Self-Determination

[Wm777]

A long time ago… so long ago I can’t remember all the exact details… I once heard of a research group called something like “The Institute for Self-Determination”… that did studies in the ethics of “Self-Determination”…

Again, it was so long ago, and I really didnt learn much about it at the time… but does anyone know anything (a general answer would suffice) about this area of ethical research? And whether or not it agrees with Catholic teaching?

My own thinking on the matter came to me while contemplating free will, which we have as Catholics… So it would seem like free will should provide us with a right to self-determination… However, when you contrast the notion of free will with God’s will - the notion of “self-determination” (whatever it means) seems to require greater discernment than simply exercising free will in an absolute sense (which is more attuned to God’s will)…

Any info or direction on the question (even to let me know if it doesnt make sense) would be most appreciated…

Thanks and God Bless!

Wm

 

[Wm777]

Actually, it’s a big, multicultural topic…

https://lisd.princeton.edu/about

To hedge the question in a bit - it would probably be best just to ask what the Catholic take on it is? How we are supposed to use our free wills in the interest of self-determination…

I always seem to look at God’s will, which is great, but then God gave us free will… so… it seems like it has to be exercised accordingly…

The next step in the question trail would be one of faith… Faith is a gift, which some of us have, and some of us dont… so it would seem like there are corresponding limits to what kind of free will one could exercise in faith (and possibly with any sort of culpability (specifically toward a sins of commission and omission))…