The 60-Second Aquinas
Lesson
Intention and Accident
November 30, 1998
Have you ever heard, "I didn’t mean to … I only wanted to"?
It could be "I didn’t mean to knock my brother down; I just barely pushed him." Or more positively, "I never intended for you to help me out; I just helped you because you needed it at the time."
It’s part of the nature of this world that when we do something, it often has effects we don’t directly intend but are nonetheless caused by our actions. The "four wounds of nature" are not out intended effects of our sins. When we sin, we do not intend these to happen, but they do. We do not intend for our natural inclination toward virtue to be weakened or obstructed, but it happens.
When Aquinas explains how the sin of Adam and Eve caused death to enter the world, he knows they did not intend this to happen. He explains the connection this way: "One thing may be the cause of another in either of two ways – either through itself or accidentally. … It is obvious that sin is not through itself the cause of death or of similar evils, because the sinner does not intend them. But one thing may be also be the cause of another accidentally, by removing something which prevents it" (ST I-II, Q. 85, Art. 5).
Put simply, when you do something – good or bad – there often are unexpected effects.
Explanation of The 60-Second Aquinas Lesson
