Strengths and Weaknesses of Proportionalism

Strength- flexibility

Recognises NL must be allowed to change and that it is impossible to see laws that are always valid without adaptation

Strength- compassionate

More compassionate than just being strict to NL, because agape is taken into account for then end result

Strength- individual circumstances

It allows individual circumstances to be taken into account e.g. stealing is wrong but if you stole because you were starving then you would be allowed

Strength- just war

Proportionalism has been used for a long time in Catholic moral thinking in the use of Just War

Strength- Aquinas allowed exceptions

Aquinas allowed exceptions to the secondary precepts which are the basis for moral rules in Catholicism, so Proportionalism might be closer to actual catholic tradition than the restricted view of the Churches Magesterium

Weakness- allows too much freedom

Difficult to decide what is morally good, problem because humans are fallible and can make mistakes when deciding what is proportionately good

Weakness- no method

There’s no method to decide what’s proportionate, very specific to the individual

Weakness- consequentialist

Takes into account outcome of an action rather than it’s intrinsic worth- agape is taken into account for the end result and is teleological

Weakness- rejection of moral codes

Permits rejection of authoritarian moral codes such as those laid down by the Roman Catholic Church, such as rules about stealing and killing

Weakness- condemned by Vatican

Proportionalism was condemned by the Vatican in the document ‘Veritatis Spendor’ in October 1993 except in Just War teachings