Moral+Acts

Moral Acts (Properties of) Moral acts have two properties (1750-1756). **Consent** means to endorse, ratify, and agree with a course of action. Consent requires both knowledge and freedom. Knowledge means the capacity to understand at least to the degree that one can distinguish what is good and evil and the reasonable opportunity to know good acts from evil acts and form an intension. Reasonable opportunity to know means access to the material facts needed to distinguish good acts from evil acts. Intention means the outcome being sought or the purpose for the act. Freedom means that individuals can act upon their own volition. Freedom requires reasonable choices and the absence of coercion. In terms of freedom, the goal of morality is autonomy. Goodness is the other property of a moral act. A moral act must have a good object or end and a good means. **Object** or **End** refers to the good end toward which we will. It is what we intend. The **Means** referring to the process or method by which the object is attained must be good. In terms of goodness, the goal of morality is virtuousness.

Moral Acts (Accidents of) The accidents of a moral act include the appropriateness of time, place, and status, which must be good or neutral. The actual outcome must be good or neutral. The gravity of the act may increase or diminish the goodness or evil of the act, but it cannot turn evil acts into good acts.

Classifying Moral Acts Categories of acts in terms of their morality help distinguish acts in accord with the criteria just explained. // 1. //** Moral Act ** : An act done for a good end in a good way for a good reason with consent. //Maynard volunteers at the soup kitchen.// // 2. //** Premoral Act ** : Act done by an agent before the development of character. //Hoover, age four, watches the Playboy channel.// 3. ** Amoral Act ** : A good or evil act done by a person of character, but without consent. //Maybelle cooperated with the robber because she feared for her life.// 4. ** Immoral Act ** : Evil act done with consent. //Jake freely chooses to beat the living daylights out of Rutherford.// 5. ** Nonmoral Act ** : An act that is morally neutral or indifferent because it lacks gravity. //Maynard chooses between the hot dog and the hamburger.// 6. ** Unmoral ** **Act**: An act that is substantially good, but accidentally evil. //The newlyweds consummated their marriage under a blanket in the park.//