Morality: The Catholic View

This is an introductory text of unusual depth and breadth. Father Pinckaers' thesis is that since the 14th century moral philosophy and theology have posited human freedom as primary to human nature. From this premise have come a series of "moralities of obligation" in which freedom is seen as restricted by externally imposed moral rules. Almost by definition, such a model tends to disassociate happiness from morality.According to Pinckaers, a better, more classical, and more Thomistic approach is to consider human freedom as part of human nature, rooted in and ineradicably woven among our yearnings for the good, the beautiful, and the true. Thus the best use of our freedom is virtue, which is not only compatible with happiness but in its highest form (i.e., love) is the source of joy.Pinckaers' analysis of the fundamental flaw of modernist ethics is penetrating and, in my view, probably correct. The concept of human nature presented here is a high one, and may strike some as too exalted. But that's the point. Catholic morality looks to humanity as it was intended to be, and as it can be when redeemed by grace.

As a seminary student in 1972 the Catholic Church was in the midst of a painful transition from a highly rational clearly reasoned set of conclusions and caveats to an emotion based moral theology. That's not what VaticaII intended but that's what happened. There was a drift away from the Church's clear position of sexual morality to a laxity that is sadly apparent in today's church. This text is a balanced turn back toward faithful Church understanding of moral demands of Christianity. Fr. Pinckares' gives a clear historical perspective of the Church's growth pains in moral theology. I enjoyed reading his perspective on the role of the beatitudes in the Christian's moral development. It is a nice extention of the Catechism's statement on the role of the beatitudes in the moral life. If I had this small book in 1972 I might not have wandered so far afield in the moral life.

Outstanding brief survey of Catholic moral theology combined with thought-provoking call for recovering an older, more affirming approach to morality as pursuit of the good and happiness. Pinckaers is much like Joseph Pieper who writes compact works that cannot be measured in page numbers. Also like Pieper, he brings us back to the Angelic Doctor, Aquinas, as the foundation for a body of teaching both rational AND spirit-filled whilst still firmly scriptural.

Servais Pinkaers is brilliant. Everything he writes is full of grace.

This was a good book.

this was recommended to me by a moral theology professor. It is excellent and well thought out - some areas require work to understand, but I blame my own ignorance.

As a required textbook, I learned something from it but it was not a book that I will reading over and over.

This is a very helpful,clearly-written, to-the-point book. Pinckaers starts by going back to the basics: defining human nature - which then allows for a greater understanding of how to be truly happy.

The revolution in fundamental moral Catholic theology since Veritatis Splendor was well understood by some and Servais Pinckaers demonstrates the traditional emphasis on scripture and natural law which helps illuminate the basis of moral teaching. Pinckaers avoids the debate about the case based emphasis of many writers which has been a strong theme of recent writing

If studying Catechetics very useful tool

Excellent

Splendid book. The book explains the material well. It gives the modern outlook and why older models for morality no longer cut it.

Excellent introduction