The Moral Act in St. Thomas: A Fresh Look

Abstract

The Thomist 74 (2010): 237-82 THE MORAL ACT IN ST. THOMAS: A FRESH LOOK KEVIN F. KEISER Aquinas College Nashville, Tennessee Even a child makes himself known by his acts, whether what he does is pure and right. (Prov 20:11) DESPITE ALL PROTESTATIONS for and attempts at renewal, moral theology today is lacking in clarity, thus serving to confuse souls more than guide them. While human acts are very contingent things that never come close to permitting the certitude of other disciplines,1 it" would be a mistake to use this as an excuse for not expecting clarity from the specialists in moral matters. We should not repeat Descartes's mistake of confounding absolute certitude (which moral matters cannot always have) with clarity. Nor should we shrink from seeking what certitude can be had.2 One area that seems to be suffering from such a lack of clarity has to do with the so-called three sources of morality, and in particular how these are presented in the doctrine of St. Thomas Aquinas. Much has been said, for instan"ce, about the "moral object" by many who would consider themselves to be faithful commentators of St. Thomas on this point. And yet the conclusions reach no consensus, and cover a spectrum that certainly pushes the limits of Catholic orthopraxis. For example, various conceptions of the moral object by self-professed commentators 1 St. Thomas Aquinas, I Ethic.,lect. 3 (Marietti ed., 32). 2 Ibid. (Marietti ed., 36): "And therefore the well-disciplined student must neither seek greater certitude, nor be content with lesser certitude than may be fitting to the thing which is being treated." 237 238 KEVIN F. KEISER on St. Thomas have aided the conclusion that masturbation may be permissible if it is done to procure semen for a fertility test3 (even though pollution for medicinal purposes has been specifically forbidden by the Holy Office);4 infantile craniotomies are possibly licit;5 speech signifying the false is not considered lying if we can safely assume that "the communicative community" has broken down;6 and last but not least, the sin against nature is seen as legitimate if it is done to prevent AIDS, not children7 (also despite magisterial statements declaring the use of a condom an intrinsic evil).8 How are such views purportedly based in St. Thomas? What is the source of the confusion? Every Catholic who has had any interest in moral matters is familiar with the teaching that "the object, the intention, and the circumstances make up the 'sources,' or constitutive elements, of the morality of human acts."9 Yet when one goes to questions 18 to 20 of the Prima Secundae, often matters seem to be quite complicated and confusing. Is the moral object a thing or an act? Is the specification from the object most important, or is it the specification from the end? Do circumstances change the species or do they not? Do circumstances and intention factor in at all, or is it the object alone that specifies the will? A first reading of these 3 Martin Rhonheimer, "Intentional Actions and the Meaning of the Object: A Reply to Richard McCormick," The Thomist 59 (1995): 296. 4 DS 3684. On fertility testing, see also Pope Pius XII, Address Vous nous avez to participants of the Second World Congress on fertility and sterility (19 May 1956), available on the Vatican website (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/speeches/1956/documents/ hf_p-xii_spe_19560519_vous-nous-avez_it.html [accessed 1May2009]). 5 John Finnis, Germain Grisez, and Joseph Boyle, '"Direct' and 'Indirect': A Reply to Critics of Our Action Theory," The Thomist 65 (2001): 21-33. 6 Benedict Guevin, "When a Lie Is Not a Lie: The Importance of Ethical Context," The Thomist 66 (2002): 273; for a different argument with practically the same conclusion, see Alexander Pruss, "Lyingand SpeakingYour Interlocutor's Language,"The Thomist 63 (1999): 445. 7 Martin Rhonheimer, "The Truth About Condoms," The Tablet (10 July 2004): 10-11; Benedict Guevin, O.S.B., and Martin Rhonheimer, "On the Use of Condoms to Prevent Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome," National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly 5 (2005): 4048 . 8 DS 2795. 9 Catechism of the...