Whether Ignorance Excuses from Sin Altogether?
Objection 1: It would seem that ignorance excuses from sin
altogether. For as Augustine says (Retract. i, 9), every sin is
voluntary. Now ignorance causes involuntariness, as stated above (Q.
6, A. 8). Therefore ignorance excuses from sin altogether.
Obj. 2: Further, that which is done beside the intention, is done
accidentally. Now the intention cannot be about what is unknown.
Therefore what a man does through ignorance is accidental in human
acts. But what is accidental does not give the species. Therefore
nothing that is done through ignorance in human acts, should be
deemed sinful or virtuous.
Obj. 3: Further, man is the subject of virtue and sin, inasmuch as he
is partaker of reason. Now ignorance excludes knowledge which
perfects the reason. Therefore ignorance excuses from sin altogether.
_On the contrary,_ Augustine says (De Lib. Arb. iii, 18) that "some
things done through ignorance are rightly reproved." Now those things
alone are rightly reproved which are sins. Therefore some things done
through ignorance are sins. Therefore ignorance does not altogether
excuse from sin.
_I answer that,_ Ignorance, by its very nature, renders the act which
it causes involuntary. Now it has already been stated (AA. 1, 2) that
ignorance is said to cause the act which the contrary knowledge would
have prevented; so that this act, if knowledge were to hand, would be
contrary to the will, which is the meaning of the word involuntary.
If, however, the knowledge, which is removed by ignorance, would not
have prevented the act, on account of the inclination of the will
thereto, the lack of this knowledge does not make that man unwilling,
but not willing, as stated in _Ethic._ iii, 1: and such like
ignorance which is not the cause of the sinful act, as already
stated, since it does not make the act to be involuntary, does not
excuse from sin. The same applies to any ignorance that does not
cause, but follows or accompanies the sinful act.
On the other hand, ignorance which is the cause of the act, since it
makes it to be involuntary, of its very nature excuses from sin,
because voluntariness is essential to sin. But it may fail to excuse
altogether from sin, and this for two reasons. First, on the part of
the thing itself which is not known. For ignorance excuses from sin,
in so far as something is not known to be a sin. Now it may happen
that a person ignores some circumstance of a sin, the knowledge of
which circumstance would prevent him from sinning, whether it belong
to the substance of the sin, or not; and nevertheless his knowledge
is sufficient for him to be aware that the act is sinful; for
instance, if a man strike someone, knowing that it is a man (which
suffices for it to be sinful) and yet be ignorant of the fact that it
is his father, (which is a circumstance constituting another species
of sin); or, suppose that he is unaware that this man will defend
himself and strike him back, and that if he had known this, he would
not have struck him (which does not affect the sinfulness of the
act). Wherefore, though this man sins through ignorance, yet he is
not altogether excused, because, not withstanding, he has knowledge
of the sin. Secondly, this may happen on the part of the ignorance
itself, because, to wit, this ignorance is voluntary, either
directly, as when a man wishes of set purpose to be ignorant of
certain things that he may sin the more freely; or indirectly, as
when a man, through stress of work or other occupations, neglects to
acquire the knowledge which would restrain him from sin. For such
like negligence renders the ignorance itself voluntary and sinful,
provided it be about matters one is bound and able to know.
Consequently this ignorance does not altogether excuse from sin. If,
however, the ignorance be such as to be entirely involuntary, either
through being invincible, or through being of matters one is not
bound to know, then such like ignorance excuses from sin altogether.
Reply Obj. 1: Not every ignorance causes involuntariness, as stated
above (Q. 6, A. 8). Hence not every ignorance excuses from sin
altogether.
Reply Obj. 2: So far as voluntariness remains in the ignorant person,
the intention of sin remains in him: so that, in this respect, his
sin is not accidental.
Reply Obj. 3: If the ignorance be such as to exclude the use of
reason entirely, it excuses from sin altogether, as is the case with
madmen and imbeciles: but such is not always the ignorance that
causes the sin; and so it does not always excuse from sin altogether.
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