The Fonts of Morality - Case Study Example

Morality Lesson 3 1 The fonts of morality The Fonts of Morality An act is either good or evil as is dictated by the fonts of morality. This includes intention, object, and circumstances. Whereas intention refers to the internal instinct connected to an action moral object is the result of an action that is either ‘good’ or ‘evil’. Circumstance, on the other hand, can be defined as a condition relevant to an action. The objective of an act determines it s type. By virtue of objective, acts are good, evil, or indifferent. However, no acts are committed in concrete circumstances. The three sources of acts, therefore, combine to determine the morality of an act, and if any of them happens to be evil, the entire act is considered evil. Morality is an accepted code of conduct either by a society, religion or certain groups of people thus is used to differentiate between good and bad behavior. Veritatis splendor, on the other hand, is a letter by Pope John Paul 11 regarding the stand of the Roman Catholic Church on moral issues that affected the world at the time He wrote it. In his letter about the moral theology of the catholic faith, Pope John Paul11 explained in depth reasons as to why some traditions, which were observed and respected since the olden days ought to be respected and observed (Pope Paul. 3). This tries to explain the relationship between morality and veritatis splendor in the sense that both call for the perseverance of the behaviors that were assumed right by those who lived before us. This aspect can also be applied in the case of abortion. Moral object analysis If a moral object of an action is bad, good intensions cannot be used to neutralize the effect of the action. For instance, a thief may say he is stealing in order to provide food and shelter for his family. The moral object of this action is bad, but the intensions are good (Charles.i. 7). The circumstances also create a good reason for the action, but the effects of the action are indeed negative. Stealing from people who have worked hard to earn their possession is a negative bad action, which causes suffering to the affected party. The usefulness of an action states its moral value (Ronald & Conte. 1). This explains why the veritatis splendor was against vices such as abortion because it is of no use largely (Kaczor. 32). This is somewhat true because the situations that could lead to unwanted pregnancies can be avoided by not having premarital sex. However, veritatis splendor is very conservative in terms of strictly observing the traditional behavior. This led to the rise of another group of moral theology the Revisionist Moral Theology. These groups of people state that theology is proportional in nature in the sense that it weighs the results of an action whether it has good or bad effects before they determine whether the action can be carried out or not. If a moral object of an action is good, bad intentions cannot make the moral object bad. In the bible, the book of revelation talks about the signs of eschatology. One of these signs is the emerging of false prophesy (Ronald & Conte. 1). Spreading the word of God is a good action but using it as a tool to gain attention, fame, and wealth is the involvement of bad intentions in a good moral object of an action. In this case, the moral object remains to be good as it is beneficial to the society while the intentions remain to be viewed as negative since they are self beneficial. Proportionalism Proportionalism denies the integrity of a person as it focuses on the slogan of the benefit of greater good. This theory maintains that no acts are either good or bad in them in effect eliminating the objective of an act from the fonts of morality. However, it assumes that man has a nature that can never be manipulated in any way whatsoever. Our actions, therefore, bring us closer or further from the kingdom of God. Propotionalists do not believe in the existence of acts that are intrinsically evil. They believe that, in every situation, there should be a way out to rescue the masses. For instance, in a situation is where one person has to take their life so that the rest can be saved. They use the example of Christ who died for the sins of Christians (Charles.i. 17). However, there has to be some kind of love that is not common among human beings. That is, to love the world selflessly. However, not all human beings would agree with this because not many can be willing to give up the pleasures of this world and instead die for people who do not matter to them. This argument, however, frustrates the general desire for wisdom by human beings by placing such conflicting imaginary situations at the centre of moral reflection. This explains why there are many denominations with different types of faith but all believing in one God. Moral-theological analysis Object of the moral act is fundamental in the maintenance of good in the society, whether in terms of behavioral or virtue norms. Moral technology is used to distinguish the two general categories of norms. These categories correlate with the twofold range of interests which are action and character. The categories of moral technology include: formal norms and material norms. Formal norms relate to character and can be explained in simple terms as virtue and vice. Material norms relate to action thus can also be referred to as behavioural norms. Technologists interpret norms that fit the description of formal norms. Formal norms reflect on fixed positions of divine revolution such as the reign of God, Jesus, conversion, openness to the poor as well as the commandment of love. They reflect on the universal materials in human life such as the basic needs of security, affection and acceptance. This is also inclusive of the basic goods for instance life and freedom. Therefore, they can be used to express the intrinsically acts of good and evil in the society. Formal norms are used to build the character of humankind as they act as motivational keys towards the practice of good and evil this is because they give an option on how to possess a moral character using the language of virtue and vice. Material norms pertain to the sort of actions humankind ought to perform. Material norms ought to attach various practices and behaviour to formal norms (Catholic Church. 