PHIL 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Principle Of Double Effect, Fetus, Robin Hood
Aquinas
● Right to self-defense?
- we do have this right
- Augustine says that you do not have this right
- it is saving one’s life, but you are slaying your aggressor
- there is a good effect and a bad effect
- he says that it is not an absolute right, but that there are conditions
- do not use more force than necessary
- don’t do it out of personal interest, attack only if trying to save your life
- has to be proportional; dad can’t shoot daughter’s boyfriend for sneaking out in sake of
“protecting” his daughter
● Doctrine of Double Effect
1. the nature of act is good or neutral
- the 10 commandments; stealing, cheating, telling a lie - you know that these acts are
bad
- keeping commitments/promises - you know this is a good act
2. the intention is good
- wills good effect; intention to defend yourself from intruder has to be to save my life, not
because i only want the intruder dead; only foresees bad effect
3. bad effect is not means to good effect
- action should lead directly to the good effect; makes bean soup, good effect is that
they’re happy but bad effect is that they get gas. She knows the bad effect will happen,
but she is fine with it to get the good effect
- ex: husband is abusive, cooks soup with poison to kill him because knows that life will be
better without him
- ex: abortion; woman wants to be free from the burden, but fetus dies. To achieve the
preservation of her happiness, she would have to kill baby. This violates #3 to Aquinas.
But removing cancerous uterus to save pregnant mom but killing fetus is okay.
4. bad effect is proportional to good effect
- bad effect < or = to good effect
- save leg or save live? save life! loose leg
- lose leg to claim disability check? wrong!
● train example
- nature of the act is okay, turning the wheel is neither good nor bad
- the intention is good, no intention to hurt anyone in particular
- means are good, turning the wheel towards the other track accidentally killed the one
person
- the killing of the one person is not the reason the 5 lives were saved, turning the wheel
was
- 5 lives > 1 life
● pushing the fat man example
- nature of act is bad; pushing person, pushing is bad
- intention is good, trying to save lives
- means are bad
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Document Summary
Aquinas it is saving one"s life, but you are slaying your aggressor there is a good effect and a bad effect. Augustine says that you do not have this right. He says that it is not an absolute right, but that there are conditions. Do not use more force than necessary. Don"t do it out of personal interest, attack only if trying to save your life. Has to be proportional; dad can"t shoot daughter"s boyfriend for sneaking out in sake of. Wills good effect; intention to defend yourself from intruder has to be to save my life, not because i only want the intruder dead; only foresees bad effect: bad effect is not means to good effect. Action should lead directly to the good effect; makes bean soup, good effect is that they"re happy but bad effect is that they get gas. She knows the bad effect will happen, but she is fine with it to get the good effect.
