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The Human Person as a Moral Agent
 “ Moral “ comes from the Latin “ mores,” referring to society’s patterns, standards, rules of
doing things. “ Agent “ comes from the Latin “agree” to do act. A moral agent is the one
who performs an act in accordance with moral standards. A moral agent is the moral actor,
one who acts normally.

 Moral agent is a being who is capable of those actions that have moral equality and which
can be properly denominated good or evil in a moral sense.
What is a sufficient condition for moral
agency?
 It will suffice If the agent has capability to conform to some of the external requirements
of morality. So if certain agents can obey moral laws such as “ murder is wrong” or “
stealing is wrong” then they are moral agents, even if they respond only to prudential
reasons such as fear of punishment and even if they are incapable of acting for the sake of
moral considerations .
The Purpose – Driven Moral Agent
 Alfredo Panzipo (1964) cites three Thomistic principles regarding the end or the purpose
of moral agent: “ first principle “ every agent that performs an action acts for the sake of
the end or purpose to be attained. In other words , a moral agent is purpose driven. “
second principle” every agent acts for an ultimate end. “third principle” has the power of
moving for an end which is suitable or good for him. Among the various ends purposes of
the actions of the moral agent there is an ultimate end and this happiness.” from the
Christian point of view , a human person`s destiny in the world is not only to achieve
cultural and moral perfection, but to attain the eternal happiness of the soul after death of
the body. To know love and to serve god is our present duty.
The Fundamental Option
 The road of life may have many diversions. Hence the decision and choice to take one
way, like Robert Frost`s one less traveled by,” one less traveled by” one that proceeds to
the end expected of men, the determination to abide by such end is referred to as adopting
the “ fundamental`s option “ a free choice to say “yes” like a “yes “ to god, an affirmative
response to god invitation to follow his way.
No Pre-fixed Plan for Man

 According to some 20th century thinkers there are no pre-existing directions. “there are no
sign in the heavens.” there are no pre-designed, pre-fixed design, plan purpose of man
being according to some 20th century thinkers. For the existentialist, like jean paul sarte, a
human person is or becomes what he/she makes of himself/herself by choice hhe/she is
nothing, no “ essence “, until he/she start his/her “existence” by making choices.
Relationship Between Moral acts and Character

 The ff. essay serves as good explanation of the relationship between moral acts and
character:

 This essay examined the questions of whether moral character is necessary for moral
behavior. I argued that moral character is relevant to moral behavior in two important
ways. First, given that I am already aware of what I ought to do (i.e. of what the “moral”
action is) moral character facilitates doing that action. The person who has moral character
does moral action more readily more easily and more willingly than one who does not.
 Moral developments refers to the “process through which human person gains his/her
beliefs, skills and dispositions that make him/her a morally mature person. Willian A. Klay
(1970) has the ff. to say regarding the nature of moral development.
 Morality can be described as passing through stages of behavior controlled first by taboo;
then second , by law ; third by conscience (i.e. irrational, intrajected values); fourth , by
reciprocity ; fifth by social consensus and finally by personal moral principles though not
necessarily in that order.
 The Amoral stage – egocentric, hedonist, and prudential considerations.
 The Pre-moral stage – authoritarian, ego –idealist ,social and reciprocal considerations.
 The Moral stage –personal – autonomous, altruistic, rational, independent and responsible
considerations.
Kohlberg`s Stages of Moral Development

 Moral development refers to the “ process through which a human person, gains his/her
beliefs , skills and dispositions that makes him/her a morally mature person”. Kohlberg
(2013) describes the stages of moral development in 3 stages ; level 1 – pre conventional
morality, level 2 – conventional morality, and level 3 – post- conventional morality. Each
level has stages each so that there are six stages of moral development.
Level 1 Pre- conventional morality

