1993
Jan 01, 2016
1993
RevisionismRevisionismAlso called Proportionalism,
Consequentialism, and “Dissent”Has reigned among Catholic Moral
Theologians since the mid 1960’sFundamental principle: there are
no intrinsically evil actions; no actions are evil in themselves; acts must be judged by proportion of evil consequences to good consequences
Mark Lowery Aurelio Fernandez
James Socías
Principle of Double EffectPrinciple of Double Effect
The act itself must be The act itself must be morally morally goodgood or at least or at least indifferentindifferent. .
The agent may not The agent may not directly willdirectly will the bad effect. the bad effect.
The good effect must be The good effect must be produced produced directlydirectly by the action, by the action, not by the bad effect. not by the bad effect.
The good effect must be The good effect must be proportionateproportionate to the bad effect. to the bad effect.
ReasonsReasons for Revisionism for Revisionism
Understands consequencesconsequences to define actions: e.g., taking property is right when consequences are good
Understands intentionsintentions to define actions: e.g., having sexual intercourse with non-spouse to escape Nazis is moral
Cont.Cont.
Understands world to be changing: e.g., usury was once wrong but no longer is; slavery was once approved
Claims Church’s reference to nature is biologistic/physicalistic: e.g., emphasis on procreation equates human sex with animal sex
Revisionist Moral Evaluation
Intending Good ExteriorConsequences
Intending Good ExteriorConsequences
IntendingEvil Exterior
Consequences
IntendingEvil Exterior
Consequences
Is there any concern with effect on character?
Is there any concern with effect on character?
Intrinsic Evil for Magisterium
Once a specifying feature is present in the description of an action that makes that action seriously disordered; i.e., not in accord with right reason; i.e., fundamentally opposed to the human good; i.e., not in accord with human dignity, that action can NEVER be done morally – it is intrinsically evil
Differences between Differences between MagisteriumMagisterium
and and RevisionistsRevisionists
No matter what the consequences!
No matter what the consequences!
Revisionists hold: Having sexual
intercourse with a non-spouse is a premoral evil or disvalue and becomes Morally Evil and thus
Adultery if More Evil than
Good results from the action
Morally Good if: More Good than Evil results from the action
Morally Good if: More Good than Evil results from the action
The Magisterium holds: Adultery (i.e., having
sexual intercourse with a non-spouse) is Intrinsically Evil, i.e., Unnatural, Vicious, not in accord with Right Reason Act of Intemperance Injustice to Spouse Injustice to Children
(present and future)
No Intrinsic Evil for Revisionists
Having sex with a non-spouse (pre-moral evil)For selfish pleasure (immoral)
Improves mistress’ self-esteem (moral?)She becomes a predator of
wealthy men (immoral?)She uses her money to help the poor (moral?)
DifficultiesDifficulties with with RevisionismRevisionism
They are assessing incommensurate goods
It is impossible to evaluate consequences; they are infinite
Focus on consequencesFocus on consequences
ConsequencesConsequences of of ContraceptionContraception
Promiscuity Abortion Unwed Pregnancy STDs Health Divorce Poverty
Control of Fertility Slows transmission
of some STD’s Some permit more
spontaneous sexual life
Proportionate Consequences Proportionate Consequences or Totalityor Totality
Intermediate as well as remote intentions count
Morality assesses individual acts not conglomerates
“As long as the whole of the marriage is open to children, each individual act does not need to be
open”
HistoricityHistoricity
There is a transcendent human natureThere are fundamental human goodsHas the Church changed any teaching
taught with the constancy and fervency of the teaching on contraception?
The Magisterium teaches it ever more fervently and deeply
“The teaching was appropriate for certain periods of history, but no longer applies”
“The Church has changed its teaching on some issues.”
Biologism/PhysicalismBiologism/Physicalism
Against “nature” means against “human/rational” nature
Human procreation involves the spirit The new life has an immortal soul The physical act is an expression of spiritual
realities There is no objection to contracepting
animals
“The Church’s teaching on contraception puts too much emphasis on the biological process of reproduction”
What is that you are planting? (Formal)A seed that is destined to
become a tomato plant What is it made of?
Tomato DNA (Material) What is it for? (Final)
To provide food What was its source? (Efficient)
A tomato from last year
The Four Causes of The Four Causes of a Tomato Seeda Tomato Seed
Responses to Demand:Explain X to me!
1. What is X?: Formal Cause (e.g., it’s a piece of furniture for sitting on)
2. What is X made of?: Material Cause (e.g., wood, or metal, or plastic)
3. What is X for?: Final Cause (it is an object worthy of being sat upon)
4. What is X’s source? Efficient Cause (Frank Lloyd Wright or Joe the carpenter)
Aristotle’s Four Aristotle’s Four CausesCauses
X
The essence of something: the kind of thing it is; its species; its quiddity X belongs in a species because it possesses a certain actuality and certain potencies A tomato seed possesses the essence of a tomato A tomato seed (already actually in the tomato species) has the potency to become a tomato plant producing tomatoes
FormalFormal Cause Cause
FinalFinal CauseCause
The full actualization of X X actually fulfilling the end or
purpose to which it is by nature destined
The tomato seed is by nature directed towards producing a full tomato plant that produces tomatoes: it achieves its purpose when the tomatoes it produced are eaten
The Four Causes of the The Four Causes of the Moral ActAct
Matter: Object (the natural/material object) Taking the DVD player (morally
neutral) Form: Object plus a specifying
feature (the moral object) Taking the DVD player that belongs
to someone else (theft) Final: Intention
Seducing his girlfriend (morally wrong)
Efficient: Agent The Thief (an unjust person)
I want to seduce
my girlfrien
d
The The Object/MatterObject/Matter of the of the Act:Act:
WhatWhat is Done is DonePutting a knife into a person’s chest
This is the Natural/material Object: it is morally neutral
The Formal Cause: the natural/material object with
a specifying featureThe natural/material object: putting
a knife into a chest Plus the specifying feature
To do heart surgery: HealingTo kill an innocent person: Murder
This is now the Moral Object: it is either Good or Evil
Good Actions Make us Good Actions Make us HappyHappy
Because I am faithful to my wife,
she and the
children love me!
