
doi: 10.1111/rati.70001
ABSTRACTThe so‐called ‘Pauline Principle’ holds that ‘one may not do evil that good may come’. I take this to mean that it is immoral to intend intrinsically evil states of affairs as a means to good. I offer an argument in favour of this principle. My argument takes the immorality of malevolent attitudes as its starting point, and contends that these attitudes typically (and perhaps exclusively) involve what Aquinas calls the ‘accidental’ willing of evil. It is inferred from this that willing evil as a means to good shares the wrong‐making features of malevolence, and is thus immoral for the same reason that malevolence is immoral.
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 0 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
