There seems to be confusion on #CatholicTwitter over the question of "cooperation in evil." In this thread, I do not wish to speak to specific cases, or distinctions about kinds or degrees of cooperation in evil, or their permissibility.

I want to make one 𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 point

Like many theological terms, "cooperation" is taken from Latin. In the context of moral theology, it is a technical term, and its technical meaning has to be understood in light of the fact that it is a literal translation of a Latin word.

The Latin noun is 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰, the verb 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘪. This word is formed by the prefix 𝘤𝘰 + 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰. So, 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰 is the basic root word.

What is 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰? It is a general word for "working," "doing," "acting," or "action."

Sometimes theological works use the word "operation" as a highly literal translation, but the Latin word just means generally performing some task or doing something.

The prefix 𝘤𝘰 means "with." Specifically, in Latin, 𝘤𝘰 often means "with" in a subordinate sense. Like a co-pilot is subordinate to the pilot, or Mary as co-Redemptrix is subordinate to Christ, the Redeemer.

So, 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰 means assisting in the action of another, or acting in such a way that one's own action dovetails with the action of another.

Crucially, "cooperation" by itself in moral theology refers only to the physical fact of one's act flowing into that of another.

By itself "cooperation" does not include or exclude whether the cooperator knows about, agrees with, disagrees with, etc., the action in which he cooperates. It only means that the cooperator does something that combines in some way with the action of another.

This is why, when it comes to the question of "cooperation" with the act of another when the other's act is evil, further distinctions are needed.

My point here is: the connotations of "cooperation" in ordinary English can obscure the technical meaning of 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰.

In ordinary English, if I say "I''m cooperating," I usually imply that I agree with what the other is doing, am showing active support for it, or at least am not working against it.

But, using the technical meaning of 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰, it is possible to "cooperate" in another's act in one way while disagreeing with it and simultaneously resisting it in many other ways!

Here are some examples:

1) If I buy something from a company, I cooperate in everything that company does.

2) If I post on a social media website, I cooperate in all that happens on the site.

3) If I pay taxes of any kind, I cooperate in all that my government does.

4) If I move into the desert and cut myself off from society, I cooperate in actions that would have gone differently if I had not removed myself.

And so forth.

I am not making any moral evaluations here. I am only making the semantic point that "cooperation" as used in moral theology simply addresses the fact that in the real world my actions combine with the actions of others, that human choices are intertwined.

"Cooperation" in the technical usage of moral theology is only meant to speak about the fact of that intertwining (that "butterfly effect" if you wish). It does not of itself imply agreement or disagreement.

Further technical words are used to make those finer distinctions.