PART II: ETHICS AND CONSCIENCE

CHAPTER 8: ETHICS

1. Definition
Moral philosophy, belonging to practical philosophy and distinguished from
moral theology, is subdivided into logic and ethics. The former or logic orders
the intellectual activities and teaches the proper method in the acquirement
of truth, while the latter or ethics directs the activities of the will. The object
of the former is the true; that of the latter is the good.
Ethics may be defined as the science of the moral rectitude of human acts in
accordance with the first principles of natural reason. Ethics is pre-eminently practical and directive; for
it orders the activity of the will, which means ordering the whole man. Moreover, ethics not only directs
a man how to act if he wishes to be morally good, but sets before him the absolute obligation he is
under of doing good and avoiding evil .
Morals or morality is the built-in awareness of right or wrong in each individual. Everybody has it. Ethics
is the scientific or philosophical treatment of morality. The subject matter proper of ethics is the
deliberate free actions of man. We may have a good artist and at the same time a morally bad man or
vice verse. Ethics has to do with the order which relates to man as man, and which makes of him a good
man.
Ethics is related to and distinct from the other natural sciences which deal with moral conduct of man,
as jurisprudence, pedagogy, and political economy. However, all these sciences are subordinate to
ethics.

2. Sources and methods of Ethics

The sources of ethics are partly man’s own experience and partly the principles and truths proposed by
other philosophical disciplines (logic and metaphysics). All nations distinguish between what is good and
what is bad, between good men and bad men, between virtue and vice; they agree that the good is to
be strived for and the evil shunned though individual cases they may not be one in denominating the
same thing good or evil. The proper method of ethics is at once speculative and empirical.
Supernatural Christian Revelation is not a proper source of ethics. The Christian philosopher, however,
should be guided by the revealed truth. Since God is the fountain-head of all truth, a conflict between
faith (revealed truth) and science is impossible.
The following methods of ethics are rejected as unsound.

1. Pure rationalism. This system bases itself on reason alone, putting aside the Christian revelation.
2. Pure Empiricism. This system bases itself on the foundation of experience which is limited to
past or present phenomena, giving no clue to the future. Historicism, its close ally, is concerned with the
past; it only rehearse the moral aberrations of mankind.
3. Positivism seeks to emancipate ethics from metaphysics and base it on facts alone. No science
can be constructed on the mere foundation of facts, and independently of metaphysics. Man created in

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God’s image with intellect and free will and immortal soul destined for eternal life must be accepted as
the foundation of ethics.
4. Traditionalism. It teaches that complete certainty in religious and moral questions was not to be
attained by the aid of reason alone, but only by the light of revelation as made known through tradition.
But, this system evolves with the certainty that God exists and that he reveals himself. Kant’s
Irranionalism, accepting the inability of reason to furnish certainty in matters relating to God and
religion, teaches that faith that consists in certain appreciative judgments, i.e., assumptions or
convictions which are the result of each one’s own inner experiences, and which have, therefore, for
him a precise worth, and correspond to his own peculiar temperament, is alone can lead us into the
realm of the morals and religious. It relegates religion and morals to pure subjectivism, losing all their
objectivity and universality of value.

The Catechism of the Catholic on Man’s Freedom, Morality of Human Acts, and Morality of the
Passions1 (Numbers 1744-1745; 1757-1761; 1771-1775)
Man’s freedom in Brief
 Freedom is the power to act or not to act, and so to perform deliberate acts of one's own.
Freedom attains perfection in its acts when directed toward God, the sovereign Good.
 Freedom characterizes properly human acts. It makes the human being responsible for acts of
which he is the voluntary agent. His deliberate acts properly belong to him.
 The imputability or responsibility for an action can be diminished or
nullified by ignorance, duress, fear, and other psychological or social factors.
 The right to the exercise of freedom, especially in religious and moral
matters, is an inalienable requirement of the dignity of man. But the exercise of
freedom does not entail the putative right to say or do anything.

The Morality of Human Acts in Brief

 The object, the intention, and the circumstances make up the three "sources" of the morality of
human acts.
 The object chosen morally specifies the act of willing accordingly as reason recognizes and
judges it good or evil.
 "An evil action cannot be justified by reference to a good intention". The end does not justify
the means.
 A morally good act requires the goodness of its object, of its end, and of its circumstances
together.
 There are concrete acts that it is always wrong to choose, because their choice entails a disorder
of the will, i.e., a moral evil. One may not do evil so that good may result from it.

The Morality of the Passions in Brief

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CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH - Latin text copyright (c) Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Citta del Vaticano
1993. This is a comprehensive handbook for all Catholics. It is divided into Parts, Sections, Chapters, and Article
which is further subdivided into divisions with running numbers.

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  The term "passions" refers to the affections or the feelings. By his emotions man intuits the
good and suspects evil.
 The principal passions are love and hatred, desire and fear, joy, sadness, and anger.
 In the passions, as movements of the sensitive appetite, there is neither moral good nor evil. But
insofar as they engage reason and will, there is moral good or evil in them.
 Emotions and feelings can be taken up in the virtues or perverted by the vices.
 The perfection of the moral good consists in man's being moved to the good not only by his will
but also by his "heart."

Teaching on Ethics that is certain

The Catholic Church points to two main sources of moral teaching, one is that found in human nature
itself (the natural law), the other is that revealed by God (divine law). God has given the Church the gift
to teach the truth about right living as well as correct believing.
One of the unique abilities of a human being is to be a master of his or her own acts. This enables us to
be creative and to choose from among many possible good actions. Unfortunately, this freedom also
enables us to choose things that are evil, that is, contrary to what is good for us and to what God
commands. God greatly desires us to choose only what is good for us. God does not, however, force us
to do good. As long as we are alive here, we remain free to choose between good and evil actions. The
effects of both kinds of choice are evident in human society.
Catholics believe in Original Sin which makes it difficult for us to do what is good. We tend to desire
sinful things, a condition called disordered concupiscence.
Catholic ethical teaching is founded upon the pursuit of what is good. When the Church speaks out
against something it does so to protect that which is good. So for instance, in areas of great pertinence
today, the Church values every human person as made in the image of God, from conception until
natural death. It is to protect the inviolable dignity and infinite value of each person that the Church
stands against abortion, euthanasia, and any deliberate practices which lead to the destruction of
embryos.

QUESTIONS
1. What is the goal and activities of ethics?
2. Give the definition of ethics and its explanation.
3. What ae the sources and methods of ethics?
4. What methods of ethics are rejected as unsound? Explain in a few words each unsound method.
5. Under the heading “Man’s freedom in Brief”, in a nutshell, explain the Catholic view on
freedom.
6. Under the heading “The Morality of Human Acts in Brief”, what is a morally good act? Can you
do evil so that good may result from it?
7. Under the heading “The Morality of the Passions in Brief”, explain number “In the passions, as
movements of the sensitive appetite, there is neither moral good nor evil. But insofar as they
engage reason and will, there is moral good or evil in them.”

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8. Under the heading “Teaching on Ethics that is certain”, explain “God does not, however, force
us to do good.”