Consent

Consent
 * Consent ** means to endorse, ratify, and agree with a course of action. Consent requires knowledge meaning the capacity to understand and form an intention, which is the outcome sought or the purpose for the act and the reasonable opportunity to know the material facts needed to distinguish good acts from evil acts. Consent also requires freedom meaning reasonable choices and the absence of coercion. See Moral Acts

Categories of Acts Impediments
 * Human Acts ** designate acts made with consent. These acts result from the deliberations in conscience and are distinctively human meaning that we are the only creatures capable of these kinds of acts so far as we know. Human acts are imputable meaning that the agent taking the act is willing and able to accept responsibility for the act. Human acts form the character of the agent. **Acts of Man** refers to acts made without consent. These acts are similar to acts taken by non-human animals in that they occur without consent. Acts of Man are not imputable to the agent because the agent is either unwilling or unable to consent. Acts of Man may impact on ones personhood and reveal character, but they do not form character.
 * Impediments ** refer to conditions that block or diminish consent. Impediments make acts that should be human acts into acts of man. Impediments arise without consent meaning that they happen to us; we don’t make them happen. They may also interfere with one becoming more morally mature. **Habitual**: Impediment of a long duration //Mental illness, phobia//. Vincible impediments can be eliminated while invincible impediments cannot be eliminated. **Actual**: Impediment of short duration //Anger, emotions//.

Moral Maturity We are born in a pre-moral state. While in this pre-moral state we rely on the character of others to guide us //Parents, mentors//. This guidance may protect us from errors and may help us to better develop our character. We never fully mature in this life and so to some extent we will have pre-moral areas that need development. If the pre-moral state is the consequence of an invincible habitual impediment, then it is impossible to mature in this area. We should presume that progress to relieve the impediment is possible, since we may not know the force and duration of an impediment. In an area where we are acting morally, our human act may be at a level of lower moral maturity. Lower level of moral maturity means that the act is imputable to the agent, but only to the degree that the agent is capable of acting morally. In some areas, we may act at a lower level of moral maturity for our entire life simply because it works. We should strive for the highest level of moral maturity because we become more fully ourselves as our moral maturity develops.