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Chapter 3 Freedom and the Moral Act Principles of the Moral Life (that apply to everyone) Freedom, which makes a person a moral agent Conscience, which gives us the capacity to discover God’s will as written in our souls Law, which should not limit freedom, but allow it to function properly The importance of the moral life Right moral conduct perfects the human being, and wrong moral conduct degrades him. Good and evil are the most interesting aspects of life Writings confront the struggle between good and evil Things and circumstances (wealth, poverty, success, failure, health, illness, etc.) are important, but do not touch our lives as profoundly as good and evil. The study of ethics (The science of good and evil) is the most important of all forms of knowledge since it places us on the path to true happiness. (Socrates) Man’s ability to choose good and evil Every human is a moral being Capable of doing good or evil, being just or unjust, honorable or dishonorable. Only physical good and evil are attributed to animals, not moral good and evil. Animals are described in physical terms (a fast race horse of a hunting dog has a good nose) No one would accuse an animal of committing sin for a poor performance They cannot practice virtue, nor sin A person (human being) is morally responsible for his/her actions Responsibility makes sin possible. He/she acts with thought and deliberation He/she has intellect and will Intelligence gives meaning to things Free will allows for the doing or omitting of actions the intellect has determined to be good or bad. Human existence is lived out with two options: The good that perfects Evil which degrades The Human Act, a Moral Act A moral act is truly human when someone brings it about with knowledge and free will. Those actions that lack knowledge or freedom do not fall under the realm of morality The insane or the person who is semi-conscious Acts of a human Accomplished without knowledge or deliberation (breathing, blinking, etc.) The human act involves the whole person. Not just the intellect and will Virtues, vices, character and interactions with others “Human acts are moral acts because they express and determine th goodness or evil of the person who performs them” (Veritatis Splendor, N.71) Knowledge as a condition for Morality Man is defined as a rational being so the first requirement for a moral act is that it be done with knowledge Degrees of knowledge Full knowledge involves clear and deliberate knowledge of the morality of an action. Full knowledge presumes two things: That the agent knows clearly what he is doing. (Sins do not occur in the state of sleep or semi-consciousness) The agent is aware of its moral dimension Know the act is good or evil Does not need to know the act “offends God” It is enough to know that the act is prohibited or seriously wrong Partial knowledge Clouded by some obstacle that interferes with correct judgment Prescribed medications or psychological alterations due to fear or depression