Because I am faithful to my wife,
she and the
children love me!
Bad Actions Make us Bad Actions Make us UnhappyUnhappy
Since I was unfaithful to my
wife, she left me, the kids are very hurt and lost, my
friends are disappointed in
me and I am doing badly at work
Since I was unfaithful to my
wife, she left me, the kids are very hurt and lost, my
friends are disappointed in
me and I am doing badly at work
Evil is a Evil is a PrivationPrivation of the of the GoodGood
Good as Good as fullnessfullness of beingof being
Good as properly Good as properly orderedordered
A messy room,
Shame!
A messy room,
Shame!
A 3-legged dog, Yikes!
A 3-legged dog, Yikes!
Magisterial Moral Evaluation of
Acts as Kinds Morally Good
Actions are In accord with Man’s
nature In accord with Reason
(right order) Virtuous In accord with God’s Will Loving In accord with human
dignity
and therefore Beneficial
Morally Evil Actions are Violations of Man’s
Nature Not in accord with
Reason Vicious Violatations of God’s
Will Unloving In violation of human
dignity
and therefore Harmful
1. Some actions are always good as kinds: acts of generosity; e.g., almsgiving (though because of a bad intention or bad circumstances the whole particular action can be evil)
2. Some are intrinsically evil; e.g., acts of injustice; e.g., theft
3. Some are morally neutral; e.g., picking up a leaf (the intention or circumstances place them in a species of virtue or vice)
The Moral Actas Kind of Act, belonging to a
Species of Virtue or Vice
Man by his nature needs property to survive Man by nature is a social animal
Society cannot exist without justice (a virtue) Unjust acts are unnatural;
They violate man’s ability to survive They violate man’s social nature
The thief violates the good of society by stealing and thus harms his own well-being and the well-being of others
Therefore, theft is disordered, unnatural, vicious, unloving, against God’s will, beneath man’s dignity
The Intrinsic Evil of Theft(the object)
The Object: What is Actually DoneThe End/Intention: The Reason
WhyThe Circumstances
WhenHow (by what means)WhoWhereIn what manner
The Parts of the Moral Act
The Particular Moral Act
Interior Act: thinking of doing something
Exterior Act: actually doing something
The Interior Act:the end
So what are you going to do?
I want to impress
my girlfriend
morally neutral
The Interior Act:The Interior Act:the end and the the end and the objectobject (as (as
considered)considered)
How and when are you going to do that?
Guilty of an sinful intention
I am going to steal a
DVDplayer
I want to impress
my girlfriend
Morally neutral end
because
Theft: intrinsically evil means
The Interior Act:The Interior Act:the object (as considered)the object (as considered)
and the end and and the end and circumstancescircumstances
Guilty of an evil intention
So are you going to do it?
I want to impress
my girlfriend
Morally neutral end
In a disguise, at night
Morally negligible
I am going to steal a
DVD player
because
Theft: intrinsically evil means
The Particular Exterior Act:the object and
the circumstances and the end
I stole the DVD player!At night, in disguise
So I could impress my girlfriend
The Whole Act: The Interior Act and the Exterior
Act
Guilty of an sinful intention
A Sinful Action
Exterior Act
I am going to steal a
DVD player
I want to impress
my girlfriend
because
Morally neutral
In a disguise, at night
Morally negligible
Theft: intrinsically evil means
Interior Act
The Effect of Different Intentions
This act is an evil act no matter what the intention
I am stealing this DVD player
I am stealing this DVD player
I want to impress
my girlfriend
I want to impress
my girlfriend
I want to seduce
my girlfriend
I want to seduce
my girlfriend
because
Theft: intrinsically evil means
Morally neutral end
I want to pay my
girlfriend’s college tuition
I want to pay my
girlfriend’s college tuition
Morally evil end
Morally good end
The Effect of Different Circumstances
I want to helpmy girlfriend
pay for college
because
I am stealing this DVDplayer
This act is an evil act no matter what the circumstances
Morally good end
Theft: intrinsically evil means
How: in disguise at night morally morally
negligiblenegligible
Who: from someone who needs and wants it
Who: from someone who doesn’t need or want it
increases the evil of the actionincreases the evil of the action
decreases the evil of the actiondecreases the evil of the action
Malum or Culpa?
An act is Malum as a kind which: Violates Man’s
Nature Not in accord with
Reason Vicious Violate God’s Will Unloving In violation of human
dignity
A particular act is a culpa when:The agent:
Knows it is malum
Chooses it freely
Objective EvilObjective Evil SinSin
Good Acts are Good Acts are OrderedOrdered to to Man’s EndMan’s End
Yesss!!!I did good
actsso I am going to Heaven
Yesss!!!I did good
actsso I am going to Heaven
Bad Acts are Bad Acts are Not OrderedNot Ordered to the Goodto the Good
I committed adultery,
theft, murder and
will be joining the
damned
I committed adultery,
theft, murder and
will be joining the
damned
Those carrying the Baggage of Sin cannot enter the
Pearly Gate
Darn, Who knew the
gate would be so
narrow! I don’t want to put down
the pornography
I am carrying, though!
Darn, Who knew the
gate would be so
narrow! I don’t want to put down
the pornography
I am carrying, though!
goodness
Sins are baggage!