The Doctrine of Double Effect - 2090 Words

There are times when doing the right thing can lead to bad consequences. For example, if your family is about to be killed by a criminal and the only thing you can do to protect your family from being murdered is to kill the person who is threatening them, you would feel it necessary to commit an evil in order to prevent a greater misfortune. On the other hand, the actor in cases such as this faces a moral dilemma of having to kill someone. This is where the Doctrine of Double Effect comes into play. The Doctrine of Double Effect (DDE) is a principal which aims to provide specific guidelines for determining when it is morally permissible to perform an action in the pursuit of a positive outcome with the full knowledge that the action will also bring about an evil consequence. (Solomon, 2014). Although the Doctrine of Double Effect is viewed as a positive theory by man, it is unjust in that it gives people a justification to commit heinous acts if they merely claim that they intended some sort of good outcome to result from their actions. The Doctrine of Double Effect was first created by Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas believed that if you killed someone who was attacking you, you were justified in this action because the individual who was being attacked didn’t have an intent to kill the attacker from the beginning. Aquinas observes that â€Å"nothing hinders one act from having two effects, only one of which is intended, while the other is beside the intention. †¦ Accordingly, the actShow MoreRelatedThe Doctrine Of Double Effect1163 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction to Ethics in the Healthcare Setting Doctrine of Double Effect The Doctrine of Double Effect (DDE) is utilized in the explanation of the permissibility of dealings and actions that result in impairment for example, death of a person, as a result of achieving some good at the end. This explains that it is sometimes acceptable to harm someone if the action will evoke some good at the end (Mclntyre 42). This reasoning was introduced by Thomas Aquinas but has developed and many versions ofRead MoreThe Doctrine Of Double Effect877 Words   |  4 Pagessuppression of respirations. However, the Doctrine of Double Effect helps to determine if the act is permissible. With this particular case, Nicolas is faced with the situation of either facing unbearable pain or taking morphine to ease the pain in his last months of life. Before this case can be analyzed according to the Doctrine of Double Effect, one must first consider the act, good effect, and bad effect. In this case, the act is the use of morphine. The good effect that comes from the act is the reliefRead MoreThe Doctrine Of Double Effect2007 Words   |  9 PagesThe doctrine (or principle) of double effect is often invoked to explain the permissibility of an action that causes a serious harm, such as the death of a human being, as a side effect of promoting some good end (McIntyre, 2004) . According to the principle of double effect (DDE), there are times where it is permissible to cause harm – as a side effect of bringing about a good result, even though it would not be acceptable to cause such harm as a means to providing the same good end. I will nowRead MoreEssay on The Doc trine of Double Effect1307 Words   |  6 PagesCase Assignment: The doctrine of double effect says that the pursuit of good is not as acceptable if the harm that results is intended rather than merely foreseen (Lippert-Rasmussen, 2010). To some it is a nonabsolutist moral principle in which as long as significant good resulted from the action, it is allowable (Lippert-Ramussen, 2010). Scanlon believed that an act that leads to the death of an innocent person can never be justified by the good that results (Lippert-Ramussen, 2010). ScanlonsRead MoreProblems With The Doctrine Of Double Effect1904 Words   |  8 PagesJessie Buckler Term Paper Philosophy 3300 April 25, 2016 PROBLEMS WITH THE DOCTRINE OF DOUBLE EFFECT Defenders of the Doctrine of Double Effect argue that there is a morally significant distinction, which bears on the rightness of actions, between those consequences of our actions that are intended and those that are foreseen. Utilitarians often use this doctrine to describe their stance on the topic of harming others. This paper will look at three situations that are commonly used to defendRead MoreDoctrine of Double Effect Essay1464 Words   |  6 PagesAlecia Rhines Doctrine of Double Effect Trident University What is the Doctrine of Double Effect? The doctrine of double effect if often invoked to explain the permissibility of an action that causes a serious harm, such as the death of a human being, as a side effect of promoting good ends. It is claimed that sometimes it is permissible to cause such harm as a side effect of bringing about a good result even though it would not be permissible to cause such harm as a means to bringing aboutRead MoreThe Doctrine Of Double Effect : Writing Assignment1176 Words   |  5 PagesEvan Bakker Professor Cole Honors Ethics 6 February 2015 The Doctrine of Double Effect: Writing Assignment 1 The method of reflective equilibrium is a method that is a state in which our moral principles are in accord with our intuitive moral judgements. There are two different kinds of reflective equilibrium: narrow reflective equilibrium, which is when one’s intuitive judgements concerning a rather restricted set of cases is rendered consistent with a set of general moral principles, where asRead MoreThe Problem Of Abortion And The Doctrine Of Double Effect1775 Words   |  8 PagesIn The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect , Phillipa Foot takes into account what is called the Doctrine of Double Effect (henceforth DDE), which appeals to two effects that an action causes - one intended at and desired, the other foreseen as a consequence of the action but undesired. She uses this doctrine to critically examine its application and thereby assert that My conclusion is that the distinction between direct and oblique intention (the DDE) plays only a quiteRead MoreT he Doctrine Of The Separate Legal Entity1386 Words   |  6 Pagesact is the doctrine of the separate legal entity. Section 1.5.1 of the act outlines the separate legal entity theory, legislated as a company being distinct from its owners, managers, operators, employees and agents. Though, the doctrine of separate legal entity has been argued as a double edged sword. A ‘double edged sword’ is defined by Oxford as ‘a situation or course of action having both positive and negative effects.’ The separate legal entity doctrine is evident of being a ‘double edged sword’Read MoreThe Debate Over Physician Assisted Suicide951 Words   |  4 Pagesdetermined by the doctrine of double effect. The doctrine of double effect states that an action is morally permissible if the bad effect is not intended but may be foreseen; if the act is not intrinsically wrong; and if good effect is the result of the action, not the bad effect. This doctrine can be used to determine whether or not providing the diamorphine is morally permissible. With the doctor committing to giving the diamorphine, he is satisfying all the requirements for the double effect. The intent