Search results for ""Author Kevin L. Flannery""

Contemporary society very often asks of individuals and/or corporate entities that they perform actions connected in some way with the im­moral actions of other individuals or entities. Typically, in the attempt to determine what would be unacceptable cooperation with such immoral actions, Christian scholars and authorities refer to the distinction, which appears in the writings of Alphonsus Liguori, between material and for­mal cooperation, the latter being connected in some way with the coop­erator’s intention in so acting. While expressing agreement with most of Alphonsus’s determinations in these regards, Cooperation with Evil also argues that the philosophical background to these determinations often lacks coherence, especially when compared to related passages in the writings of Thomas Aquinas. Having compared the philosophical approaches of these two great moralists, Cooperation with Evil then describes a number of ideas in Thomas’s writings that might serve as more effective tools for the anal­ysis of cases of possible immoral cooperation. The book also includes, as appendixes, translations of relevant passages in both Alphonsus and Thomas.

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Written for non-specialists, this concise and accessible work by moral philosopher Kevin L. Flannery engages in a careful reflection of the moral issues of greatest importance in the lives of Christians today. After introductory chapters on the relationship between ethics and church teaching, and on the relevance of action theory—the study of the nature and structure of human actions—Flannery applies Aristotle’s and Thomas Aquinas’s theory of human action to the following topics: sexual morality, reproduction, killing and keeping alive, cooperation in the evil acts of others, and conscience. The book treats a number of controversial issues, not so much because they are controversial, but because they usefully explain the philosophical principles underlying church teaching. Flannery considers, for example, whether it is moral for a spouse who has contracted a disease such as HIV or AIDS to make use of a prophylactic during sexual intercourse. Flannery also addresses whether it is moral for a politician to vote in favor of legislation that permits same-sex marriage, or for a family or doctor to withdraw nutrition and hydration from a patient in a vegetative state. A major theme discussed throughout the book is intention and its effect on the moral character of human acts.

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Aristotle labours under no illusion that in the practical sphere humans operate according to the canons of logic. This does not prevent him, however, from bringing his own logical acumen to his study of human behaviour. Aristotle, according to Fr. Flannery, depicts the way in which human acts of various sorts and in various combinations determine the logical structure of moral character. Some moral characters—or character types—manage to incorporate a high degree of practical consistency; others incorporate less, without forfeiting their basic orientation towards the good. Still others approach utter inconsistency or moral deprivation, although even these, in so far as they are responsible for their actions, retain a core element of rationality in their souls. According to Aristotle, moral character depends ultimately upon the structure of individual acts and upon how they fit together into a whole that is consistent—or not consistent—with justice and friendship. This book will appeal to professional scholars and graduate students with an interest in Aristotle’s ethics and in ethics generally. It proposes comprehensive interpretations of some difficult passages in Aristotle’s two major ethical works (the Nicomachean Ethics and the Eudemian Ethics). It brings to bear upon the analysis of human behaviour passages in Aristotle’s logical works and in his Physics. It also draws connections among areas of particular interest to contemporary ethics: action theory, the analysis of practical reason, and virtue ethics.

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