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!