Any moral theology experts?

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I have a question for an expert in moral theology. I have a good background in the field, but I would like a second opinion on something. Sorry if this sounds arrogant…it’s not intended to. But, if you can help, would you please respond?
 
you can’t expect anybody to respond until you tell us the question.
 
I don’t think many of us are experts in the formal sense unless you go to Ask an Apologist, but by and large we at CAF know our stuff. There are some nonsense-peddlers here though so you have to sort through what you read with a careful and discerning eye. What’s your question?
 
I’m teaching a group of high school seniors a course on Catholic social teaching and in order to introduce them to the topic, I felt like I had to do a refresher course in basic moral theology, focusing on object, intent, and circumstance.

To get them thinking, I showed them the first five minutes of the film Vertical Limit. In this clip, a father is mountain climbing with his adult son and daughter. After a freak accident, his son is left with the unenviable choice of having to cut the rope supporting his father. Obviously, his father will fall and die as a result. But if he doesn’t do so, then all three of them will fall and die. If he cuts the rope, which his father is ordering him to do, then there is a chance that the young man and his sister will survive, which they in fact do.

The question obviously is whether or not the son’s decision to cut the rope was a morally correct decision. Now, im not asking if he made the RIGHT decision of not. that is a separate matter. What I’m looking for is an analysis of the act in terms of object, intention, and circumstance. I know where I come down, but like I said, I’m looking for a second opinion.
 
I do not know when will you need to close on the topic. However, I think that is dangerous to present “what if” scenarios unless you are 100% confident of how you are going to address the topic. I have a couple of suggestions that are philosophy based and not Church based. The first is to go to iTunes and look at the 90 minutes presentations by Marianne Talbot on morality “A romp through ethics” (free), there is one on Aristotle’s moral that is very consistent with the Catholic approach and it could help you with the proper use and classification of the terms. Another path that is more time consuming is to listen at the lectures on the Nicomachean Ethics (expensive unless on sale) of Aristotle by Father Joseph Koterski, S.J.

I am not an expert but maybe the information that you seek could be in the book “The Teleological Grammar of the Moral Act” By Steven A. Long. If you look at chapter 2 on “Object, End and Moral Species” you could find an answer to your question.
 
Ugh. That’s a tough question (and kudos to you for raising tough questions for your class, when so many religious ed teachers are content to feed their students pablum), and sadly one I’m not competent to answer. It seems to me it would fall under the principle of double effect, which is not one I understand terribly well.
 
buc_fan33 said:
I’m teaching a group of high school seniors a course on Catholic social teaching and in order to introduce them to the topic, I felt like I had to do a refresher course in basic moral theology, focusing on object, intent, and circumstance.

To get them thinking, I showed them the first five minutes of the film Vertical Limit. In this clip, a father is mountain climbing with his adult son and daughter. After a freak accident, his son is left with the unenviable choice of having to cut the rope supporting his father. Obviously, his father will fall and die as a result. But if he doesn’t do so, then all three of them will fall and die. If he cuts the rope, which his father is ordering him to do, then there is a chance that the young man and his sister will survive, which they in fact do.

The question obviously is whether or not the son’s decision to cut the rope was a morally correct decision. Now, im not asking if he made the RIGHT decision of not. that is a separate matter. What I’m looking for is an analysis of the act in terms of object, intention, and circumstance. I know where I come down, but like I said, I’m looking for a second opinion.
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There are good arguments on both sides of the issue, and yes the son’s decision would fall under the principle of double effect.

The son’s intent is to save the life of himself and his sister; the unintended although fully expected side effect is the death of his father.
 
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