Supererogation
Supererogation (from the Latin super "over", "above" and erogare "distribute", "donate") describes in ethics actions with which someone does more than his duty requires.
theology
The term supererogation comes from Christian theology . The starting point is the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10, 25-37). There the part of the action of the Samaritan that goes beyond the obligation lies primarily in the fact that he promises the landlord that he will even pay for his further costs:
- The next day he took out two silver groschen, gave them to the landlord, and said: Take care of him; and if you spend more [quodcumque supererogaveris] I'll pay you when I come back. (Luke 10:35)
Based on this formulation of the Latin Bible ( Vulgate ), the term opera supererogationis ("excessive duty" or "excessive duty") was coined in theology . Since Tertullian, the church writers of the patristic epoch made a distinction between the regulations laid down in divine law ( praecepta ) and the advice ( consilia ) in the New Testament . The advice was understood to mean the evangelical counsels with which a life in poverty and celibacy (chastity) is recommended. Following this advice was seen as the accomplishment of supererogatory works. The practice of particularly strict asceticism and special piety exercises were also included. Such action as well as compliance with the generally binding commandments served to avoid sins. In addition, the intention was to earn merit by following the advice and thus improve the prospect of attaining eternal bliss .
In medieval scholasticism , the theory of supererogation was systematically worked out, especially by Thomas Aquinas . Thomas believed that many Christians, especially the saints and martyrs, would have voluntarily done far more than what they were obliged to do by divine law. Through this supererogation, they would have earned a great surplus of merit, which is not due to them but to the Church as a whole. This credit is now the common property of the total number of believers ( communia multitudinis ) and can therefore be distributed among the believers at the discretion of whoever heads this number. In the sense of such a community understanding, Thomas took the view that a guilty party could be granted a penalty ( remissio poenae ) if someone else gave him satisfaction. On the basis of such lines of thought, the idea of the collective assets created by supererogatory services served as the justification for the penal discount granted within the framework of the church's indulgences .
In the age of the Reformation , supererogation became a major point of difference and controversy between Catholics and Reformed people. Since Luther's criticism of monasticism in De votis monasticis (1521), Protestant theology has in principle rejected the idea that there are supererogatory acts. In particular, the idea that one can earn merit before God with such actions is fiercely opposed because of its incompatibility with the principle of sola gratia . In addition, the evangelical theologians see this as a weakening of the obligatory character of the divine commandments.
The Anglican Church shares the evangelical view on this. Since the sixteenth century, in the fourteenth of its thirty-nine articles, it has condemned the doctrine of supererogation: of super- meritorious works. Voluntary works alongside and above the commandments of God, which are called super-deserving works, cannot be claimed without presumption and godlessness. Because in this way people declare that they not only give God what they are obliged to do, but do more for his sake than they are owed, against which Christ clearly speaks: "When you have done everything you have been commanded, speak : We are useless servants. ( Lk 17.10 ELB ) ".
philosophy
Immanuel Kant is of the opinion that every good act is only the fulfillment of a duty that is incumbent on the agent. It is true that with Kant there is a hierarchy of duties, so that the fulfillment of one duty can be omitted if this duty is restricted by another, but even then all morally relevant action is a form of duty fulfillment; any act that is not performed out of duty is morally indifferent. Therefore, for Kant, there are no supererogatory actions if these are defined in such a way that they are good but not mandatory. Still, theorists of ethics have tried to reconcile Kant's ethics with the idea of supererogation.
The principle of utilitarianism is that it is always imperative to act to achieve the best possible by maximizing the total amount of benefit for all. Therefore, in purely utilitarian models, the distinction between what is obligatory and what is supererogatory does not apply. Nevertheless, attempts have been made to make utilitarian approaches compatible with a concept of supererogation.
literature
- James O. Urmson : Saints and Heroes , in: A. Report (Ed.): Essays in Moral Philosophy. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1958.
- David Heyd: Supererogation. Its status in ethical theory , Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1982, ISBN 0-521-23935-4
- Ulla Wessels : The good Samaritan woman. On the structure of supererogation , de Gruyter, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-11-017490-1
Web links
- David Heyd: Supererogation. In: Edward N. Zalta (Ed.): Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy .