Casuistry
['kæzjʊɪstrɪ;-ʒj-] or ['kæʒuɪstri]
Definition
(noun.) moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas.
(noun.) argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading.
Checked by Brett--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) The science or doctrine of dealing with cases of conscience, of resolving questions of right or wrong in conduct, or determining the lawfulness or unlawfulness of what a man may do by rules and principles drawn from the Scriptures, from the laws of society or the church, or from equity and natural reason; the application of general moral rules to particular cases.
(a.) Sophistical, equivocal, or false reasoning or teaching in regard to duties, obligations, and morals.
Editor: Margaret
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Sophistry, Jesuitry, fallacy, refinement, quibble, strawsplitting
ANT:Reason, conscience, commonsense
Inputed by Anna
Examples
- Casuistry, and an ascetic morality, made up, in most cases, the greater part of the moral philosophy of the schools. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
- But unconscious casuistry deceives us all. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- To put new wine in old bottles is one of the aims of legal casuistry. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- But the deliberate casuistry of lawyers, quacks, or politicians is not so difficult to deal with. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- Casuistry is nothing but the injection of your own meaning into an old name. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
Typist: Merritt