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The history of moral dilemma theory often ignores the medieval period, overlooking the sophisticated theorizing by several thinkers who debated the existence of moral dilemmas from 1150 to 1450. In this book Michael V. Dougherty offers a rich and fascinating overview of the debates which were pursued by medieval philosophers, theologians and canon lawyers, illustrating his discussion with a diverse range of examples of the moral dilemmas which they considered. He shows that much of what seems particular to twentieth-century moral theory was well-known long ago - especially the view of some medieval thinkers that some forms of wrongdoing are inescapable, and their emphasis on the principle 'choose the lesser of two evils'. His book will be valuable not only to advanced students and specialists of medieval thought, but also to those interested in the history of ethics.
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This page intentionally left blank MORAL DILEMMAS IN MEDIEVAL THOUGHT The history of moral dilemma theory often ignores the medieval period, overlooking the sophisticated theorizing by several thinkers who debated the existence of moral dilemmas from around to . In this book, M. V. Dougherty offers a rich and fascinating overview of the debates which were pursued by medieval philosophers, theologians, and canon lawyers, illustrating his discussion with a diverse range of examples of the moral dilemmas which they considered. He shows that much of what seems particular to twentiethcentury moral theory was well known long ago – especially the view of some medieval thinkers that some forms of wrongdoing are inescapable, and their emphasis on the principle ‘choose the lesser of two evils’. His book will be valuable not only to advanced students and specialists of medieval thought, but also to those interested in the history of ethics. m . v . d ough erty is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Ohio Dominican University. He is the editor of Pico della Mirandola: New Essays (Cambridge, ). MORAL DILEMMAS IN MEDIEVAL THOUGHT From Gratian to Aquinas M . V. D O U G H E RT Y Ohio Dominican University cambri dge uni versi ty p re s s Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, S˜ao Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo, Mexico City Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb ru, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York c M.V. Dougherty This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data Dougherty, M. V., – Moral dilemmas in medieval thought : from Gratian to Aquinas / M. V. Dougherty. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn - - - - (hardback) . Ethics – History – To . . Ethical problems. I. Title. bj .d . – dc isbn - - - - Hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. For Michelle A man swears to keep secrets in silence. Afterwards the one to whom he swore reveals both adultery and a plan to kill his adulteress’s husband. It seems that the swearer is in a dilemma, because if he is silent he becomes an accomplice to homicide, and if he reveals the secret, he becomes guilty of perjury.