This is my ongoing set of multiple part book reviews, the first showing how the book covers some relevant point, maybe a summary (maybe from the dust cover) possibly the table of contents and the second either looking at another relevant point and/or then discussing an overall look at the book. This one will have a 3rd part with the dust cover info and info on the author so that it will not need an Adult Content warning. The book is “Contraception and the Natural Law” by Germain G. Grisez, Copyright 1964 by the Bruce Publishing Company.
The following lays out part of the authors strategy on attacking the subject with the understanding that the natural end of the procreative act (that is sexual intercourse) is the production of children. I must add, since man is a rational animal, assuming he has searched for the true religion and found it to be Catholicism (the form of Christianity that resulted from the consummation of the Jewish religion with the arrival of its messiahs Jesus Christ not the worship of God resulting strictly (and out of context) from the commandments of a book but from the commandments of God through Jesus Christ and the apostles/priests/ministers He sent to teach and “to preach the gospel to every creature in Matthew 28:16-20 as well as Mark 16:14-20), knows that God instituted the natural law and a violation of against the natural law is essentially against the first commandment. The following outlines the base objection against contraception.
“ Arguments proceeding within the framework of conventional natural law theory always include the following incomplete syllogism: Contraception is intrinsically immoral because by it one engaging in intercourse prevents his act from attaining its natural end. This syllogism can be understood and completed in various ways, and my sole concern here is to indicate clearly some inadequate ones. Hence, rather than trying to survey this literature, where the precise completion and interpretation followed is often unclear, I shall work through as many interesting possibilities as I can distinguish, criticizing them as I go.
The obvious way to expand the incomplete argument into a formally valid syllogism is the following:
Major: To prevent any human act from attaining its natural end is intrinsically immoral.
Minor: Contraception prevents sexual intercourse from attaining its natural end.
Conclusion: contraception is intrinsically immoral.
Once the argument is completed in this way it remains only to clarify the meaning of the terms in some fashion compatible both with the truth of the premises and with the unity of the middle term. Unfortunately, as we shall see, it is difficult to meet these two requirements at the same time. If the premises are understood in an obviously true sense, “natural end” becomes equivocal, and as son as this equivocation is eliminated one of the premises is exposed to serious objections. We shall consider first the way in which the middle term becomes equivocal.
Contraception clearly does prevent sexual intercourse from attaining the end proper to it as a biological process. The sexual organs are not called “genitals” for nothing; no physiologist would treat sex except as a mode of reproductive functioning. We are dealing here with natural teleology, and although the word “teleology” is not used by modern live-scientist, the reality of functional goals is still a key in the understanding of organic processes.
From the point of view it is irrelevant that not every act of intercourse leads to conception and that the psychic drive toward sexual activity can promote it beyond functional necessity. Particularly where reproduction is concerned, the phenomenon of superabundance in common in nature. It does not in the least impede the teleological interpretation of reproductive function.”
At the New Advent website https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14474a.htm it describes Teleology (teleological meaning having to do with teleology) as follows:
“Teleology is seldom used according to its etymological meaning to denote the branch of philosophy which deals with ends or final causes. It means the doctrine that there is design, purpose, or finality in the world, that effects are in some manner intentional, and that no complete account of the universe is possible without reference to final causes . . .”
As Catholics we believe the “ends or final causes” of a thing are determined by why it was created by God. Sexual Intercourse between humans was for the purpose of creating citizens of heaven. So even once a child results from sexual intercourse between parents, those parents must raise that child to be a good catholic to be a good citizen of heaven to bring to completion the teleological end of the reproductive function. So for a Catholic, production of a child is the first part of the purpose of sexual intercourse the second part of course is raising that child to be a good citizen of heaven. God gives much license in the marital act as long as in each encounter God is given sufficient opportunity to create a possible citizen of heaven (this of course excludes any type of contraception or action that intentionally trys to avoid conception as in Onan’s case). Again any unsureness should be brought to a good parish priest for clarification and approved method on how to proceed in any particular case.
This is a sample of how this book argues its points. It is for people that want an explanation of why contraception is wrong based on sometimes technical arguments in the philosophical manner of Saint Thomas Aquinas. I think anyone with a college education, who has studied basic theology or has the help of a good spiritual advisor should be able to read, understand and benefit from this book. Those who have problems with pornography and self-abuse are often the same people who have a problem understanding the Catholic Churches stand on contraception and the next blog will cover arguments against both as well as give some general comments about the book. The book reviewed is “Contraception and the Natural Law” by Germain G. Grisez, Copyright 1964 by the Bruce Publishing Company
Traditional Thomistic Catholic 