Chapter 2 – You are what you do
Freedom the amazing capacity to act
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Humans have the capacity to act – the question is … what is this capacity to act?
We as humans possess a power to do things that sets us apart from animals – Human
response is not automatic or predictable, but rather spontaneous and creative. We have the
capacity to make choices
 This freedom to choose exceeds anything that may be found in the response of
animals.
Human capacity = an agent (a person who acts freely and knowingly, who chooses to do or not
to do something; someone who is accountable for his/her actions or omissions) which is at
the heart of ethics.
Therefore, human action = different from animal or mechanical actions. Human actions
involve motives. Every action is done for a reason. Every Action involves intention.
Action Theory
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The philosophy that has given us an insight into this human capacity to do something is
analytic philosophy. It examines the language we use to communicate our action, and explores
what constitutes a meaningful action.
“I can do it” – Learning to drive a car – it takes effort and awareness
Human Actions
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Actions are the very fibre of what makes us humans.
Actions give us our identity which is constructed by what we think, say and do as well as by
what we undergo.
 Building blocks of who we are and become
It is a mistake to try to understand actions independently from the person who does them.
Actions are not events standing on their own
Freedom – is the human potential, the capacity, the power to act.
Action = the realization of power – using your freedom = changes events or even the world,
therefore, your actions are interventions in the world.
The focus in action theory and in ethics is not what is done, but on who it is done by.
for every action there is an agent which = capacity to effect a change – that is why human
action is at the heart of ethics as ethics examines your capacity as an individual to make
things happen in the world, in your relationships and even within yourself.
Our highest action = love
Conceptual framework of action
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To understand human action, action theory has devised what the philosopher Paul Ricoeur has
called a conceptual framework of action (provides a series of questions that help us to
understand the complexity of a human action)
 Who?
 What?
 Why?
 How?
 With Whom or against whom?
 Under what circumstance?
 With what outcome?
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This framework allows us to understand action indirectly, by asking these questions. The
meaning of an action shifts depending on the answers to the question… an action is good only
when it fulfills certain conditions – an action is not good of itself.
The morality of human acts depends on:
 The object chosen
 The end in view or the intention
 The circumstances of the action
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Who? The agent
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The “who” of action, the agent, is the person who makes things happen.
Each person has the capacity to act.
The human self is an intending self – a self that is able to intend to do things
When you act, you are saying that, of all the things you can do, you will do this rather than
that.
 This is what Catholic tradition calls free choice  an exercise, and a measure, of
freedom (you are responsible for what you do, and for what you intend to do)
We cannot undo the past, however, we do have the capacity to influence our future by what
we do in the present.
You are an agent when you intend something in the present that will change your future.
(example: I intend to go to university next year (commit yourself)
 Intending includes making a judgment without conditions (course selections, going to
speak to guidance, cost, etc…)
 By intending to do certain things you reshape who you are  as a result of your
promise, commitments and plans that you make today.
What? The action
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Along with the “who” ethics is about actions themselves  what the agent does.
Language expresses actions through verbs.
Our actions shape us – for example shoplifting will shape you in a different way then will
doing one’s homework
Ethics is about reflecting on intentional actions or meaningful actions
Ethical theory is not concerned with unintentional actions, reflexes, or involuntary bodily
movement – because they happen, rather than being freely and knowingly chosen.
Why? The motive
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We all have reasons for acting the way we do.
Motive  a reason for an action
In everything we choose to do, we are motivated by something.
The reasons for doing things are almost endless. They always appear as a good – even if they
are a good only to you.
When we give a motive we justify our action
We don’t always make a conscious decision, it is only afterwards that we become our motives
and the value the motive promoted – regardless of whether or not we are aware of what we
are doing there is a sense of good in our intentions.
Ethics enters into the picture when we begin to reflect on the values that are embedded in
our decisions and in our intentions – thus passing judgment on what we have done – “this is
good/bad”
Therefore in ethics we examine the values that make life human.
How with what means?
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How we carry out an action can also affect us as an agent thus revealing who we are
(example: if we are generous we are seen as a generous person)
The end does not justify the means – the means qualify the action.
Under what circumstance?
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The circumstance in which we do something also has an impact on our action – every action
has its aggravating (make worse) or mitigating (make less severe) circumstance.
The circumstance affects how much the action is ours – which in turn may reduce or increase
our responsibility
Circumstances must always be accounted for in evaluating our actions.
With or against whom?
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When we justify our actions by appealing to a motive we are seeking approval opposed to
disapproval of someone, thus we learn to evaluate our actions by evaluating the actions of
others.
Praise or blame is assigned in relation with others
Every action is also an interaction – we act with others, for others, against others  and
how we act in each case will affect us differently (positive or negative)
With what outcome?
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Are we responsible for the outcome of our actions?
 The outcome of our actions (intended or not) clearly affects the self for good or for bad.