measurement- it is an instrument through which the quality or quantity of a

thing is determined

NORMS OF MORALITY

- are the standards that indicate the rightfulness or wrongfulness, goodness or evilness, value or disvalue of a thing- these are qualities that cannot be measured by any mechanical device because they are spiritual qualities that appeal only to reason

- norms of morality “criteria of judgment about the sorts of person we ought to be and the sorts of action we ought to perform.”Criteria - a set of principles from which we may deduce a conclusion.

- Morality therefore, consists in the relation of a thing or action with the norm (conformity or non-conformity). It can then be defined as the quality of things manifesting their conformity or non-conformity with the norm or criteria. That which conforms = good; that which do not = evil or immoral

I. OBJECTIVE NORM OF MORALITY = LAW

LAW- an ordinance of reason promulgated for the common good by one who has charge of the society

ORDINANCE OF REASON- rational deliberations intended to guide men towards what is

good for them and for the society

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- it should not be arbitrary or whimsical but that which order and direct human acts toward their ultimate end/Ultimate Good

- Reason recognizes what is good|

- what we ought to follow |

- Law makes us follow what is good |

- flows from reasonable will – from illumined understanding of the will of an end

- qualities of Law:- just- honest- possible of fulfillment- useful- permanent

PROMULGATED- made known to the people who are bound to observe them- the public must be made aware of what is expected of them; law

binds the subject until it is repealed by the lawful public authority- it is promulgated in a society = presupposes a community

FOR THE COMMON GOOD- its objective purpose of the Laws is the attainment of the

common good- it is made not to fulfill the lawmakers’ personal interests but for

the good of all- a law is not meant to impose hardships or needless restrictions- True Law tends to make men good, liberate them from perverse

and mistaken judgments so as to lead them to their ultimate end

BY ONE WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE SOCIETY- a law can only be valid if they are the legitimate exercise of

authority- only those who have the power and responsibility to govern have

the power to enact law- lawful authority – implies lawful assumption of power and

credibility- Author of the Law: legislator, lawgiver

LAWS = they are necessary to man. They regulate human activity= without laws, the best intention will be thwarted either by oneself or by others, anarchy and chaos will reign because

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each one will act according to one’s wishes without regard for the good of others or for the common good= without laws = man will not find his ultimate purpose in life

CLASSIFICATION OF LAWS

ACCORDING TO IMMEDIATE AUTHOR

a) Divine (Positive) Laws- those promulgated, or made known to us by special command of God- they are explicit demands of our essential tendencies as rational beings- they direct man towards his proper endEx. Decalogue

b) Human (Positive) Laws- promulgated by a legitimate human authority = this authority resides either in the State or in the Church- they are intended to preserve peace and harmony within a society and to direct each member of that society to work towards the common good.

b.1) Ecclesiastical Laws = enacted by the church- embodied in the Canon Law

b.2) Civil Laws = enacted by the state- embodied in the Constitution and Code of Civil Laws

ACCORDING TO DURATION

a) Temporal Laws = all human lawsb) Eternal Laws = God’s plan and providence for the universe

ACCORDING TO MANNER OF PROMULGATION

a) Natural Lawsb) Positive Laws

ACCORDING TO WHETHER THEY PRESCRIBE AN ACT OR FORBID IT

a) Affirmative Laws- those that require the performance of an act

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b) Negative Laws- those that require the omission of an act

ACCORDING TO THE EFFECT OF VIOLATION

a) Moral - fault or sin - binds in conscience, that is, enforced by our personal conviction about what ought to be done as good or to be avoided as wrong

b) Penal - subject liable to penalty but not inflicted with sin- binds by virtue of the penalty imposed, that is, enforced by our fear of being caught and punished

c) Mixed - both fault and penalty

MORAL AND POLITICAL LAWS- they are those derived from the natural law- They direct man towards the higher values of development as a

human being; rational being; a person.

