Moral Paradox: Husband, Wife and Ferryman

[Gorgias]

It’s obvious that a husband and wife need to be united, and that a reasonable ferryman would gladly give passage.

For hire. Not for free.

It is morally licit for her to take the boat, provided that it was returned to the owner after she is reunited with her husband.

Remind me never to leave the keys to my car unattended in your presence…

Could we take a perspective on a sacrificial route: The wife in this case sacrifices her body to be reunited with her husband?

No. This wouldn’t be a “sacrifice”, it would be “cooperation with evil.” She would literally be committing adultery. We would never say “commit evil; it’s a sacrifice!”

Remember: sacrifice literally comes from the Latin: sacra facere. It means “to make holy.” One is not made holy by committing adultery, regardless of the intent or the perceived good in the goal.

the assumption is that you interact with the thought experiment as is.

Right. Because the thought experiment isn’t there to ask you to solve a problem – it’s there to help you think about how you reach a particular answer. In this case, the question is “can I willingly commit a sin in hopes that something good will result?” The answer, in Catholic moral theology, is a resounding “NO!”

Any other kind? “If you meet a philosopher on the road who sets you a thought experiment, kill him. It’s the only way to prevent the train wreck and save both the crowd of people and the baby.”

In this case it seems everyone on the thread is taking the approach that the wife should stay on the island and not sleep with the ferryman

Yep. That’s what Catholic moral theology teaches. For further reading, check out the Catechism’s section on “The Morality of Human Acts”. Of particular interest should be paragraphs #1753, 1755, and 1759.

 

[Gorgias]

She can stay stranded on an island with a scary man who wants to rape her

Huh? That’s not what’s in the thought experiment. There’s no rape – just a request to commit adultery, with the added benefit of getting a free trip off the island.

The act of taking the boat in order to get off the island is not a wrong, therefore there is no sin.

Not true. The act of stealing the boat is sinful, unless you add more to the thought experiment than what’s there.

 

[TheLittleLady]

One may not do evil so that good may come of it.

One MAY get crackin and build their own raft.

 

[EndTimes]

Hello,

Haven’t been to this forum in a while; as I revisit my faith I was asked a question that I was curious as to other’s thoughts. First, the conundrum a family member at dinner posed:

A husband and a wife are on separate islands separated by a Ferryman. The wife wants to be with her husband, but the only way is through the boat the Ferryman has. The wife has no money to pay the Ferryman so the Ferryman asks the wife for a night in bed.

Question One : Assuming this is the only way the wife will see the husband again, should the wife sleep with the Ferryman to see her husband again?

Question Two : How should the husband feel or what should the husband do when he finds out about the wife’s decision either way.

Just curious as to be people’s perspectives.

Thank you.

It’s a What If?

It’s not a paradox…

Are you a Christian Believer?

 

[TheLittleLady]

Divorce is permissible after infidelity.

Would you show this from official Catholic teaching?

 

[TheLittleLady]

This is speaking of separation, or in official Church language “separation with the bond remaining”. Divorce is simply not part of a valid marriage, except in the rare cases where there are safety or inheritance concerns.