Moral Certitude

Most simply, the form of knowledge sufficient for making a sound moral judgment. In contrast to mathematical or absolute (apodictic) certitude, moral certitude only requires firm assent to the knowledge upon which one’s action is to be based. In this sense, moral certitude requires a lesser degree of confidence in order to act in good conscience. Because moral certitude is not the same as absolute certitude, the possibility of committing an error is not absolutely eliminated. While fundamental or first principles can be held with absolute certitude, the application of such principles to concrete circumstances and the formation of conscience only requires moral certitude. Moral certitude should be distinguished from both mere probability (wherein something is likely to be true, but another explanation is plausible) and from doubt (the inability to affirm or deny that something is true). Moral certitude requires that, in order to act in good conscience, an individual’s action must be based upon those arguments, beliefs or convictions that he or she finds most plausible. In other words, while there may be an array of plausible alternatives, the moral agent must have some good reason to be more certain of one of these alternatives than the others. [See also: Encyclopedia of Catholicism, ed. Richard P. McBrien (New York: HarperCollins Publisher, Inc., 1995).]

One implication of the nature of moral certitude is that there can be some situations in which good and reasonable people will reach different conclusions about what to do in the same circumstances. This possibility can be particularly problematic in any situation where a collective decision needs to be made. In such circumstances of disagreement, collective decisions sometimes may have to be deferred to the person or persons who have the proper authority in the area in which the moral question arises or who will be held most accountable for the final decision. However, there should always be a good faith and thorough effort to reach agreement before deferring decisions to a single authority.

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