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The Doctrine of Double Effect
- Explain St. Thomas Aquinas’ Double Effect Doctrine
The doctrine of double effect coined by St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica, has its origin back in the 13th century. St. Thomas opined that self-defense is morally justified when he applied his theory. The doctrine presupposes that to know whether an action is moral, one has to consider the two or more consequences that follow; these are the good and bad effects (McIntyre). In the world we live in today, people generally use the doctrine to gauge whether their actions have moral standing. This article expounds on the principle of double effect in the context of defending oneself from violence. The paper also deliberates Judith Jarvis Thomson’s violinist analogy and whether the double effect theory fits the case.
St. Thomas Aquinas used the doctrine to justify the act of self-defense morally. He opined that the act itself has two results; a good effect and a bad one. The good impact arising from self-defense is the fact that the victim preserves their life. The adverse effect is the death of the assailant. Aquinas argued that so long as the victim intended to protect himself and not murder the attacker, then self-defense is a moral act hence permissible. There are four conditions to be met when exonerating a person from wrong-doing using the double effect theory. First, the action must have two or more effects. Secondly, there is the means-end condition which prescribes that a person cannot use evil ways as a means to a good end. Thirdly, the intention of the action should be good or right. Finally, there must be a proportionate grave reason for entertaining the bad result of an action. Hence, when Aquinas applied these conditions to self-defense acts, he concluded that it is morally justified.
- Judith Jarvis Thomson’s Violinist Analogy
- What is the Story?
In an influential article back in 1971, Judith Jarvis Thomson defended abortion using the violinist analogy. Judith asks her readers whether there is a moral burden to save the violinist (Thomson, 1). The analogy is a hypothetical situation where one wakes up one morning to find themselves kidnapped by the society of music lovers and connected to the circulatory system of an ailing famous violinist. The doctors explain that the person was the only match; hence, it was necessary to be kidnapped. Further, the victim needs to stay plugged to the violinist for nine months, and if he/she is unplugged, the violinist will die (Warren, 2).
- What is it supposed to lead one to conclude?
Thomson opines that the kidnapped person is allowed to unplug themselves since they are not morally bound to save the violinist. It would be heroic to agree to be plugged for the nine months, and it should be voluntary. The analogy compares the violinist, a full human to a mother’ fetus, and whether she is entitled to abort it. It leads a person to conclude that there is no moral burden when it comes to a woman deciding whether to abort or keep her pregnancy. She has freedom of choice.
- Tell me whether the doctrine of double effect can be applied in the original case of the violinist and the victim to free the victim from blame if she unhooks herself from the violinist
The analogy does meet the four conditions mentioned above. The action has two consequences. The good effect is that when the victim unplugs themselves, they set themselves free from kidnappers. The adverse outcome is that the violinist dies. The means-end condition is evident where the music lovers committed an evil act of kidnapping someone to save the violinist’s life. When the victim unplugs themselves, they aim at freeing themselves from the kidnappers; this is a good intention. The proportionate grave reason in the violinist analogy is the victim’s freedom; the victim was kidnapped and is being held involuntarily to save a violinist.
In conclusion, Thomas Aquinas’ doctrine is beneficial when solving moral dilemmas, and Thomson’s violinist analogy met the four conditions. Therefore, abortion can be said to be ethical in certain circumstances.
(610 words minus citations, questions, etc.)
Works Cited
Thomson, Judith Jarvis. “A Defense of Abortion, 1 Phil. & Pub.” Aff 47 (1971): 48-49.
McIntyre, Alison. “Doctrine of double effect.” (2004). Retrieved from https://stanford.library.sydney.edu.au/entries/double-effect/
Warren, Mary Anne. “On the moral and legal status of abortion.” The Monist 57.1 (1973): 1-9.