77). It is indeed practical that good intention cannot keep an intrinsically evil act from causing damage to oneself and others. The intention at the end of the action acts as subject thus does not alter the object of the act in any way. Many intensions are directly linked to the action thus their positive or negative impacts relate. This aspect can be simplified by the fact that humankind act according to plans. A good intention does not justify an evil act for instance; people commit adultery to relieve themselves from loneliness. Others steal with the intention of giving money to the poor. In both these cases, the intention does not justify the intrinsically evil act. Circumstances act as the concrete conditions to justify intrinsically evil acts but do not create good moral value out of an evil act since they omit considering the consequences of the intrinsically evil action. Circumstances tend to alter the moral quality of an intrinsic evil act for instance; the value of the act of evil bears the degree of evil associated with the act (Charles.i. 13). A good example could be: stealing a book is worse than stealing a laptop. Circumstances make the value of the object play a role in determining the degree of moral quality displayed by the evil act. The basic point of concern is the effect of the evil act stealing a book will cause grief to the affected party which is the same thing that the act of stealing will impact to its owner. Lesson 3.2 The principle of double effect The principle of double effect can be used as tools for navigating through difficult situations. This is because they are used to act as a point of neutralization in the reaction between the effects of the two universal norms of good and evil (Pope Paul. 5). The basic question that arises is where ‘evil’ can be neutralized by ‘good’. The principle of double effect is built by moral criteria that ascertain the connection between good and bad deeds. There exist certain conditions that actions possessing two possible effects are ethically right. First, is whether the act itself is evil or not. Secondly, evil must not be a means to the good. The third condition in double effect principle is that evil is not intended, as an end. Lastly, the there must be a proportionate reason to allow evil effect. The principle helps a person deal with tough cases The principle of double effect helps a person to clear his or her conscience in case faced with a difficult encounter. In many cases, doctors who perform surgeries develop a deep connection with their patients, which creates emotional torture in cases where the surgical process turns out to be unsuccessful, and the patient dies in the process. In such instances, the principle of double effect helps the doctor to feel relieved as it develops an internal understanding, which convinces the doctor that he or she tried to revive the patient, but out of bad luck, the process could not go through successfully. In another instance where a doctor is forced to choose between saving a pregnant mother or her unborn child, many doctors are left to blame themselves for the situation but, as a result, regain comfort from the principle of double effect. The principle of double effect plays an important role in the medical field as it is used to help patients suffering from post traumatic stress to recover quickly. It promotes positive moral objects as it instill in people desire to always strive against evil and practice good deeds. Conscience Conscience is a form of motivation derived logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a persons thoughts and actions. It is a practical formula of instilling virtue into people by form of encouragement (Pope Paul. 5). Conscience promotes good moral development as it always provides an alternative of good action to intrinsically evil situations. Many preachers and politicians use conscience as an element of increasing hope and anticipation to an unfortunate society or situations (Charles.ii. 54). Consciences introduce the logic of morality as it is accompanied with the reason behind the practice of good deeds. According to reality, conscience is the right way to live. Conscience is also providing people with the right path through every ethical dilemma or tough conflicting situations. It gives mankind the opportunity to practice good deeds at all times as it explains the many options that life offers. It states that God gave man the power to pursue love and intelligence in difficult situations. Conscience paints an image of reality by establishing the need to practice good deeds as human beings live in a world of bitter scarcity (Charles.ii. 59). The element of ‘survival for the fittest’ makes man fearful leading to the adaptation of ideological solutions that in turn generate the violation of human dignity. An example of conscience is the apocalyptic spread of environmental conservatory warnings which are meant to protect the welfare of the future generation. Conscience creates logic in the need to act in a morally wise way. Works Cited Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2. Vatican City: Libreria Editric Vaticana. 1997. Print. Charles Curran (i), “Principles.” The Catholic Moral Tradition Today: A Synthesis.: Washington. DC: Georgetown University Press, 1999. 137-171. Print Charles Curran (ii). Conscience .New York Paulist Press 2004. Print Kaczor Christopher. The Ethics of Abortion: Womens Rights, Human Life, and the Question of Justice: New York. Routledge. 2013 Mark Lowery. Living the good life: What every Catholic needs to know about moral issues. London. Ann Arbor: Charis Books. . 2003. Print Pope John Paul II .Veritatis Splendor: Rome. Saint Peters church. , Created 6 August, 1993. Retrieved Jan 27, 2014.print Ronald L. Conte Jr. Intrinsic Evil and the Moral Object. Rome. Roman Catholic theologian. Created May 13, 2010. Retrieved Feb 1, 2014. http://www.catechism.cc/articles/moral-object.htm. . (1-1). Print Read More