- Therefore, Moral Laws are universal laws binding all men alike; they regulate the mind, heart and body of man insofar as he is a man.

- The so-called “natural moral laws” are those that are written in the hearts of all men. They are the inherent and essential tendencies of human nature towards the good proper to it.

- Political Laws, (simply referred to as human positive laws) both civil and criminal laws, are those enacted by men to guide their actuations in society and in relation to one another. They regulate man’s external actions. Their objective is peace and order and material prosperity. They presume moral laws.

II. CONSCIENCE (Subjective Norm of Morality)

- it is the proximate norm of morality |

- it is what confronts an action as good or bad Function = to examine, judge and pass a sentence on all moral

actions

Etymology

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- from latin “conscientia” which means “trial of oneself” both in accusation and defense

Definition- an act of practical judgment of reason deciding upon an individual action as good and to be performed or as evil to be avoided

Practical judgment- it is an interference whose conclusion leads to something

practicable- because its function is to “determine what ought to be done in a

given situation.” = after the commission of an act, the conscience assumes the role of approving or reproaching

- it is also a practical judgment because it is an interference leading to a practicable conclusion = as an interferential reasoning, it makes use of the principles of natural law. Thus, the conscience is but an extension of the Natural Law which guides man to seek the good of his nature

KINDS OF CONSCIENCE

1) CORRECT OR TRUE- judges what is good as good and what is evil as evil

2) ERRONEOUS OR FALSE- judges incorrectly that what is good is evil and what is evil is good.

Factor from which errors in conscience flows:

a) Mistake in inferential thinking (such as deriving a wrong conclusion from a wrong principles)

b) Ignorance of the Lawc) Ignorance of the Fact and other circumstances modifying

human actionsd) Ignorance of future consequences especially those

dependent on the freewill of others

Inculpable Conscience – error is not willfully intended

Culpable Conscience – if error is due to neglect or malice

Difference between them:- the distinction between voluntary and involuntary error- culpable = voluntary- inculpable = involuntary = honest mistake

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3) CERTAIN- subjective assurance of the lawfulness or lawlessness of a certain act- the person is sure of his/her decision- it is possible however to be sure of something as god when in fact it is just the opposite, and vice-versaTheologians – believed that a certain conscience should always be followed so as to preserve the integrity of the human reason – to contradict is morally guilty.

4) DOUBTFUL- a vacillating conscience, unable to form a definite judgment on a certain action.- it should be first allowed to settle its doubts before resorting to action

5) SCRUPULOUS- a rigorous conscience – extremely afraid of committing evil- meticulous and wants inconvertible proofs before it acts

6) LAX- one which refuses to be bothered about the distinction of good and evil- rushes on and is quick to justify itself- having this kind of conscience, one follows the impulse of “bahala na” attitude on matters of morals

FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE- It is our obligation to cultivate a clear and true conscience = we can accomplish it:

a) Studying and searching for truths in the laws and in the sciences

b) Cultivation of good habits – this means that the practical truths we discover must be internalized and then externalized in actions

c) Militate against evil, condemning it where we find it – not only turn our back on evil but to fight against it

d) Developing proper use of freedomHuman Freedom – if it is true freedom in action, it is not submission to the coercive pressure of external force, but self-fulfillment through inner love of the good in accordance with the pattern of divine holiness which is the eternal law reflected in man’s own nature

CONCLUSION

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Conscience = our exalted participation in the eternal law of God because its function is to reveal our likeness our likeness to God. It is therefore, the voice of God within us.

- it is compulsory – because it operates within the realm of truth and sound reason = only when it impels us to act according to our rational insights that it is truly the voice of God – but if it deviates from the correct norm, it ceases to be rational and no longer now the voice of God.

- As long as it operates according to sound rational insight = it is infallible, it should then be followed

Conscience – insofar as it is the “voice of God” - it assumes the authority of God. God is the ultimate norm to which conscience must conform to.

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