Last month I
gave a talk on the theme “Cooperation with Sins against Prudence” at a conference on
Cooperation with Evil at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington,
D.C. You can now listen to the talk at
the Thomistic Institute’s Soundcloud page.
Prudence is
the virtue by which we know the right ends to pursue and the right means by
which to pursue them. Aquinas argued
that sexual immorality tends more than other vices to erode prudence. The erosion of prudence, in turn, tends to
undermine one’s general capacity for moral reasoning. Hence, when we facilitate the sexual sins of
others, we tend thereby (whether we realize it or not) to promote their general
moral corruption. In the talk, I develop
and defend this theme and apply it to a critique of the views of Fr. Antonio
Spadaro and Fr. James Martin.
The other presenters
at the conference were Msgr. Andrew
McLean Cummings, Steven Long,
Fr. Ezra Sullivan, and Christopher
Tollefsen. You can find their talks at
the Soundcloud page as well.
I've long held the belief that 90% of why people resist conversion is because of their attachment to sexual sin.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of Bertrand Russell on that score?
DeleteIt is a prime reason I *sought* conversion.
DeleteI think I agree with that. (Too bad if there were any statistics on it, we wouldn't necessarily be able to trust them.) Though it makes me wonder how that should inform our apologetic approach.
DeleteYes sir, the "inalienable right" for sexual expression and intercourse is definitely an a priori assumed natural right of the Enlightenment and secular philosophers.
DeleteBut what do you think about Russell's take on things specifically? Any analysis?
DeleteWhat do you mean? You mean his life take on it? Have a lot of Affairs and divorce? I think it's a sure road to both temporal and eternal unhappiness.
DeleteNo his take on Christianity in light of his views on sexual ethics.
DeleteI think he may well prove the point of this OP.
Re Russell: " ... his take on Christianity in light of his views on sexual ethics.
DeleteI think he may well prove the point of this OP."
Yes, if anyone has read Monk's biography of Bertrand Russell, it's plain to see why you might think so.
Reading Russell's pathetic, if honest, description of his school-boyish sexual enthrallment to Lady Morrell, and of his Bloomsbury values period, will make one cringe.
There is something about those un-athletic, intellectual males, who do nonetheless have a sex drive, that gives evidence of a curious disorder, or derangement as Thomist might put it, of virtues.
They embody a curious personality meld: a combination of intellectual and social development surrounding a core of leering junior high school jerk-off and weakling.
Likewise, A.J. Ayer describes a sordid fling in a taxi; which left him panting for months after a woman who wanted nothing further to do with him sexually.
Weak - physically weak - males seem particularly susceptible to an obsession with physical pleasure.
Maybe they need to get out of doors more; let the weather toughen them up a bit. Or at least learn to sound less rhapsodic and needy when describing [if they must] their sexual affairs.
Dr Kelley Ross has a nice critique on Russel.
DeleteOr mammon. Or pride.
ReplyDeleteCan self-love, ego, attention seeking and narcissism corrupt prudence like sexual sins?
ReplyDeleteYes. Every narcissist, no matter how high their I.Q., is a fool and therefore sins against prudence.
DeleteYeah, but look at it a different way. Narcissists KNOW they are doing something wrong. So has prudence simply be subjugated by pride, malice and self-love?
DeleteWondering what http://www.wnaad.com/ would make of the topic. Pity this hasn't been taken up by any media. One cause truly worthy of coverage. People have no idea who haven't experienced this how twisted these people are.
DeleteDr. Feser's intro could use the Ben Shapiro treatment: "Facts Don't Care About Your Feelings"
ReplyDeleteThe truth of atheism is proved from a desire to bang co-eds.
ReplyDeleteThis talk reminded me of Orthodox icon carver Jonathan Pageau's video on The Matrix:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWT56hUMIWE
Thank you for this talk, Dr. Feser.
ReplyDeleteAs I was driving my kids to school, I was going over the 8 parts of prudence with them. I was only able to remember 4 of them, but it was interesting to see their reactions and the discussion it generated. The whole idea of having a clear framework for thinking such topics was really interesting to them.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear talks on the other three cardinal virtues as well. :)
Cheers,
Daniel
Can the ethics of Thomas be reapplied in an atheistic context?
DeleteThere is an issue of applying any form of ethics in an atheistic context due to a question of the meaning of virtue, etc.
DeleteHow many atheists are there who are against birth control and masturbation? Neither of those issues have anything to do with theism, yet MYSTERIOUSLY every atheist I've met has had exactly the same beliefs on those two issues.
ReplyDeleteIf only there were some explanation for this mysterious recurring coincidence! But alas, it looks like it must be because only superstitious Christians can believe that masturbation and birth control are immoral and our atheists are simply too enlightened by their own intelligence to possibly comprehend our foolishness.
An excellent elucidation of moral philosophy and Catholic moral doctrine and the moral confusion sown by Amoritis Letitia, Dr. Feser. Thank you for standing up for the moral system of faith. What's going on with Pope Francis? What's going on with the Church? Are they trying to purposely sow confusion, let it infiltrate and linger and then in a few years change doctrine? Will this create a schism in the Church, other than the informal schism that exists now?
ReplyDeleteI would say that the notion of "cooperation with sins against prudence" which are not sins against direct commands is a Talmudic or Puritan notion, which has nothing to do with Catholicism.
ReplyDeletePrudence is personal. You cannot (except very glaring cases, like an alcoholic saying "I think I'll take a fourth glass, won't make me drunk" within an hour from first glass) determine what is prudent for another one, therefore not what is a sin against prudence in another one (as said with some glaring exceptions) and therefore you cannot know whether your act of cooperation with someone else's will for himself would be a cooperation with a sin against prudence.
What we need to avoid is cooperation with known sins, not with unknowable ones.
"Hence, when we facilitate the sexual sins of others, we tend thereby (whether we realize it or not) to promote their general moral corruption."
ReplyDeleteFacilitate for the sake of doing so?
Or facilitate in some other connection?
When there was no legal abortion, and marriage was open to teens, fornication was (at least among believing Catholics) easier, since it was easier to hope to repair the sin.
The modern exclusion of teen marriage and providing of contraceptives and abortion has made a fornication open to life very much less easy - meanwhile, some other sins of sexual nature are thereby easier and also for other reasons easier.
Is there a hardcopy of the talk posted anywhere?
ReplyDelete