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IN DUE MEASURE
Christopher Kaczor: Proportionalism and the Natural Law Tradition. (Washington: The Catholic University of America Press, 2002. Pp. x, 228. $49.95.)
Pope John Paul II's clear assertion in Veritatis Splendor that "teleological" ethical theories like proportionalism "cannot claim to be grounded in Catholic moral theology" is the driving force behind Christopher Kaczor's well-written and thorough volume, Proportionalism and the Natural Law Tradition. Kaczor avoids the "inflated" and "abrasive rhetoric" characteristic of most other critiques of proportionalism as he takes on the thorny and much debated question of whether proportionalism is an expression of authentic Catholic doctrine. Proportionalism, an approach to moral reasoning that is based on the view that the ideal moral act must achieve proportionality between the means and the ends of that act, gained prominence among some Catholic theologians in the mid-1960s, and its influence continues to be felt today. Kaczor takes proportionalism seriously-not because he is a proponent of that position-but because he is convinced that its "attempt to undermine traditional understandings of moral absolutes" is significant (p. 9). As Kaczor states, "Proportionalism has both theoretical and practical import" (p. 9).
He agrees with proportionalists that their movement is a "revolution." That, however, is the extent of their agreement. Kaczor claims that proportionalists are revolting against the natural law tradition as exemplified by Thomas Aquinas, and that their understanding of morality reflects the influence of neo-Scholasticism. Proportionalists claim that they are revolting against the neo-Scholastic moral theology of the pre-Vatican II era and embracing a more genuine Thomistic view. Why is this disagreement important? Because Kaczor thinks that for many Catholics, the credibility of proportionalism rests on its claim of continuity with Catholic moral tradition. Hence, if Kaczor is successful in proving his case, proportionalism is stripped of much of its legitimacy.
Kaczor begins by offering what he claims is...