? Shades of Gray (Prudence)

8/12/2019 ? Shades of Gray (Prudence)

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Essential QuestionHow can we know right from wrong?


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judges the moral quality of an action,represents the human persons capacityto become aware of the moral goodnessor values at stake in his or her

prospective actions

CONSCIENCE


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CONSCIENCEIt recognizes the moral goodness or value,which rests upon an objective moral truth.

It converts this recognition (or judgment)into a duty.

It surrenders the will to the truth about thegood.


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Essential QuestionHow reliable is our conscience?


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CONSCIENCEdoes not create its own law.

Deep within his conscience, man discovers a lawwhich he has not laid upon himself, but which hemust obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and do

what is good, tells him inwardly at the right moment:do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a lawinscribed by God. (CCC1776, GS16)


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CONSCIENCEIs conscience the finalcriterion for sin?


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CONSCIENCEis not the final criterion of sin!To believe that consciencedetermines what is sin or not is

to neglect the moral truthsrevealed by God.

is subjective judgment that is

in line with the objective good.conscience actually overcomessubjectivity because it brings us intodirect contact with the moral truths

revealed by God


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MORALITYobjective norm or moralityrefers to the moral laws;laws that God has set

as guide in our journey to bethe persons we ought to be.

subjective norm of morality

refers to our conscience; ultimatesubjective norm for discerning moral

good and evil with the feeling of beingbound to follow its directives.


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CONSCIENCEWhy can we rely on ourconscience?


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CONSCIENCEdignity of consciencelies precisely in its ability to discern theseunchangeable and objective norms of

morality so that particular actions willconform to those norms.

can be very limited

due to our moral development, itsknowledge of what is right and wrong

can be distorted


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CONSCIENCEConscience is important to us because it verifies us a

persons. It helps us become people of God. It standsas our personal judge to our moral conduct. Hence,conscience must be followed for it is the key thatmakes moral life possible. It is exactly how we know

what the good is in specific moral cases, and itbeckons us to always know the good.


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Moral Decision-Makinga matter of listening to our conscience


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A health and sanitation inspector, employed

by his local government unit to ensure that

restaurants, cafeterias, etc. are sanitary,eats lunch at one of the restaurants that he

inspects on a regular basis. The owner of

the restaurant offers to pay for the worker's

lunch. Supposing the law does not prohibitit, should he accept?


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Samuel is a typical high school student. He goes to school in the

morning, goes home in the afternoon, plays computer games beforedoing his assignment. One afternoon, he sees his friends smilingand laughing as they pass around a USB drive. They seem to becopying some files. When he asked his friend what theyre doing,

they told Samuel to keep quiet. They told him just to copy it andwatch at home in his own room, with doors locked. All of themlaughed, and Samuel seemed to get the drift. Later, in the afternoon,Samuel approached one of his friends, then said, I cant do it.Nakokonsensiya ako. My parents might see me watching this. Patay

ako. His friend replied, Conscience? Wala yan. Besides, its just aone time deal. And, according to some research, watching thatwould actually help with your blood circulation.


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What if the optionsare all good?

In complex situations,where we have to choose between

good but conflicting values,how do we choose?

How can one know the right thing todo in a complex moral situation?


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WRONGRIGHT


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WRONGRIGHT


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Essential QuestionHow does a Christian discern and make moraldecisions in situations where theres a ton ofuncertainty that makes us not trust our decision-making skills and competencies?

How do we navigate through uncertainties?


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PRUDENCE


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PRUDENCETHE VIRTUE OF WISE JUDGEMENT


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JOHN 8:2-11


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JOHN 8:2-11

In what sense was Jesus decision in this gospel

episode a smart decision or a prudent decision?Explain three characteristics of Wise Judgment inrelation with Jesuss actions in the given gospelepisode.

REFERENCES:

1. Prudence or Smart Living (http://www.xvr.in/JFb)2. Commentary on Jn 8:2-11 (http://www.xvr.in/KFb)


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THREE ASPECTS of PRUDENCE

COUNSEL / Deliberation to beable to see reality clearly.

JUDGING WISELY / Judging orfiguring out the good.

DECISIVENESS / Putting thedecision to action - execution.


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What realities didJesus see?


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the punishment istoo severe

the woman is treated

unjustly because sheis a woman

that the Scribes andPharisees are trying to trap

him in saying somethingagainst the law of Moses.


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How can He save herfrom death and fromher sin, and stillconfront the scribesand the Pharisees withtheir own hypocrisy ?


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It was the right answer inevery way - the

mostappropriate, bestmeans available to

achieve the good.


