Summaries / Resúmenes - Studia Moralia

28 JOSEPH A. SELLINGWith respect to Johnstone’s assessment of the theory of“basic human goods” I have more difficulty. To begin, I mustadmit that I do not find his exposition and critique very clear.Claiming that Germain Grisez builds his theory on a notion ofpre-moral goods would seem to be placing him in a school ofthought that he rather strongly opposes. Claiming further thathe believes that goods “are constructions of the reason of thesubject, posited as objects in relation to that subject” (115)nearly makes Grisez sound like a subjectivist.Johnstone goes on to characterize Grisez’s theory as almostcompletely abstract. He writes, “The goods with which choicesare concerned are, in fact, abstract ideas of goods, which existin the mind of the subject; ideas which are ‘reasons for actions’”(116). He does not even bother to list what those goods are. 11 Infairness to Grisez, I believe that it would be more accurate tosay that as he developed his theory he provided more complexintellectual arguments to substantiate what he was suggesting.His later formulation of the theory might appear abstract, buthis starting point and the manner in which he applies it is veryconcrete and specific. He had attempted to draw a picture of11Germain Grisez developed his theory of “basic goods” over a longperiod of time, beginning with his book Contraception and the Natural Law(Milwaukee: Bruce, 1964) 62-75; followed by Abortion: The Myths, theRealities, and the Arguments (New York: Corpus Books, 1970) 307-321; Lifeand Death with Liberty and Justice (Notre Dame: Univ. Pr., 1979) 358-368;and culminating in The Way of the Lord Jesus, v. 1, Christian MoralPrinciples (Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1983), ch. 5, question D, §§ 6-8 & 10-11, pp. 121-124, in which he lists seven “categories” of goods as:(four reflexive or existential) inner harmony or the good of self-integration,practical reasonableness and authenticity, justice and friendship, peace andfriendship with God, (three non-reflexive or substantive) life and health,knowledge of truth and appreciation of beauty, and playful activities andskillful performance. This was later followed up in the article with JosephBoyle and John Finnis to which Johnstone refers, “Practical Principles,Moral Truth and Ultimate Ends,” The American Journal of Jurisprudence 32(1987) 99-151.