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MORAL DILEMMAS IN
MEDIEVAL THOUGHT
The history of moral dilemma theory often ignores the medieval
period, overlooking the sophisticated theorizing by several thinkers
who debated the existence of moral dilemmas from around to
. In this book, M. V. Dougherty offers a rich and fascinating
overview of the debates which were pursued by medieval philoso-
phers, theologians, and canon lawyers, illustrating his discussion with
a diverse range of examples of the moral dilemmas which they consid-
ered. He shows that much of what seems particular to twentieth-
century moral theory was well known long ago – especially the
view of some medieval thinkers that some forms of wrongdoing are
inescapable, and their emphasis on the principle ‘choose the lesser of
two evils’. His book will be valuable not only to advanced students
and specialists of medieval thought, but also to those interested in the
history of ethics.
m. v. dougherty is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Ohio
Dominican University. He is the editor of Pico della Mirandola: New
Essays (Cambridge, ).
MORAL DILEMMAS IN
MEDIEVAL THOUGHT
From Gratian to Aquinas
M. V. DOUGHERTY
Ohio Dominican University
cambridge university press
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Cambridge University Press
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Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
c . Dougherty
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First published
Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
Library of Congres