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How did Jesus showdecisiveness in puttinghis understanding intoaction?


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Jesus, keeping in mind the need of the Pharisees,did not just call on the witnesses of the womansadultery, but called on anyone who is without sinto carry out the sentence. In doing this hechallenged the womans accusers and unmasked

their hypocrisy, thereby addressing their spiritualneeds at that very moment. In the midst of thattricky situation, Jesus saw what he needed to do.It was theRIGHT ANSWERin every way, the most

appropriate and the best means available toachieve the good.


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PRUDENCEIt is the ability to look a concrete situation

and know what ought to be done.


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OUGHT

RIGHT MUST


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PRUDENCEIt is the ability to look a concrete situation

and know what ought to be done.


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PRUDENCEIt is the ability to make right judgements.


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PRUDENCEIt gives us the knowledge of whatmust

be done, whenit must be done, and

howit must be done.


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PRUDENCEIt gives us the knowledge of whatmust

be done, whenit must be done, and

howit must be done.


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PRUDENCEIt is not timidity, an avoidance of danger,

cowardice, lack of initiative, self-

preservation.


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PRUDENCEDELIBERATION

JUDGMENTEXECUTION


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DELIBERATIONThis is the stage where we gather all

the relevant information, starting with a

consideration of moral principles. Thisincludes an awareness and

acceptance of the authoritative

teaching of the Church's Magisterium.


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DELIBERATIONToday, married couples, government

officials, and even moral theorists

never seem to be able to agree aboutthe right thing to do in any situation.

This is because they base their

decisions on feelings and preferences,

not on truth.


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DELIBERATIONFailure to deliberate is called rashness

or thoughtlessness. This is when

someone just rushes headlong intoeverything, without ever taking a

moment to think it over.


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JUDGMENTAfter deliberating, we must weigh all

the evidence fairly, and then figure out

the best course of action. Judgmentseparates the relevant information

from the irrelevant information, and

then applies it to the problem at hand.


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JUDGMENTYou can't just think about something

forever; you have to come to some

sort of conclusion. Failure to make ajudgment is called indecision.


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JUDGMENTCircumstances often influence what

we should or should not do in a moral

situation. An assessment of onescircumstances contributes to the

greater clarity of the moral choices

involved.


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EXECUTIONOnce we judge the right thing to do,

we have got to act! If you figure out

the proper action, but then fail toperform it, what's the benefit?


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EXECUTIONYou do not have the virtue of

prudence until you actually do what

you have judged to be right. Failure tocarry out what you believe to be the

proper decision is called

irresoluteness.


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PRUDENCEthe ability to make decisions,

according to a well-formed conscience,and

the willingness to carry out these decisions.


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What if all options are good?

In complex situations, wherein we haveto choose between two equally good

but conflicting values, how do choose?How can one know the right thingto do in a complex moral situation?

What does it take to be prudent/wisein our decisions?


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The Starving ChildSuppose you found a child starving,next to a rich mans mansion. Beingpoor yourself, you have nothing tooffer of your own, but you see plenty

of food out on tables leftovers froma banquet the wealthy man and hisfriends just finished. Its made clearthat youre not welcome to it, that it willbe considered theft if you take any

food. But there is the child on thebrink of death from starvation so doyou steal the food or not?


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SEEING REALITY CLEARLY

What are the facts of the situation?What are the moral rules involved in the situation?What are the conflicting moral values?

The

StarvingChild

How would morally thinking persons most likelyvalue or decide in such a situation?

JUDGING WISELY

What are possible ways to respond to thesituation? Give 2.

DECISIVENESSWhat is the good that ought to be done in thegiven situation?


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CONDITIONSFORPRUDENTIALJUDGMENT


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CONDITIONSFOR

PRUDENTIALJUDGMENT

Protection of the highervalue over the lowervalue, or that the valuethat must be protectedis at least equal to the

value to be sacrificed.

HIGHERVALUE


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CONDITIONSFOR

PRUDENTIALJUDGMENT

HIGHER VALUE

LOWER VALUE

LIFE > PROPERTY

LIVING IN DIGNITY >RIGHT TO PROFIT

WELFARE OF COMMUNITY >WELFARE OF INDIVIDUAL

FAITH IN GOD &INTEGRITY OF CONSCIENCE >PRESTIGE, HONOR & WEALTH

LIFE OF ONE IN SELF-DEFENSE >LIFE OF THE ONE WHO HARMS


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CONDITIONSFOR

PRUDENTIALJUDGMENT

If harm is inevitable, one

will have to choose thatwhich will bring theleast possible harm inthe immediate present

and in the long run.


