Are There Such Things as Absolute Norms of Prohibition? A Philosophical Analysis of the Doctrine of “intrinsece malum”

Abstract

The phrase “intrinsece malum” is commonly understood as the title of an Aristotelian-Thomistic doctrine of moral philosophy and moral theology, according to which there are some actions that are, regardless of their consequences, morally wrong and are absolutely forbidden. This essay analyses both the action-theoretical and the normative presuppositions of this doctrine. Firstly these presuppositions will be uncovered and then discussed with those of alternative moral theories, in order to consider their consistency and explanatory power, but also their ontological commitments. The aim of this indirect path of inquiry is to show that there are good reasons to hold on to the classic doctrine of “intrinsece malum”.