Contraception The Dissent

Slide 1: 

1993

Revisionism : 

Revisionism Also called Proportionalism, Consequentialism, and “Dissent” Has reigned among Catholic Moral Theologians since the mid 1960’s Fundamental 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

Slide 3: 

Mark Lowery Aurelio Fernandez James Socías

Principle of Double Effect : 

Principle of Double Effect The act itself must be morally good or at least indifferent. The agent may not directly will the bad effect. The good effect must be produced directly by the action, not by the bad effect. The good effect must be proportionate to the bad effect.

Reasons for Revisionism : 

Reasons for Revisionism Understands consequences to define actions: e.g., taking property is right when consequences are good Understands intentions 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 : 

Revisionist Moral Evaluation Intending Good Exterior Consequences Intending Evil Exterior Consequences Is there any concern with effect on character?

Intrinsic Evil for Magisterium : 

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 Magisterium and Revisionists : 

Differences between Magisterium and Revisionists 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 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 : 

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?)

Difficulties with Revisionism : 

Difficulties with Revisionism They are assessing incommensurate goods It is impossible to evaluate consequences; they are infinite Focus on consequences

Consequences of Contraception : 

Consequences of Contraception 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 or Totality : 

Proportionate Consequences or 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”

Historicity : 

Historicity There is a transcendent human nature There are fundamental human goods Has 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/Physicalism : 

Biologism/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”

The Four Causes of a Tomato Seed : 

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 a Tomato Seed

Aristotle’s Four Causes : 

Responses to Demand: Explain X to me! What is X?: Formal Cause (e.g., it’s a piece of furniture for sitting on) What is X made of?: Material Cause (e.g., wood, or metal, or plastic) What is X for?: Final Cause (it is an object worthy of being sat upon) What is X’s source? Efficient Cause (Frank Lloyd Wright or Joe the carpenter) Aristotle’s Four Causes X

Formal Cause : 

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 Formal Cause

Final Cause : 

Final Cause 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 Moral Act : 

The Four Causes of the Moral Act 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 girlfriend

The Object/Matter of the Act:What is Done : 

The Object/Matter of the Act:What is Done Putting a knife into a person’s chest This is the Natural/material Object: it is morally neutral

The Formal Cause: the natural/material object witha specifying feature : 

The Formal Cause: the natural/material object witha specifying feature The natural/material object: putting a knife into a chest Plus the specifying feature To do heart surgery: Healing To kill an innocent person: Murder This is now the Moral Object: it is either Good or Evil

Good Actions Make us Happy : 

Good Actions Make us Happy Because I am faithful to my wife, she and the children love me!

Bad Actions Make us Unhappy : 

Bad Actions Make us Unhappy 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 Privation of the Good : 

Evil is a Privation of the Good Good as fullness of being Good as properly ordered A messy room, Shame! A 3-legged dog, Yikes!

Magisterial Moral Evaluation of Acts as Kinds : 

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

The Moral Actas Kind of Act, belonging to a Species of Virtue or Vice : 

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) Some are intrinsically evil; e.g., acts of injustice; e.g., theft 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

The Intrinsic Evil of Theft(the object) : 

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 Parts of the Moral Act : 

The Object: What is Actually Done The End/Intention: The Reason Why The Circumstances When How (by what means) Who Where In what manner The Parts of the Moral Act

The Particular Moral Act : 

The Particular Moral Act Interior Act: thinking of doing something Exterior Act: actually doing something

The Interior Act:the end : 

The Interior Act:the end So what are you going to do? I want to impress my girlfriend morally neutral

The Interior Act:the end and the object (as considered) : 

The Interior Act:the end and the object (as considered) How and when are you going to do that? Guilty of an sinful intention I am going to steal a DVD player I want to impress my girlfriend Morally neutral end because Theft: intrinsically evil means

The Interior Act:the object (as considered)and the end and circumstances : 

The Interior Act:the object (as considered)and the end and circumstances 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 : 

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 : 

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 : 

The Effect of Different Intentions This act is an evil act no matter what the intention I am stealing this DVD player I want to impress 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 Morally evil end Morally good end

The Effect of Different Circumstances : 

The Effect of Different Circumstances I want to help my girlfriend pay for college because I am stealing this DVD player This act is an evil act no matter what the circumstances Morally good end Theft: intrinsically evil means How: in disguise at night morally negligible Who: from someone who needs and wants it Who: from someone who doesn’t need or want it increases the evil of the action decreases the evil of the action

Malum or Culpa? : 

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 Evil Sin

Good Acts are Ordered to Man’s End : 

Good Acts are Ordered to Man’s End Yesss!!! I did good acts so I am going to Heaven

Bad Acts are Not Ordered to the Good : 

Bad Acts are Not Ordered to the Good I committed adultery, theft, murder and will be joining the damned

Those carrying the Baggage of Sin cannot enter the Pearly Gate : 

Those carrying the Baggage of Sin cannot enter the Pearly Gate Gate of Heaven 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!