- Feb 5, 2002
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Q: I have a question relating to cooperation with evil. Is it morally okay to buy a product that was made in countries (for example, China) in which slave and/or child labor was utilized simply for the purposes of convenience, cost-effectiveness or entertainment?
It seems that many instances of remote cooperation are justified by grave necessity (for example, giving your child the rubella vaccine because rubella is a serious illness). However, in the case of buying something like a laptop that was made in China, it appears that we often do this without a grave reason.
Is there a certain point where cooperation becomes so remote that even a minor reason (convenience, cost, entertainment, etc.) justifies its purchase? Thank you! — Seth
A. Catholics and all people of goodwill should exercise reasonable solicitude in their choices of commercial vendors. The question of who is producing, distributing and advertising the products we buy is morally relevant because, among other reasons, the money generated from sales, even if the sales themselves are not immoral, is used ultimately to fund and advance the worldviews and value systems of those in company leadership.
Continued below.
www.ncregister.com
It seems that many instances of remote cooperation are justified by grave necessity (for example, giving your child the rubella vaccine because rubella is a serious illness). However, in the case of buying something like a laptop that was made in China, it appears that we often do this without a grave reason.
Is there a certain point where cooperation becomes so remote that even a minor reason (convenience, cost, entertainment, etc.) justifies its purchase? Thank you! — Seth
A. Catholics and all people of goodwill should exercise reasonable solicitude in their choices of commercial vendors. The question of who is producing, distributing and advertising the products we buy is morally relevant because, among other reasons, the money generated from sales, even if the sales themselves are not immoral, is used ultimately to fund and advance the worldviews and value systems of those in company leadership.
Continued below.
5 Points to Ponder About Material Cooperation With Evil
DIFFICULT MORAL QUESTIONS: To assess questions related to material cooperation, we compare the reasons for cooperating.
