The Gap between Science and Experience in Moral Systems Based on Action and Norms

This article emphasizes that knowledge and experience are separated with each other.

Accordingly knowledge can be acquired through study is one thing; moral experience, personal matter is

something else again. There are people who do not study philosophy but lived a life as philosophers. On

the other hand there were philosophy students who even received a degree and even ended with

doctorate in philosophy but do not know how to apply in practical life. We are not dealing here with

experience of right action in accord with virtue, but with the experience of an action that is distorted as

its moral quality. It is seen as a kind of subjective data that cannot be universalized as the norms

requires. Actions then can only acquire moral significance through the intervention of law. The effect of

this separation can be the misery of morality.

We take a look our practical situation here in Philippines. We are known as the only Catholic

nation in Asia. We are proud to claim for that image. However, this picture doesnt necessarily provide

conformity with the parallelism of perfect Christian morality which we cannot be proud of with graft and

corruption and other immoralities. This will make us ruin our thought and language, even when it

discourses in the importance of the concrete and experience in morality.

Conclusion: The Need for Varied Terminology in Virtue-Based Morality

We shall conclude these reflections by stirring the problem of terminology. a virtue oriented

morality requires a richer and more varied vocabulary than does one based on acts and norms, precisely

because of its connection with experience. St. Thomas is an excellent preacher that he was able to

connect all his teachings in relating to experiences. For experiences are essential elements to virtue.

Thus, Father Pinckaers illustrated that in the light provided by personal experience this teaching, which

at first appears abstract and impersonal, comes to life and reveals its power, precision and capacity of

disposing and directing concrete action.

 I could simply summarize this piece using the term WORD-EVENT by Fr. Joseto Bernadas, OP.

in one of his talk in our class. He told us that we always use or signify a word according to its use,

meaning, and our experience with it. Like for example the word war has different meanings it depends

upon the subjective aspects of the person being ask.

Fr. Pinckaers was very true that, there is no single author that can utilizes all genres with equal

expertise and that it will even be true to say that a virtue-based morality precise and perfect, it will

always remain incomplete. St. Paul to his letter to the Philippians told that its real function surely is

open our minds and hearts to the mystery of the human person and God, so that our actions may

participate in the unsearchable riches of Christ in his mystery.