As we’ve stated previously, the fundamental principle in Ethics is as follows: “good is to be done and evil is to be avoided.” Thus our first instinct when met with a difficult choice should be to follow this foundational principle. But how can we assure an act is good, and aren’t there times we can cooperate with an evil?
True Knowledge of a Good Act
There are three key aspects that go into ensuring an act is morally good or evil –
1) The object of the act
2) the intention of the moral agent
3) the circumstances associated with the situation
These three rules help to guide us; if any one of these rules is evil (wrong) then we cannot pursue the act (at least in its current form). Only when the object of the act is good, the intention is aimed appropriately, and the circumstances allow it can an act be deemed a “morally good act” (though the circumstances only modify the moral quality of it). For example, if one is to give money to the poor. The object of the act (giving money to those in need) is an objectively good thing, but say you were intending to do it to feel good about yourself or to gloat to your friends. Well, while the object of the act is good, your intention (the end, or reason for which you act) is wrong and therefore while it might have been a good thing to give the poor money, your act was morally corrupt, as you were doing it for an evil reason.
As I mentioned, circumstances qualify an action; they adjust the moral character or affect the subjective guilt. While circumstances only qualify an action, we must always remember that a good action, with good intentions, still depends on the circumstances to truly be good. Using the same example as above; if you gave money to a poor man with the good intention of helping him for the sake of charity, but the money you used, you stole. The object and intention are noble (and wouldn’t be wrong in themselves) but the circumstance of stolen money still makes it a morally bad act.
Why discuss whether an act is good or bad to begin with? In order to fully grasp the first principle in Ethics we must as well understand what it means to act in moral goodness and to avoid evil. Every action we make as rational beings is a moral action precisely because of our rational nature. We are able to freely choose good, to decipher the qualities surrounding an act and will the proper end.
Cooperating with Evil?
Now that we’ve refreshed our memory on the fundamental principle in Ethics and have discussed acting as moral agents, what’s with this talk about cooperating with evil, especially following our discussion about whether we can perform an act or not based on its moral character?
-In order to examine this idea properly we must also understand another ethical principle, namely Double Effect. This principle states (put simply) that you can still perform an action that is associated with an evil effect of some kind as long as the evil itself is not the object of the act or the intention but is involved in the circumstances. As well there must be sufficiently/proportionately grave reason for permitting the evil.-
Now that we have obtained a glimpse at double effect we can understand that while there are times we can cooperate with evil, the evil must never be a part of the object or intention of the act and can only come from it (or in other words the good cannot come from the evil, but the good must happen and at the same time or immediately following the evil then happens)
The verdict?
While we have seen that we can cooperate with evil (in very qualified circumstances) do we have to? The simple answer is, no. We never have to cooperate with evil, especially following the first principle in Ethics. Every action we make should be guided first and foremost to do good and avoid evil. Even the principle of double effect is led by this foundation. Anything associated with evil we should desire wholly to turn away from and remember to always turn to the source of infinite Goodness, God.
In very recent times it seems we’ve forgotten that in the face of great evil, or even one that is allowed on the basis of double effect, we don’t have to cooperate with it —
Take the higher moral road, where radical saintly virtue is found
We shouldn’t be content with only doing the moral minimum, God is always calling us to live a life in Him, the fullness of Truth. The life of a saint is filled with much trial and tribulation, but it is only to further perfect us in virtue to make us more like Christ who suffered for our sake just the same. Follow Christ, choose your hill, carry your cross to the top, and die on it next to Him for His sake.
A Holy Legacy 