View source for Religion:Invincible ignorance (Catholic theology)

'''Invincible ignorance''' is used in [[Philosophy:Catholic moral theology|Catholic moral theology]] to refer to the state of persons who are, through no fault of their own, ignorant of the fact that the [[Religion:Christianity|Christian]] message is true. It is the opposite of the term [[Religion:Vincible ignorance|vincible ignorance]].

The first Pope to use the term officially seems to have been Pope Pius IX in the [[Religion:Papal allocution|allocution]] ''Singulari Quadam'' (9 December 1854) and the encyclicals ''Singulari Quidem'' (17 March 1856) and ''Quanto Conficiamur Moerore'' (10 August 1863).{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}

The term, however, is far older than that. Aquinas, for instance, uses it in his ''[[Philosophy:Summa Theologica|Summa Theologica]]'' (written 1265–1274),<ref>Aquinas, [http://www.newadvent.org/summa/2076.htm#article2 ''Summa Theologica'' Ia IIae q.76 a.2]</ref> and discussion of the concept can be found as far back as [[Biography:Origen|Origen]] (3rd century).{{Citation needed|reason=Where did Origen say this?|date=August 2018}}

==Doctrine of invincible ignorance==
"Invincible ignorance excuses from all culpability. An action committed in ignorance of the law prohibiting it, or of the facts of the case, is not a voluntary act."<ref name="Joyce 1908">George Hayward Joyce, "INVINCIBLE IGNORANCE", in James Hastings, John A. Selbie, and Louis H. Gray (eds.), ''Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics'' (Edinburgh; New York: T. & T. Clark; Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1908–1926), p. 403.</ref> On the other hand, it is culpable to remain willfully ignorant of matters that one is obligated to know ([[Religion:Vincible ignorance|vincible ignorance]]). In this case the individual is morally responsible for their ignorance, and for the acts resulting from it.<ref name="Joyce 1908"/> The guilt associated with an offense committed in ignorance is less than it would have been if the act were committed in full knowledge, because in that case the offense is less voluntary.<ref name="Joyce 1908"/>

==Protestant view==
Protestants diverged from Catholic doctrine in this area during the Reformation. [[Biography:Martin Luther|Martin Luther]] believed that invincible ignorance was only a valid excuse for offenses against human law. In his view, we are ignorant of divine law because of [[Religion:Original sin|original sin]], for which we all bear guilt.<ref name="Joyce 1908"/> [[Biography:John Calvin|John Calvin]] agreed that ignorance of God's law is always [[Religion:Vincible ignorance|vincible]].<ref name="Joyce 1908"/>

==Other uses==
The theological term "invincible ignorance" should not be confused with the logical term [[Philosophy:Invincible ignorance fallacy|Invincible ignorance fallacy]]. When and how the term was taken by logicians to refer to the very different state of persons who willfully refuse to attend to evidence  remains unclear, but one of its first uses was in the 1959 book ''Fallacy: The Counterfeit of Argument '' by W. Ward Fearnside and William B. Holther.<ref>Fearnside, W. Ward and William B. Holther, ''Fallacy: The Counterfeit of Argument'', 1959. {{ISBN|9780133017700}}.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Religion:Fate of the unlearned|Fate of the unlearned]]
*Future probation
*[[Philosophy:Invincible error|Invincible error]]
*[[Religion:Baptism of desire|Baptism of desire]]
*[[Philosophy:Willful blindness|Willful blindness]]
*[[Religion:Virtuous pagan|Virtuous pagan]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07648a.htm ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' "Ignorance"]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110628231929/http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1999/9907chap.asp "Ignorance - Invincible and Vincible"]
* [https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius09/p9quanto.htm Pius IX, ''Quanto Conficiamur Moerore'' (''On Promotion Of False Doctrines''), 10 August 1863]
* {{Cite book |last=Mortimer |first=R G |url=http://www.katapi.org.uk/MoralTH/Contents-Ch1.htm |title=The Elements of Moral Theology |publisher=Adam & Charles Black |year=1947 |chapter=V: CONSCIENCE |chapter-url=http://www.katapi.org.uk/MoralTH/Ch5.htm}}

[[Category:Catholic theology and doctrine]]

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