 This is the lowest level of moral development in Kohlberg`s theory. At the pre-
conventional level children don’t have personal code of morality. Instead, their moral code
is controlled by the standards of adults and the consequences of following or breaking
adults rules. Authority is outside the individual and reasoning is based on the physical
consequences of actions.
. Stage 1. Obedience and punishment orientation – the child/individual does good in order
to avoid being punished. If he /she is punished, he/she must have done wrong. Children obey
because adults tell them to obey. Moral decisions are based on fear of punishment.
. Stage 2. Instrumental orientation- right behavior is defined by whatever the individual
believes to be in his/her best interest. In this stage there is limited interest in the needs of
others, only to the point where it might further the individual `s own interests. It is a matter of
“ you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours “ mentality.
 Level 2: Conventional
 Throughout the conventional level, a child's sense of morality is tied to personal and societal relationships.
Children continue to accept the rules of authority figures, but this is now due to their belief that this is
necessary to ensure positive relationships and societal order. Adherence to rules appropriateness or fairness
is seldom questioned.
. Stage 3.” Good boy, Nice girl “ orientation
in stage 3, children want the approval of others and act in ways to avoid disapproval. Emphasis is placed on
good behavior and people being a “nice” to others. The individual is good n order to be seen as being a good
person by others. The individual values caring and loyalty to others as a basis for moral judgements.
. Stage 4. Law and Order orientation. The child/individual becomes aware of the wider rules of society, so
judgements concern obeying the rules in order to uphold the law and to avoid guilt.
 Level 3 – Post – conventional Morality

 This is the level of full internalization. Morality is completely internalized and not based on external
standards. Individual judgement is based on self- chosen principles and moral reasoning is based on
individual rights and justice.

. Stage 5. Social contract orientation – the child/individual becomes aware that while rules/law might
exist for the good of the greatest number, there are times when they will work against the interest of
particular individuals. In this level, individuals reason out that values, rights and principles transcend the
law.

. Stage 6. Universal, ethical, principle orientation. Individuals stage have developed their own set of
moral guidelines which may or may not fit the law. They have developed moral judgements that are based
on universal human rights. The principles apply to everyone.
e.g. human rights, justice and equality. The person will be prepared to act to defend these principles even if
it means going against the rest of society in the process and having to pay the consequences of dis
approval and or imprisonment. When faced with a dilemma between law and conscience, the person
follows his conscience.
 Development of conscience – based moral
decision
 Moral development includes development of conscience – based moral decision. This is the post conventional
level of Kohlberg`s stages of moral development. Panizo defines conscience as “ an act of the practical judgement
of reason deciding upon an individual action as good and to be performed and evil and to be avoided.”

 The formation of conscience

…. First, conscience formation begins with the deep – seated decision to seek moral truth. One adopts, as away
of life, the habit of seeking out answer to questions about right and wrong, persevering in that quest until one arrives
at a state of moral certainty, after having made the most reasonable effort possible to arrive at those answer. Second,
a sound conscience must stand on the firm foundation of integrity, sincerity and forthrightness. Duplicity,
personal inconsistency and dishonest undermine any hope of forming a properly functioning conscience. Third,
conscience formation is sustained by the habit of consistently educating oneself by exposure to objective moral
norms and the rationale behind those norms.
 Conscience needs a guide …. The church `s moral teaching, while certainly enlightened by divinely revealed law, is,
at its core, the application of what this tradition has discovered over the centuries about the kinds of behavior that lead
us to live genuinely, fulfilling, human lives. You do not place yourself at odds with such a tradition lightly.
 Consequently, conscience formation requires a habit of on going self-formation ( what we call moral information
gathering) through study, reading, and other types of inquiry. This includes consultation with persons whose moral
judgement we know to be sound and in accord with the church`s moral tradition. Finally conscience, if it is to be
correct, needs the assistance of the virtue of prudence. By “prudence” we mean virtue as understood within the natural
law tradition. This should not be confused with timidity “ covering one`s back or dissimulation (hiding the truth).
Berg,2012.
 It may be added as clarified in Fr. Vitaliano Goropse (1974) that getting to the highest – level, conscience - based
moral decision can mean the widening human consciousness. It is a growth or development from family
consciousness to clan consciousness , community consciousness, town consciousness, provincial, regional, and
international or global consciousness. As one`s consciousness widens the moral parameters or standards of one`s
decision making widens, one`s moral conscience widens, one matures.