Moral Discernment and Doubt in the Human Journey

An ongoing challenge within all approaches to ethical decision making is reducing the degree of doubt about what action is right, good, or at least better in a given situation. The process of moral discernment within Christian thought is no exception; however, different Christian communities tend to understand moral doubt and moral certainty differently, to pursue different ways of allaying doubt, and to expect—and accept—different degrees of moral certainty. Drawing especially from Aristotelian virtue theory, selected teachings from the Eastern Orthodox tradition on humility, and recent discussions of the ‘grace of self-doubt,’ I sketch an account of virtuous moral doubt as a mean between the extremes of excessive and deficient moral doubt. My hope is doing so will help to make space and provide the framework for an ecumenical understanding of doubt’s proper role in moral discernment.

Ruy González's 1553 Letter to Emperor Charles V An Annotated Translation

The letter sent by Ruy González, a councilman of Mexico City, to the Spanish monarch, Charles I (Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire), in April 1553 constitutes an excellent example of the genre of correspondence sent by the conquerors and early settlers of the colonies back to Spain. These men, self-assured and successful, proud of their achievements and unbothered by moral doubt, though now generally well off and powerful, were nonetheless greatly perturbed in their old age by a growing governmental reluctance to allow them to pass on their status and wealth undisturbed to the next generation. To them there appeared to be a great influx of royal and ecclesiastical officials, characteristically accompanied by dependents and sycophants seeking favor and grants, as well as an unjustified questioning of the moral probity of the actions of the conquerors themselves. In this climate, feeling that his wisdom and deeds were unappreciated, Ruy González sent his several-page letter to the king, justifying his life, arguing his point of view, and advising changes in royal policies towards the colony that he had helped to found.

Nuclear Energy for the Poor

The subject of nuclear energy, arousing hope and anxiety in almost equal degree, is of interest to all mankind. Of late, however, attention has focused on the implications of the spread of nuclear power and technology to Third World countries, and in that context the views of Pakistan—a developing country with similar economic compulsions—may be of some general interest.Thirty years after Hiroshima-Nagasaki one sees nuclear energy being used beneficently all over the world in research institutions and hospitals, in farms and factories. But a number of recent developments have reawakened the fear and moral doubt concerning man's capacity to make wise use of the terrible power his intelligence has unleashed: the explosion by India of a nuclear device in 1974; disclosures about the real risks of accidents in power reactors; and the fear that terrorists, political or’ criminal, may obtain recourse to nuclear bombs to further their ends.