Proportionalism
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Proportionalism is an ethical theory that lies between
deontological theories.[1] Consequential theories, like utilitarianism, say that an action is right or wrong, depending on the consequences it produces, but deontological theories, such as Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative, say that actions are either intrinsically right or intrinsically wrong. Proportionalist theories like rule utilitarianism
, however, say that it is never right to go against a principle unless a proportionate reason would justify it.
In the 1960s, proportionalism was a consequentialist attempt to develop
Evangelium Vitae
, 1995 (cf. article 68). Instead he offers an account of moral action based on the object of the act (finis operis), the intention of the person performing the act (finis operantis), and the circumstances surrounding the action.
Bernard Hoose's Proportionalism
Bernard Hoose was a significant contributor to the theory of proportionalism, first summarising his viewpoint in the 1987 text 'Proportionalism: The American Debate and its European Roots'. Hoose held that there are rigid absolutist moral laws that cannot be violated unless there exists a proportionate reason that would justify disobedience.[2] Agents must therefore follow the legalistic morality held by the Catholic Church, in the form of Natural Moral Law, unless a situation arose that would allow the agent to act against the Law.
See also
- Doctrine of double effect
- Just war theory
- Prima facie right
- Situational ethics
- Summum bonum
- Natural Moral Law
References
- ^ Note that there is a substantial difference between teleology, as it is understood in the Thomistic context, and consequentialism. See Curran, Charles (1999). The Catholic Moral Tradition Today: A Synthesis. Georgetown University Press. p. 71.
- ISBN 978-0878404551.
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