Category Archives: intention and moral object

Why is the morality of lying important?

Posted on 19 February 2011 by Ron Conte

I’ve written several long posts on the topic of lying, with several more planned. Numerous commentators have also written on this topic, some repeatedly. Why is lying such an important moral issue? In all probability, most actual lies that people … Continue reading →

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An error in the definition of lying

Posted on 17 February 2011 by Ron Conte

The teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church must be read and interpreted in the light of Tradition, Scripture, and the other documents of the Magisterium. Read in isolation, the CCC is easily misunderstood because it is so terse. … Continue reading →

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When is lying a mortal sin?

Posted on 17 February 2011 by Ron Conte

Lying is intrinsically evil. Every intrinsically evil act is always immoral because the act is, by its very nature, contrary to the moral law. But not every intrinsically evil act is a mortal sin. Some intrinsically evil acts are venial … Continue reading →

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Is Lying Always Wrong? part 4: deliberate choice

Posted on 16 February 2011 by Ron Conte

Saint Augustine, in On Lying, considers the difficulty of defining lying when a false assertion is incorrectly believed to be true, or a true assertion is incorrectly believed to be false. If a person asserts a falsehood, but he believes … Continue reading →

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Lying and Ethics by Example

Posted on 11 February 2011 by Ron Conte

In discussions on lying, many Catholics approach the question by proposing various examples of acts that seem to be both lies and moral. They then resolve this conflict by either claiming that lying is not always immoral, or by claiming … Continue reading →

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Errors on Lying at the New Theological Movement blog

Posted on 10 February 2011 by Ron Conte

In this post, It is a sin to lie, even to Planned Parenthood, a Catholic priest, posting under the pseudonym ‘Reginaldus’, discusses Catholic doctrine on lying. The main point of the post is that lying is always immoral. This point … Continue reading →

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Unintended Bad Consequences

Posted on 9 February 2011 by Ron Conte

One common error in Catholic ethics is the claim that an act cannot be made immoral by a bad consequence, if that consequence is unintended. On the basis of this claim, unintended bad consequences, no matter how severe, are incorrectly … Continue reading →

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Ethics by Example

Posted on 8 February 2011 by Ron Conte

There is a certain erroneous approach to ethics that might be called ‘ethics by example’. In this approach, an intrinsically evil act is said to be sometimes moral, if anyone can cite an example of that type of act that … Continue reading →

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Ethics without Sacrifice

Posted on 8 February 2011 by Ron Conte

The latest trend in Catholic ethical thinking is what might be called ‘ethics without sacrifice’. In this approach to morality, any moral analysis is said to be incorrect if it implies that one must suffer in order to avoid sin. … Continue reading →

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Is Lying Always Wrong? — part 3: Saint Augustine

Posted on 7 February 2011 by Ron Conte

It is often incorrectly stated that St. Augustine defined lying as follows: ” ‘A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving.’ ” This text is a quote in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2482; … Continue reading →

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Is Lying Always Wrong? — part 1: intrinsic evil

Posted on 3 February 2011 by Ron Conte

If lying is intrinsically evil, then it is always immoral. The Three Fonts and Intrinsic Evil There are three fonts of morality: (1) intention, (2) moral object, (3) circumstances. In order to be moral, all three fonts must be good. … Continue reading →

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Intrinsic Evil

Posted on 30 January 2011 by Ron Conte

The Three Fonts of Morality There are three fonts of morality: intention, moral object, circumstances. What makes an act morally good? Three good fonts; no bad fonts. (1) intention — The first font is the intended end, i.e. the purpose … Continue reading →

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