professional ethics with values education week 3

Man as A Person

Moral Character Character

is the will of the person directing him towards a recognized idea

is not the product of a moment’s inspiration, but a disciplined tendency to choose the right thing in any given circumstance

When a person falls below the expectation he is said to have bad character

A person who lives up to the ideals of his humanity is said to have good character or moral integrity

Professional Ethics with Values Education Week 3

Social Dimension of a Person

Society is but an extension of the person George Hegel teaches that man is fully developed

in his participation in family life, civic community and in the State

Thomas Hill Green expressed the conviction that a person’s morality must identify itself with public welfare

Paul Tillich said that natural law is the demand for us “to be a person in the community of other persons”


Reading : Be Proud you Are Human From the beginning we found ourselves alone in this

universe – we realized this and turned our attention to making something practical and useful out of this unprecedented situation We found a Light, a God and we got a sense of direction and

a goal to work on We set up a standard for living together We created for ourselves governing systems covering vast

geographical spaces We have conceived the ideal of justice and plan it all for men we are persistent – we find ways to browse the water, air and

our neighboring planets


HUMAN ACTS

Performed by a person who is acting knowingly, freely and willfully

These actions are deliberate, intentional or voluntary

These are differentiated from acts of man which are instinctive and are not under the control of the free will


Attributes of Human Acts

Human act is done knowingly The doer is conscious and aware of the reason and the

consequences of his actions Every normal person of age is presumed to act

knowingly Children below the age of reason, the senile and the

insane – are considered incapable of moral judgement



Human act is done freely The doer acts by his own initiative and choice without

being forced to do so by another person An action done under duress is not considered

voluntary



Human act is done willfully The doer consents to the act, accepting it as his own

and assumes accountability for its consequences


Kinds of Human Acts

Elicited Acts – those performed by the Will but are not bodily externalized (no external manifestation)

Commanded Acts – those mental and bodily actions performed under the command of the Will


Elicited Acts Wish – the tendency of the Will towards an object without

considering whether it is attainable or not Intention – the tendency of the will towards an object which

is attainable without necessarily committing oneself to get it Consent – the acceptance of the will to carry out the

intention Election – the selection of the will of those means necessary

to carry out the intention Use – the command of the will to make use of the means

elected to carry out the intention Fruition – the enjoyment of the will due to the attainment of

the intetion


Commanded Acts

Internal action Those performed mentally such as reasoning, recalling,

imagining, and reflecting External action

Those performed bodily, such as walking, dancing, talking and writing


In summary

Philosophers speak of Human acts as “being first in intention, but last in execution”


professional ethics with values education week 3

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