Lesson 4 Ethics

THE ACT
FEELINGS AND MORALITY
SHOULD SUBJECTIVE
FEELINGS MATTER WHEN
DECIDING RIGHT AND
WRONG?
• While society urges people towards the morally commendable
choices with laws and police, and religious traditions stipulate
good and bad through divine commands, scriptures, and
sermons, the final say lies within each of our heads
• Rational thinking, of course, plays a role in how we make moral
decisions.
• Our moral compasses are also powerfully influenced by the
fleeting forces of disgust or fear.
• David Hume (1711-1776) believed virtue is in conformity to
reason.
• In order to distinguish good and bad, we have to consider reason
alone.
• Church scholars asserted that religion is necessary foundation of
morality
• Plato argue that the function of reason is to rule the emotion.
• Mind or the intellect, which is the highest level of the soul, is that
immortal part of the soul that gives the man capacity for truth
and wisdom..
• The stoic upheld that the human person must be able to learn
and control his passion with reason in order to live a moral life.
• Rene Descartes, in his desire to get away from the authority of
the church, held that reason has prominence over church laws
and religious doctrines.
• in matters of morality, reason must have prevalence.
• For Hume, the central fact about ethics is that moral judgements
are formed not by reason alone but through feelings.
• Hume held that moral decisions would always involve feelings or
emotions.
• For Hume agreeableness and usefulness can be a good
consideration for morality.
• He believed that feelings and agreeableness can be considered as
a clear criterion for moral judgement.
Critique on Hume’s Ethical Principle
• Moralists are trying to establish a universal principle on how to
determine whether the action is to bee considered morally
acceptable or not.
• If we are to follow the principle of Hume that moral judgments
are formed by feelings, then there will be a problem.
• Religious moralist would find it difficult to accept Hume’s moral
point of view because he did not include the role of God in
determining the morality of one’s action. They considered
Hume’s principle as weak and groundless.
• No one can deny the fact that the usefulness and the good effect
of one’s action can still be the basis in determining whether such
action is considered morally acceptable or not.
REASON AND IMPARTIALITY
• Thomas Nagel believed that morality must be rooted not in
feelings or emotions because that will make morality subjective.
• Morality must be objective
• It must be rooted on reason
• Our feelings may be irrational
• They may be products of prejudice, selfishness, or cultural
conditioning.
• The basis of morality must be on happiness, that one’s action
may cause to the others.
Seven-step guide to ethical decision making
1. State the problem
2. Check the facts
3. Identify relevant factors
4. Develop a list of options
5. Test the options. Use the following tests:
• Harm test
• Publicity test
• Defensibility test
• Reversibility test
• Colleague test
• Professional test
• Organization test
6. Make a choice based on steps 1-5
7. Review steps 1-6. How can you reduce the likelihood that you
will need to make a similar decision.
8 steps to Moral Reasoning Process
1. Gather the facts. In gathering facts, questions like “what do we
know” and “what do we need to know?” must asked.
2. Define the ethical issues. Ethical issues are considered as the
competing interests or goods. The competing interests are
actually the reason why there is ethical dilemma. In this regard,
issues can be presented as ______ vs. _______.
3. Review relevant ethical guidelines.
4. Obtain consultation. One can really be an expert in making
moral decisions, it is important to consult persons who are
more competent in terms of morality.
5. List alternatives courses of action. Making moral decisions
require creative thinking, which help one identify various
alternative courses of action.
6. Compare the alternatives with the principles. From the listed
alternatives, the next step is to connect the alternatives with
the moral principles that have a bearing on the case.
7. Weigh the consequences. If the moral principles that have a
bearing on the case do not yet provide a clear decision, then it is
necessary consider the consequences of an action.
8. Make a decision.

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THE ACT

FEELINGS AND MORALITY

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