CHOICE

Choice is a particular type of act of will. Given a recognition of various appealing courses of action, choice is the will’s determination and inclination to perform this course of action rather than that one.

Choice is often contrasted with intention. The latter is an act of will in relation to an end to be attained by means of some action, whereas choice is an act of will selecting this action rather than another. A choice is free if it is not determined by antecedent conditions.
Choice is an inward, spiritual act. Although one chooses to perform a physical behavior, the choice itself is not physical. Moreover, like intellectual knowledge, after one makes a choice, the choice remains (or at least an aspect of it remains) until it is reversed (repented).

Every choice is important, for in our choices we shape our characters. Still, some choices are more important than others, for some choices organize more of our lives than others do. Thus, following the American ethicist and moral theologian Germain Grisez, we can distinguish between large choices and small choices. A small choice bears upon a particular course of action, and is carried out by a single behavior. A large choice involves accepting a status, entering a relationship, or undertaking a way of life. Large choices, then, are implemented by subsequent, smaller choices. For example, the choice to become a teacher is a large choice; it is implemented by other choices stretching over many years.

A commitment is another type of choice. It can be defined as a large choice bearing upon a moral dimension of the self or upon a relationship with other people, such that it establishes a basic orientation for one’s life requiring an open-ended series of choices to carry out: for example, the choice to marry or the choice to reform one’s life.

See: Freedom, Human; Human Goods; Practical Reason.


Russell Shaw. Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Catholic Doctrine. Copyright © 1997, Our Sunday Visitor.

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Last Updated: Sunday, April 01, 2001 03:24:19 PM