Download Contemporary Moral Problems

MILL’S HARM PRINCIPLE
“IF ALL MANKIND MINUS ONE WERE OF
ONE OPINION, AND ONLY ONE PERSON
WERE OF THE CONTRARY OPINION,
MANKIND WOULD BE NO MORE
JUSTIFIED IN SILENCING THAT ONE
PERSON THAN HE, IF HE HAD THE
POWER, WOULD BE JUSTIFIED IN
SILENCING MANKIND.”
It is important to discuss the Vatican versus Corvino debate in a class
like this, on contemporary moral issues.
A.STRONGLY AGREE
B. AGREE
C.SOMEWHAT AGREE
D.NEUTRAL
E. SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
F. DISAGREE
G.STRONGLY DISAGREE
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AGENDA
• CLICKER QUIZ
• JOHN CORVINO, “WHY
SHOULDN'T TOMMY AND
JIM HAVE SEX? A DEFENSE
OF HOMOSEXUALITY”
• PLEASE SET YOUR
TURNING TECHNOLOGY
CLICKER TO CHANNEL
41
PRESS “CH”, THEN “41”,
THEN “CH”
IN HIS ARTICLE, CORVINO DISCUSSES ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE
MORALITY OF HOMOSEXUALITY THAT APPEAL TO:
57%
43%
A. UNNATURALNESS
B. HARM
C. BOTH A AND B
D. NEITHER A NOR B
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WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING POSSIBLE DEFINITIONS OF “UNNATURAL” DOES CORVINO FIND THE
MOST PLAUSIBLE (AND THEREFORE MOST IMPORTANT FOR CRITICAL EVALUATION)?
“UNNATURAL” MEANS “DISGUSTING OR
OFFENSIVE”
“UNNATURAL” MEANS “DOES NOT PROCEED IN
ACCORDANCE WITH INNATE DESIRES”
14%
ALL OF THE ABOVE
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14%
0%
NONE OF THE ABOVE
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D.
“UNNATURAL” MEANS “VIOLATES AN ORGAN'S
PRINCIPAL PURPOSE”
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“UNNATURAL” MEANS “NOT PRACTICED BY OTHER
ANIMALS”
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A.
ACCORDING TO CORVINO, IF IT IS TRUE THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE BORN WITH
HOMOSEXUAL TENDENCIES, THEN:
THEY OUGHT NOT TO ACT ON THOSE
TENDENCIES
NOTHING FOLLOWS NECESSARILY ABOUT
WHAT SUCH PEOPLE MORALLY OUGHT OR
OUGHT NOT DO REGARDING THOSE
TENDENCIES
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ALL OF THE ABOVE
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C.
THEY OUGHT TO ACT ON THOSE TENDENCIES
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JOHN CORVINO
HTTP://JOHNCORVINO.COM
•
APRIL, 2008: DISINVITED FROM ST. AQUINAS COLLEGE
•
COLLEGE PRESIDENT: “WE WANT TO EXPLORE THE ISSUE
FROM AN ACADEMIC PERSPECTIVE, NOT FROM THE
PERSPECTIVE OF AN ANTAGONISTIC ATTACK TO CORE
CATHOLIC VALUES.”
•
CORVINO: “I HAVE NO INTEREST IN DISTORTING CATHOLIC
TEACHING. ON THE CONTRARY, THE MORE CLEARLY A
POSITION IS SET OUT, THE MORE RIGOROUSLY WE CAN
DISCUSS IT.”
Current Event: http://johncorvino.com/2013/09/response-to-providence-colleges-rescheduling-of-myevent/
JOHN CORVINO, “WHY SHOULDN'T TOMMY AND JIM HAVE SEX? A
DEFENSE OF HOMOSEXUALITY”


IN THIS ARTICLE, CORVINO ATTEMPTS TO REFUTE TWO
KINDS OF ARGUMENTS AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY:

