Episode Transcript  

One

A True Story

During World War II, a young Polish nurse risked her life to save Jews under Nazi occupation. She was forced to work as a cook and maid for a Nazi officer. At the same time, she secretly hid Jews in the basement of his house and helped them escape to safety. One day, the officer discovered what she was doing. He made her a horrifying offer: “Become my mistress, sleep with me, and I will keep silent. Refuse, and I will report everything.”

She knew exactly what this meant. If she refused, the people she was protecting would almost certainly be killed. If she agreed, she would have to do something she knew was morally wrong. Even the people she was hiding begged her not to do it. In her autobiography, she makes it clear that she was not motivated by fear, but by the hope of bringing about a greater good. She believed that saving their lives justified what she was about to do. So she made her decision. She accepted his offer. She became his mistress in order to protect them.

At first glance, this looks like courage. And there is something deeply moving in her willingness to suffer for others. But this raises a question we cannot avoid: Can we do something evil in the hope of bringing about a greater good? If the answer is yes, then morality is reduced to outcomes. And if morality is reduced to outcomes, then anything, anything can be justified. But if the answer is no, then we must learn how to think about moral decisions in a deeper way.

Two

We all try to maximize good consequences, and we’re all willing to put up with some unpleasant consequences

The first thing to notice is that everyone acts with an eye to consequences. We all try to make choices, or we should, that make the world overall a better place. And, it’s also true that most decisions involve pros and cons. There are always tradeoffs. And usually we have to be willing to put up with some unpleasant side-effects from our decisions for the sake of the more important good we’re trying to do. You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, as the saying goes.

So, here’s the question: If we have a good intention and we really think our actions are going to bring about the best outcome overall, can we do an evil action, hoping for a good outcome? 

No. Absolutely not. Because right and wrong are not determined by outcomes alone. 

Three

Difference between the Principle of Double Effect and Consequentialism

It’s very important to be clear on the difference between the principle of double effect, which is a legitimate principle in Catholic moral theology, and consequentialism, which goes directly against the Church’s moral teaching. The principle of double effect says you can do a good action that will probably have some undesirable consequences if it passes four tests: the immediate action, or the means, is a good action, not an evil action. If the undesirable consequences are not willed as a means or an end, if the good consequences seem (as far as one can tell) to outweigh the bad consequences, and if there doesn’t seem to be a better, morally permissible alternative. 

So the Polish Nurse’s decision to fornicate with the Nazi officer clearly fails that first condition. Her means for getting him to look the other way was intrinsically evil. Consequentialism says you can do anything, including an evil or sinful action, if you think it’ll bring about greater consequences overall.

So here’s the basic difference between the principle of double effect and consequentialism: Very simply, the principle of double effect says, “Do something good with the hope that in the long run there will be more good consequences than bad consequences.” It’s like taking a hundred dollars and putting it in the bank with the hope that it will generate interest and make you even more money.

Consequentialism, on the contrary, says, “Do something evil with the hope that in the long run there will be more good consequences than bad consequences.” Consequentialism starts out with destroying a concrete good, and then hopes for the possible future good. It is like taking a hundred dollars and ripping it to pieces with the hope that it will make you even more money. Obviously, that doesn’t make much sense, which is why consequentialism has consistently been rejected by Catholic teaching.

Four

Bringing about the best consequences within a morally acceptable range of choices

We all want good consequences. We all want to find ways to make the world a better place. The great challenge of the moral life is to do that within a morally acceptable range of options. We all want to help ease the pain of suffering people. But we have to look for ways to do that apart from Euthanasia.

We all want family members to know we love them and support them. But we have to look for ways to do that apart from endorsing or celebrating their self-destructive lifestyles.

And we all want to reform the Church, but we have to look for ways to do that apart from attacking the Pope, undermining the authority Christ has given to the successor of Peter and the Apostles. Because even pursuing a noble, good end doesn’t justify directly attacking what is good. 

Five

True Courage: Trust in God

True courage, virtuous courage, means pursuing a noble goal through good actions. And that takes courage, because there are times when there don’t seem to be any good actions, good means available for achieving our noble goal.

The Polish nurse didn’t see any way to save lives without the gravely sinful means of yielding to the Nazi’s lust. Her intention was good. The circumstances were grave. But the act itself, the means she chose, was evil. So no matter how good the intention…no matter how serious the circumstances…we can’t do evil hoping that good will come from it. But this is why trust in God is the greatest source of courage. Because it assures us that even if we can’t see any clear, moral path leading to the greater good, God is in control.

So when it feels like we’ve run out of viable options, we leave it to Him. Knowing that He will do greater good for the world with our fidelity and purity than we could ever do by compromising what we know to be right. If you struggle with this meditation, I promise we will unpack it in very simple terms through this short series on Catholic Moral Principles. Stick with it…

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