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CONDITIONSFOR

PRUDENTIALJUDGMENT

Ensure that the higher

value sought should notbe compromised ordestroyed by the verymeans used to protect

it.


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The Starving ChildSuppose you found a child starving,next to a rich mans mansion. Beingpoor yourself, you have nothing tooffer of your own, but you see plenty

of food out on tables leftovers froma banquet the wealthy man and hisfriends just finished. Its made clearthat youre not welcome to it, that it willbe considered theft if you take any

food. But there is the child on thebrink of death from starvation so doyou steal the food or not?


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What are the facts of the situation?What are the moral rules involved in the situation?What are the conflicting moral values?

The

StarvingChild

How would morally thinking persons most likelyvalue or decide in such a situation?

JUDGING WISELY

What are possible ways to respond to thesituation? Give 2.

DECISIVENESSWhat is the good that ought to be done in thegiven situation?



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The

StarvingChild

JUDGING WISELY

DECISIVENESS

Subject these options to the conditions ofprudential judgment. Which option fulfills the

conditions of prudential judgment?


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Life SupportA certain family has a relative who is suffering from a very seriousdisease, which requires operation. Apparently, all that the operationcan do in the end is keep him alive on a life support, barelyconscious and unable to talk. The doctor told the family that to keephim in that state would cost them a huge amount of money. The

familys finances are constrained: if the family decides to keep theirmember on a life support, that would mean using the budget for theirbasic needs (food, education of the children, etc.). It could happenthat in 3-months time, they would not have money to supporteveryone.

In this situation, what should the familydo? Should they pull the plug and allottheir money for the needs of the family,

or should they keep him alive on lifesupport and sacrifice the well-being ofthe other members of the family?


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What would be the most

prudent thing to do in thesituation?

Why do you say so?

What are the two options available for the family?

LifeSupport

What are the moral rules involved in the givensituation?

What are the conflicting values at stake?


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MAGISTERIUMThe key principle isthat one does notwill to cause death.


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MAGISTERIUM

When a person has an underlying terminal disease...cannot work without mechanical assistance...

Catechism of theCatholic Church2278


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MAGISTERIUM

then not using that machine or that therapy results in

the person dying from the disease or organ failure



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MAGISTERIUMThe omission allows nature to takes its course. It does not

directly kill the person, even though it may contribute to theperson dying earlier than if aggressive treatment had beendone.



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PRUDENCEThe virtue that gives us

power to discern not only

the good that ought to bedone but also the rightmeans of achieving thegood. It guides us in ourmoral life by setting the

rule and measure.

CCC 1806

This power is needed inorder for us to live knowingwhat to do and proceed aspersons in community. It is

as a power is our abilityboth to act and to receive.Act stresses our nature a

moral agents; receiveshows we are attentive

persons, capable oflistening, waiting, seeing,

imagining andcontemplating.

CFC 981


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While driving in a dark road, where vision is aided byjust your headlights, you see a man-shaped overcoatin the street which may be a tramp or a dog. What willyou do?

Will you proceed? What does it mean and entail tobe prudent in each situation?


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While driving in a dark road, where vision is aided by

just your headlights, you see a man-shaped overcoatin the street which may be a tramp or a dog. What willyou do?

It is NOT a person, andyou know that. It is a person, and youknow that.

It is a person and we donot know that.

It is not a person, and wedo not know that.


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It is NOT a person, and

you know that.

It is a person, and youknow that.



Go ahead and drive.

It is not murder. You do nowrong.


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you know that.




Stop.

The Road of Reason shouldtell you to come to a full stop.

It is wrong to proceed onyour way. Otherwise, youbring an undeserved deathto that person.


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you know that.




Stop and try to know.

Take the Road of Suspicion.

It is safer and better toassume that it is a person. Ifyou drive right through theimage, you commitmanslaughter. You kill an

innocent person withoutknowing or intending the fullextent of murder.


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you know that.




Proceed with Caution.

Take the Road of Caution.

Even if your driving throughthe image is destroying whatis not in fact a person, butyou are not sure, we commitnegligence. Negligence is

naturally and spontaneouslycondemned by allreasonable individuals. It isbetter to avoid the danger ofcommitting a mistake.

THREE ROADS


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THREEROADS

leads you tothe truths andthe values thatare involved inthe issue orproblem

ROAD ofREASON

leads you tosuspect orbe attentive toother factorsinvolved in the

case

ROAD ofSUSPICION

leads you toassume an

action is

wrong whenunsurewhether or not

it is wrong

ROAD of

CAUTION

Documents

? Shades of Gray (Prudence)