2. MAN AS SUBJECT OF CHRISTIAN
MORALITY
The most recent advances in science and technology, while
generally beneficial to humanity, have also brought on the
danger of people getting to depend so much on machines and to
behave like machines themselves. The worst scenario that can
help in the future is that machine might dominate humankind
itself (Maningas: 1998, p.3).
The church has been sincere in the intention of imparting
moral theology to our modern world. For this reason, she has
been opened to different methodologies and approaches in
teaching moral theology. Among these various methodologies
and approaches none so far has tried to focus on the significance
of knowing first the very nature of human beings before
educating the faithful in responding to God’s grace by a whole-
hearted yes to all the dimensions of life (NCDP, Art. 264).
3. CATHOLIC MORAL TEACHING ON
ULTIMATE END
Man does not act aimlessly. When he acts, it is because he enjoys the
action, or because he wants to achieve something by that action. Adan or Arthur
may play basketball because he wants to qualify for the varsity team.
What we call end is the purpose or goal of an act. It is that which completes
or finishes an act (Agapay: 1991, p.31). According to the Encarta 97, end is the
point in time when a action, event or phenomenon ceases or is completed, a
result and an outcome. In some definition, it is both termination and a goal. End
is that which completes or finishes a thing, and it is that for which the thing is
finished. By an end we mean the end of activity. We do not speak of end in the
sense of boundary, or edge, or a rim, or side of bodily objects, but as the
termination and a goal of activity. Every activity tends towards an end; and thus
every activity is a tendency (Glenn: 1968, 9.48).
4. THE END OF AN ACT
The end of the act is the natural termination of an
activity. The end of eating is nourishment; that of reading is
comprehension, that of basketball is scoring a goal, and
that of jogging is physical exercise.
The end of the doer is the personal purpose intended
by the person performing the act. He who eats aims to
satisfy his hunger; the reader to relax himself; the
basketball player, to win the game, and the jogger, to
maintain physical fitness. The end of the doer is called the
motive. The motive is the reason why a person performs an
act. It is the force that sustains the act and brings it to
completion (Glenn: 1968, p.52).
5. KINDS OF ENDS
The proximate end is the purpose which a doer wishes to
accomplish immediately by his section. The remote end is the
purpose which a doer wishes to accomplish in a series of acts. The
proximate end of eating is the satisfaction of hunger. Its remote
end is the promotion of health.
The ultimate end is the purpose which is desired for its own
sake and not because of something else. The intermediate end is
the purpose which is desired as a means for obtaining another
thing. The attainment of an ultimate end completes an act and
stops all further acts. The attainment of an intermediate end
leads either to another intermediate end or to an ultimate end.
6. END AS SOMETHING GOOD
Nothing excites the human appetite or
rational desire than that which is good. Because
something is good, it becomes the object of
desire and, therefore desirable. Actions are
tendencies towards something good. Thus, what
is good and desirable is also the end of the act.
The concept of end coincides with that of good.
Accordingly, Aristotle says that good means
either of these: good as an end in itself and good
as a means to another end.
7. THE GREATEST GOOD
In every activity, man seeks that which is good. The
greatest good is a matter of act. This is evident in our
concern for the best in everything: best friends, best
parents, best foods, best performance, best job and so
forth. In the language of the philosophers.
For Aristotle, the greatest good is happiness.
Happiness is what man aims to achieve in all his activities.
The ultimate purpose of life is the attainment of happiness.
Natural happiness is that which is attainable by man
through the use of his natural powers. Supernatural
happiness is that which is attainable by man through the
use of his natural powers as there are informed and aided
by God’s infusion of grace.
8. 3. Existentialist Ethics
Existentialism is another philosophy that has greatly influenced
contemporary thought. More than its doctrinal impact, this has greatly
penetrated the attitudinal level.
Existentialism considers the radical option for freedom as the
supreme norm of morality. This is because it focuses on the idea that
man has absolute freedom. In fact, for existentialists, the decision to be
free and to be morally sound is one and the same reality.
A man, with absolute freedom, should judge the values according
to their usefulness in particular situations. From the point of view of the
existentialists, this is the main value or norm a man should take. After
all, for them, values are not founded on God.