THOSE THAT APPEAL TO ITS BEING UNNATURAL,

AND THOSE THAT APPEAL TO ITS BEING HARMFUL.
TO DO THIS, HE REFORMULATES THE UNNATURALNESS
ARGUMENT IN FIVE WAYS AND OBJECTS TO EACH
REFORMULATION.
JOHN CORVINO, “WHY SHOULDN'T TOMMY AND JIM HAVE SEX? A
DEFENSE OF HOMOSEXUALITY”
THE FIVE DISCUSSED MEANINGS OF “UNNATURAL”:
1.
UNNATURAL =DF UNUSUAL OR ABNORMAL
2.
UNNATURAL =DF NOT PRACTICED BY OTHER
ANIMALS
3.
UNNATURAL =DF DOES NOT PROCEED IN
ACCORDANCE WITH INNATE DESIRES
4.
UNNATURAL =DF DISGUSTING OR OFFENSIVE
5.
UNNATURAL =DF VIOLATES AN ORGAN'S
PRINCIPAL PURPOSE
JOHN CORVINO, “WHY SHOULDN'T TOMMY AND JIM HAVE SEX? A
DEFENSE OF HOMOSEXUALITY”
THE FIVE DISCUSSED MEANINGS OF “UNNATURAL”:
1.
UNNATURAL =DF UNUSUAL OR ABNORMAL
2.
UNNATURAL =DF NOT PRACTICED BY OTHER
ANIMALS
3.
UNNATURAL =DF DOES NOT PROCEED IN
ACCORDANCE WITH INNATE DESIRES
4.
UNNATURAL =DF DISGUSTING OR OFFENSIVE
5.
UNNATURAL =DF VIOLATES AN ORGAN'S
PRINCIPAL PURPOSE
Corvino holds that these are bad answers for
what it means to be unnatural
WHY WOULD SOMEONE THINK
THAT GAY SEX IS UNNATURAL?
THE MOST POWERFUL ANSWER:
•
IT VIOLATES THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF AN ORGAN. THE
PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS IS
REPRODUCTION. TO USE THE ORGANS IN SERVICE OF ANY
OTHER PURPOSE IS CONTRARY TO NATURE.
CORVINO’S FIRST RESPONSE:
• MANY ORGANS CAN BE USED FOR DIFFERENT
THINGS: THE MOUTH CAN WHISTLE, EAT, KISS,
TALK, AND SO ON. WHAT’S SO DIFFERENT
ABOUT THE SEXUAL ORGANS?
• THERE ARE MULTIPLE LEGITIMATE PURPOSES
FOR THE SEXUAL ORGANS. LOVE, MUTUAL
RESPECT, AND SO ON.
CAN A NORMATIVE CLAIM BE DERIVED FROM A
DESCRIPTIVE CLAIM?
“HUME SAYS … THAT NO ETHICAL OR
INDEED EVALUATIVE CONCLUSION
WHATSOEVER MAY BE VALIDLY INFERRED
FROM ANY SET OF PURELY FACTUAL
PREMISES.”
HTTP://PLATO.STANFORD.EDU/ENTRIES/HUME-MORAL
•
•
DESCRIPTIVE CLAIMS:
•
•
“ANIMALS FEEL PAIN”
“CUTTING IN LINE MAKES YOU AN EXCEPTION
TO THE RULE”
NORMATIVE CLAIMS:
•
“PLEASURE IS VALUABLE; PAIN IS
DISVALUABLE”
•
•
“IT IS MORALLY WRONG TO CAUSE PAIN”
“IT IS MORALLY WRONG TO MAKE ONESELF
AN EXCEPTION”
CORVINO’S SECOND RESPONSE:
• WE ARE INCONSISTENT IF WE CONDEMN NON-REPRODUCTIVE
SEXUALITY ONLY FOR HOMOSEXUAL CONDUCT. THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH HAS NO OPPOSITION TO SEXUAL ACTS BY STERILE,
PREGNANT, OR POST-MENOPAUSAL PEOPLE. WHY NOT?
Explanation Logically Inconsistent
CATHOLIC REJOINDERS
1. STERILE HETEROSEXUAL COUPLES HAVE SEX THAT IS OPEN TO
THE POSSIBILITY OF CONCEPTION; THE ACT IS DIFFERENT FROM
THOSE PRACTICED BY HOMOSEXUALS.
2. IT ISN’T SIMPLY A QUESTION OF THE SEXUAL ORGANS BEING
USED FOR MULTIPLE PURPOSES - IT’S A QUESTION OF WHAT THE
SEXUAL CAPACITIES OF THE PERSON ARE GOOD FOR. TO USE
THEM FOR PLEASURE APART FROM REPRODUCTION IS
HEDONISTIC.
JOHN CORVINO, HARM-BASED ARGUMENTS
a.
ONE VERSION OF THIS ARGUMENT CLAIMS THAT
HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVITY HARMS THE PERSON WHO
PERFORMS THAT ACTIVITY.
b.
ANOTHER VERSION CLAIMS THAT HOMOSEXUAL
ACTIVITY HARMS OTHER, NON-CONSENTING PARTIES
OR TO SOCIETY AT LARGE.
JOHN CORVINO, HARM-BASED ARGUMENTS

CORVINO ALSO RESPONDS TO HARM-BASED
ARGUMENTS AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY.
HARM TO SELF: WE DON’T PICK OUR RELATIONSHIPS
ONLY WITH A VIEW TOWARDS MINIMIZING RISKS. FOR
EXAMPLE, HETEROSEXUAL WOMEN HAVE GREATER
DISEASE RISK THAN HOMOSEXUAL, BUT THAT DOESN’T
IMPLY THAT STRAIGHT PEOPLE SHOULD CHANGE THEIR
SEXUAL PRACTICES.
JOHN CORVINO, HARM-BASED ARGUMENTS

CORVINO ALSO RESPONDS TO HARM-BASED
ARGUMENTS AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY.
HARM TO OTHERS - HARM TO THE INSTITUTION OF
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, SAY, OR TO SOCIETY.


IT MIGHT BE THE ABSENCE OF RESPECT FOR GAY
FAMILIES THAT IS THE CAUSE OF MUCH OF THE
PROBLEM DESCRIBED.
NOT EVERYONE NEEDS TO REPRODUCE FOR THE
SOCIETY TO CONTINUE AND TO FLOURISH.
VATICAN DECLARATION
ONE OF THE VATICAN'S ARGUMENTS AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY:
1.
SEXUAL ACTIVITY THAT VIOLATES THE PROPER
FUNCTION OF THE SEX ORGANS IS WRONG.
2.
HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVITY VIOLATES THE PROPER
FUNCTION OF THE SEX ORGANS.
3.
THEREFORE, HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVITY IS
WRONG.
P1. Sexual activity that violates the proper function of the sex organs
is wrong.
A.STRONGLY AGREE
B. AGREE
C.SOMEWHAT AGREE
D.NEUTRAL
E. SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
F. DISAGREE
G.STRONGLY DISAGREE
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P2. Homosexual activity violates the proper function of the sex
organs.
A.STRONGLY AGREE
B. AGREE
C.SOMEWHAT AGREE
D.NEUTRAL
E. SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
F. DISAGREE
G.STRONGLY DISAGREE
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3. Therefore, homosexual activity is wrong.
A.STRONGLY AGREE
B. AGREE
C.SOMEWHAT AGREE
D.NEUTRAL
E. SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
F. DISAGREE
G.STRONGLY DISAGREE
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