Proportionalism: Hoose's Proportionalist Approach
Proportionalism, developed by Bernard Hoose and others, refines natural law by arguing that acts are moral if the goods achieved are proportionate to the harms caused. This approach permits limited harm if greater goods justify it, offering alternative to absolute rules while remaining within natural law framework.
Real World
A doctor administering high-dose morphine to a terminally ill cancer patient, knowing it may hasten death, reflects proportionalism: the good of relieving unbearable suffering is proportionate to the harm caused, justifying the act.
Exam Focus
Distinguish proportionalism from consequentialism — examiners penalise conflation; proportionalism works within natural law's objective goods framework.
How well did you know this?