Moral Uncertainty and Doubt in the Affairs of the Indies: Vitoria, Las Casas, and Medina on Difficult Cases of Conscience

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Abstract

Sixteenth-century Spanish theologians frequently discussed matters of conscience, particularly regarding the dilemmas forced upon them by the Spanish conquest and domination of the Americas. In his Relectio de indis and his Relectio de iure belli, Francisco de Vitoria warned that persons of moral and intellectual authority should be consulted when attempting to solve difficult moral situations. Bartolomé de las Casas investigated such issues from a practical perspective when dealing with slavery, restitution, and war. In his commentary on Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae, professor Bartolomé de Medina addressed these issues from a theoretical perspective when dealing with the concepts of dominium and restitution. In this chapter, Vitoria's, Las Casas's and Medina's approaches to difficult ethical cases are discussed and placed in the context of early modern Spanish thought.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Transatlantic Las Casas
Subtitle of host publicationHistorical Trajectories, Indigenous Cultures, Scholastic Thought, and Reception in History
EditorsRady Roldán-Figueroa, David T. Orique
Place of PublicationLeiden
PublisherBrill
Chapter9
Pages211–225
Number of pages15
ISBN (Electronic)978-90-04-51591-8
ISBN (Print)978-90-04-42514-9
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Publication series

NameStudies in the History of Christian Traditions
Volume198

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