Defending Probabilism : The Moral Theology of Juan Caramuel

by Fleming, Julia A.

• ISBN13: 9781589011137
• ISBN10: 1589011139
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-12-15
• Publisher: Georgetown Univ Pr

Summary

Through the centuries, at the heart of Catholic moral theology is a fundamental question: How do we behave responsibly in the face of moral uncertainty? Attempts to resolve problems of everyday life led to the growth of a variety of moral systems, one of which emerged in the early 17th century and was known as "probabilism." This method of solving difficult moral cases allowed the believer to rely upon a view that was judged defensible in terms of its arguments or the authorities behind it, even if the opposite opinion was supported by stronger arguments or more authorities. The theologian Juan Caramuel, a Spanish Cistercian monk whom Alphonso Liguori famously characterized as "the prince of laxists," has been regarded as one of the more extreme?and notorious?proponents of probabilism. As the only full-length English study of Caramuel's theological method, Defending Probabilism seeks to reappraise Caramuel's legacy, claiming that his model of moral thinking, if better understood, can actually be of help to the Church today. Considered one of the most erudite theologians of his age, a scientist and scholar who published works on everything from astronomy and architecture to printing and Gregorian chant, Caramuel strove throughout his life to understand probabilism's theological and philosophical foundations as part of his broader analysis of the nature of human knowledge. In applying Caramuel's legacy to our own time, Defending Probabilism calls for a reconsideration of the value of provisional moral knowledge. Fleming's study shows that history matters, and that to attain any position on moral certitude is a difficult and painstaking process.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Charles E. Curran	xi
Preface	xvii
Acknowledgments	xxiii
Chapter 1 Situating Probabilism: The Ethical Theory and Its Significance for Caramuel	1	(25)
Chapter 2 Advocating Probabilism: Caramuel's Early Writings and the Proof-Texts They Provided for His Critics	26	(23)
Chapter 3 Using Probabilism: Avoiding Improbable Warfare and Making Peace with Protestants	49	(24)
Chapter 4 Protecting Probabilism: The Apologema as an Answer to Probabilism's Critics	73	(22)
Chapter 5 Explaining Probabilism: The Apologema's Project of Education	95	(23)
Chapter 6 Redefining Probabilism: The Dialexis de Non-Certitudine	118	(23)
Afterword Remembering Probabilism: The Contemporary Significance of Caramuel's Legacy	141	(12)
Notes	153	(42)
Index	195