End (of an action)
the primary goal of the intention and the purpose pursued in an action
Intention (of an action)
a movement of the will toward an end
Object (of an action)
that toward which the will directs itself; this is distinct from the intention that a person has when performing the act
Principle of Double Effect
not every action has only good or bad effects;if action meets 4 requirements it can be permissible
1. action must be good in itself or indifferent-example abortion is never permissible because it is evil in itself
2. agent must have the right intention-go
Universality
the ability to be applied to everyone in every situation
acts of humans
acts that do not involve intellect and will
ex: sneezing/breathing
human act
an act done with intellect and will, preceded by knowledge and consent; may be good or evil
3 components of a moral choice
a morally good act requires the goodness of the object, of the end, and of the circumstances together....the object, intention, and circumstances make up the three "sources" of the morality of human acts
Circumstances
the condition or state of affairs surrounding a moral decision; these include the consequences of an action; can increase or diminish the responsibility of a person, but they can't change the moral quality of the acts themselves; they never make good an a
who?
person acting
when?
timing of an act
what?
the thing done
how?
manner in which the act is done
where?
the place where the act occurs
why?
immediate situation of a particular action or some additional reason that a sinner may have for committing a sin-SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED WITH INTENTION
can circumstances change moral quality of acts?
no, they can make neither good nor right in action that is in itself evil; you can mitigate culpability but NOT change intrinsic nature of action
how to apply a universal law to every person when they are all in different circumstances?
as a result of its universality the moral law comprehends necessarily and intentionally all of the particular cases in which its concepts are verified
Proportionalism
an ethical system that deduces the moral value of an act from the proportion of good and evil effects
moral relativism
the belief that there are no absolute truths, that morality changes with each new situation
Consequentialism
an ethical system that determines the goodness or evilness from the effect or result of an act
3 errors of consequentialism
1. effects of an action are overvalued
2. justifies morality of means, regardless of nature, violates moral principle that the end does not justify the means
3. use immoral means for personal gain, become egotistical, "ethics of intention" thinks only wha
situation ethics
an ethical theory that derives good and evil from the circumstances that accompany the active agent