The doctrine of double effect, also called the principle of double effect, is a set of ethical criteria that Christian philosophers have advanced for judging when it is permissible to act in a way that is otherwise legitimate but that will also cause an effect one would ordinarily be obliged to avoid. Its first known example is Thomas Aquinas's treatment of homicidal self-defense in the Summa Theologica. The doctrine holds that an action with a foreseeable harmful effect inseparable from a good effect is justifiable only if the act itself is good or morally neutral, the agent intends only the good effect and not the bad one either as means or as end, and the good effect outweighs the bad effect in circumstances grave enough to justify it, with the agent taking due care to minimize the harm.
Facts
Origin YearApproximate; the Secunda Secundae of Aquinas Summa Theologica, which contains the cited passage, is conventionally dated to around 1271. Connections
Sources
1. Doctrine of Double Effect (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyDoctrine of Double Effect (SEP), introduction
The 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.
Doctrine of Double Effect (SEP), on Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas is credited with introducing the principle of double effect in his discussion of the permissibility of self-defense in the Summa Theologica (II-II, Qu. 64, Art.7).
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