Thed4
- 1. Moral Theology (MT) • 1. A) Nature (Theology? Philosophy?), B) Interests, C) Divisions, D) Structures • 2. Some Definitions: A) F Bockle, B) A Sertillanges, C) B Haring
- 2. A) The Nature of MT Species of Ethics: - shares structures & formal interests - MT is sufficiently different philosophical morality or ethics (MP)
- 3. Nature cont… • Is a particular expression of systematic theology (ST) which focuses on the implications of faith for the way we live (a.k.a. Christian or theological ethics). • ST: is an overarching discipline of theology which tries to work out a coherent view of the world by integrating truths of faith with other truths we can know.
- 4. Moral Philosophy (MP) • Can reflect adequately on the nature of moral life • What constitute right or wrong (bad or good) behavior without reference to Christian Faith (CF) • Resources: Human Reason and Human Experience • MT: shares with MP’s resources plus CF
- 5. B) Interests • MT wants to know what difference being a Christian believer makes for the way we live our lives… • interested in the implications of CF for the kind of persons we ought to be (“Ethics of Being”): interiority of the person or character / virtues • Interested in the kinds of action Christian do (“Ethics of Doing”): making decisions to resolve moral dilemmas (e.g. conflict of values) so might do proper action
- 6. Interests cont. • Ethics (theoretical interests): the nature of the good, the nature of the person as a moral agent, criteria of judgment • Morals (practical interests): fundamental beliefs, character of the moral agent, use of norms, situational analysis
- 7. C) Divisions • foundational concerns (norms: deontology, teleology, virtues) • special concerns (concrete issues where & when norms applied)
- 8. D) Structures • Two-fold enterprise of ethics & morals • Ethics: it is concerned with clarifying the foundations of moral life on the basis of Christian religious convictions » Theoretical foundations of MT • Morals: it is also concerned with interpreting how to judge and act in the light of those convictions » Practical Level of MT (directs / orients behavior)
- 9. 2. Some Definitions • A) Franz Bockle: That “part of theology that searches for the norms of free human conduct in the light of the revelation.” • Concerned with norms of free human conduct (humans are the real moral agents insofar as they are free) • Guided by Divine Revelation (differs from MP): Judaeo- Christian Faith and Tradition
- 10. • B) Antonin Sertillanges: “It is the science of what man ought to be by reason of what he is” • “Science”: open-ended, analyzes situations, adds new data… facts, (“the is dimension”) • “What ought to be”: how things ought to be, people should be… future directed (“the ought dimension”) • “What humanity is”: nature of the moral agent (what they meant to be; anthropological constants)
- 11. • C) Bernard Haring: describes MT as Responsibility (Response – Ability) • Response – it is a response to God’s invitation (“vocation”), saying YES to God’s call in the “here and now “ and the “not-yet” (fundamental option) • Ability (“the virtues”)– the “power” given (infused, i.e. theological: Faith, Hope, Love) to us by the Holy Spirit and those we learned through habituation (i.e. cardinal: Courage, Temperance, Prudence, Justice)
- 12. • Constitutive elements of an adequate definition of MT: • It is a science; concerned about what ought to be (norms, ethics); judging right from wrong in the light of who we are (anthropological constants); dealing with human conduct, behavior in the light faith (morals, Divine Revelation); summed up by responsibility; responding to God’s call towards human flourishing (or, Kingdom of God). • References: R. Gula, Reason Informed by Faith (NY: Paulist, 1989), 6-12; M. Pennock, Moral Problems: What Does a Christian Do? (Notre Dame, Ind: Ave Maria Press, 1979), 15-23; B. Hoose, ed., Christian Ethics: An Introduction (NY/London: Continuum, 1998), 3-162 (Cc 1-10 on “Basic Christian Ethics”).