THE NORM OF

MORALITY
MS. FRITZ O. BASSI
 NORMS OF MORALITY
 INTRODUCTION
 since childhood, we learn early the

difference between good and bad

 It could then be said that everybody has

a natural inclination towards morality =

Even in primitive society, morality plays
an essential role in the form of things
allowed and prohibited
 Morality then is a universal phenomenon;

manifested in every person in every

society
NORMS
 in general, they are considered as standard of

measurement
 it is an instrument through which the quality

or quantity of a thing is determined

NORMS OF MORALITY
 - are the standards that indicate the

rightfulness or wrongfulness, goodness or

evilness, value or disvalue of a thing
 - these are qualities that cannot be measured

by any mechanical device because they are

spiritual qualities that appeal only to reason
  
 - norms of morality “criteria of judgment
about the sorts of person we ought to be and
the sorts of action we ought to perform.”
 Criteria - a set of principles from which we

may deduce a conclusion.

 Morality therefore, consists in the relation of

a thing or action with the norm (conformity or

non-conformity). It can then be defined as
the quality of things manifesting their
conformity or non-conformity with the norm
or criteria. That which conforms = good; that
which do not = evil or immoral
I. OBJECTIVE NORM OF MORALITY = LAW
LAW
 an ordinance of reason promulgated for the

common good by one who has charge of the

society
 ORDINANCE OF REASON
 rational deliberations intended to guide men

towards what is good for them and for the

society
 it should not be arbitrary or whimsical but

that which order and direct human acts

toward their ultimate end/Ultimate Good
|
PROMULGATED
 made known to the people who are bound to

observe them
 the public must be made aware of what is

expected of them; law binds the subject until it

is repealed by the lawful public authority
 it is promulgated in a society = presupposes a

community
FOR THE COMMON GOOD
 its objective purpose of the Laws is the
attainment of the common good
 it is made not to fulfill the lawmakers’ personal
interests but for the good of all
 a law is not meant to impose hardships or
needless restrictions
True Law
 tends to make men good, liberate them from

perverse and mistaken judgments so as to lead

them to their ultimate end
BY ONE WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE SOCIETY
 a law can only be valid if they are the
legitimate exercise of authority
 only those who have the power and
responsibility to govern have the power to
enact law
 lawful authority – implies lawful assumption of
power and credibility
 Author of the Law: legislator, lawgiver
LAWS = they are necessary to man. They
regulate human activity
 without laws, the best intention will be

thwarted either by oneself or by others,

anarchy and chaos will reign because each
one will act according to one’s wishes without
regard for the good of others or for the
common good
 without laws = man will not find his ultimate

purpose in life
 CLASSIFICATION OF LAWS

ACCORDING TO IMMEDIATE AUTHOR

 a) Divine (Positive) Laws
 those promulgated, or made known to us

by special command of God

 they are explicit demands of our essential

tendencies as rational beings

 - they direct man towards his proper end
 Ex. Decalogue
 b) Human (Positive) Laws
 promulgated by a legitimate human authority

= this authority resides either in the State or in

the Church
 they are intended to preserve peace and

harmony within a society and to direct each

member of that society to work towards the
common good.
b.1) Ecclesiastical Laws = enacted by the church
 embodied in the Canon Law

b.2) Civil Laws = enacted by the state

 embodied in the Constitution and Code of Civil

Laws
 ACCORDING TO DURATION
a) Temporal Laws = all human laws
b) Eternal Laws = God’s plan and providence
for the universe
ACCORDING TO MANNER OF PROMULGATION
a) Natural Laws
b) Positive Laws
 ACCORDING TO WHETHER THEY PRESCRIBE AN ACT
OR FORBID IT
a) Affirmative Laws
 those that require the performance of an act

b) Negative Laws
 those that require the omission of an act

ACCORDING TO THE EFFECT OF VIOLATION

 a) Moral
 fault or sin
 binds in conscience, that is, enforced by our

personal conviction about what ought to be

done as good or to be avoided as wrong
b) Penal
 subject liable to penalty but not inflicted with

sin
 binds by virtue of the penalty imposed, that

is, enforced by our fear of being caught and

punished
c) Mixed
 both fault and penalty

MORAL AND POLITICAL LAWS

 they are those derived from the natural law
 They direct man towards the higher values of

