Germain Grisez

Germain Gabriel Grisez (September 30, 1929 – February 1, 2018) was a French-American philosopher.^[1] Grisez's development of ideas from Thomas Aquinas has redirected Catholic thought and changed the way it has engaged with secular moral philosophy. In 'The First Principle of Practical Reason: A Commentary on the Summa Theologiae, I-II, Q. 94, A. 2' (1965) Grisez attacked the neo-scholastic interpretation of Aquinas as holding that moral norms are derived from methodologically antecedent knowledge of human nature. Grisez defended the idea of metaphysical free choice, and proposed a natural law theory of practical reasoning and moral judgement which, although broadly Thomistic, departs from Aquinas on significant points.^[2]

Grisez was Professor of Christian Ethics at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, MD^[3] from 1979 to his retirement in 2009.

See also

• John Finnis
• Robert P. George
• Pontifical Commission on Birth Control#Minority report

References

External links

• The Way of the Lord Jesus Complete text of the three volumes and additional material
• The Making of a Moral Theologian, Russell Shaw. 1996 article on Grisez's personal and professional life, including his work for Cardinal O'Boyle of the Diocese of Washington D.C.
• Biotechnology and Human Dignity in the Thought of Germain Grisez, Nicholas C. Lund-Molfese. Describes the necessity of the Christian virtue of hope in choosing the good of the human person in so-called "hard cases".
• INFALLIBILITY AND CONTRACEPTION: A REPLY TO GARTH HALLETT (PDF)