development as a human being; rational

being; a person.
 Therefore, Moral Laws are universal laws
binding all men alike; they regulate the mind,
heart and body of man insofar as he is a man.
 The so-called “natural moral laws” are those
that are written in the hearts of all men. They
are the inherent and essential tendencies of
human nature towards the good proper to it. 
 Political Laws, (simply referred to as human
positive laws) both civil and criminal laws, are
those enacted by men to guide their
actuations in society and in relation to one
another. They regulate man’s external actions.
Their objective is peace and order and material
prosperity. They presume moral laws.
II. CONSCIENCE (Subjective Norm of Morality)
 it is the proximate norm of morality |
 it is what confronts an action as good or bad

Function = to examine, judge and pass a

sentence on all moral actions
Etymology
 from latin “conscientia” which means “trial of

oneself” both in accusation and defense

Definition
 an act of practical judgment of reason

deciding upon an individual action as good

and to be performed or as evil to be avoided
Practical judgment
 it is an interference whose conclusion leads to

something practicable
 because its function is to “determine what

ought to be done in a given situation.” = after

the commission of an act, the conscience
assumes the role of approving or reproaching 
 it is also a practical judgment because it is an

interference leading to a practicable

conclusion = as an interferential reasoning, it
makes use of the principles of natural law.
Thus, the conscience is but an extension of
the Natural Law which guides man to seek the
good of his nature
 KINDS OF CONSCIENCE
1) CORRECT OR TRUE
 judges what is good as good and what is evil as

evil 
2) ERRONEOUS OR FALSE
 judges incorrectly that what is good is evil and

what is evil is good.  

Factor from which errors in conscience flows: 
 Mistake in inferential thinking (such as deriving a

wrong conclusion from a wrong principles)

 Ignorance of the Law
 Ignorance of the Fact and other circumstances

modifying human actions

 Ignorance of future consequences especially those

dependent on the freewill of others

Inculpable Conscience – error is not willfully
intended  
Culpable Conscience – if error is due to neglect
or malice 
Difference between them:
 the distinction between voluntary and
involuntary error
 culpable = voluntary
 inculpable = involuntary = honest mistake
3) CERTAIN
 subjective assurance of the lawfulness or lawlessness

of a certain act
 the person is sure of his/her decision

 it is possible however to be sure of something as god

when in fact it is just the opposite, and vice-versa

Theologians – believed that a certain conscience
should always be followed so as to preserve the
integrity of the human reason – to contradict is morally
guilty.
 4) DOUBTFUL
 a vacillating conscience, unable to form a definite

judgment on a certain action.

 it should be first allowed to settle its doubts before

resorting to action
5) SCRUPULOUS
 a rigorous conscience – extremely afraid of

committing evil
 meticulous and wants inconvertible proofs

before it acts
6) LAX
 one which refuses to be bothered about the

distinction of good and evil

 rushes on and is quick to justify itself
 having this kind of conscience, one follows

the impulse of “bahala na” attitude on matters

of morals
FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE
 It is our obligation to cultivate a clear and true

conscience = we can accomplish it: 

a) Studying and searching for truths in the laws and in
the sciences
b) Cultivation of good habits – this means that the
practical truths we discover must be internalized and
then externalized in actions
c) Militate against evil, condemning it where we find it
– not only turn our back on evil but to fight against it
 d) Developing proper use of freedom
Human Freedom – if it is true freedom in action, it is
not submission to the coercive pressure of external
force, but self-fulfillment through inner love of the
good in accordance with the pattern of divine holiness
which is the eternal law reflected in man’s own nature
 CONCLUSION
 Conscience = our exalted participation in the
eternal law of God because its function is to
reveal our likeness our likeness to God. It is
therefore, the voice of God within us.
 it is compulsory – because it operates within the
realm of truth and sound reason = only when it
impels us to act according to our rational
insights that it is truly the voice of God – but if
it deviates from the correct norm, it ceases to
be rational and no longer now the voice of God.
 As long as it operates according to sound
rational insight = it is infallible, it should then
be followed
 Conscience – insofar as it is the “voice of
God” - it assumes the authority of God. God
is the ultimate norm to which conscience
must conform to.