Topic 2: Reason
Impartiality
Topic 3: The 7 Steps: Moral Reasoning
Model
PERSONALITY
• The sum total of the physical, mental, emotional, and social
characteristics of an individual. - Psychology
• Personality is the totality of habits, attitudes and traits that result
from socialization and characterizes us in our relationship with
others. - Anderson and
Parker
• Personality represents those structural and dynamic properties
of an individual or individuals as they reflect themselves in
characteristics response to situation. - Lawrence A Pewin
FEELING
the perception of events within the body, closely related
to emotion. The term feeling is a verbal noun denoting the action
of the verb to feel, which derives etymologically from the Middle
English verb felen, “to perceive by touch, by palpation.”
the function or the power of perceiving by touch.
physical sensation not connected with sight, hearing, taste, or
smell.
the general state of consciousness considered independently of
particular sensations, thoughts, etc.
Feelings cannot be solely relied
upon but reason and feelings
may complements each other.
EMOTION
o that is to say feelings and intuitions – play a major role in most of
the ethical decisions people make. Most people do not realize how
much their emotions direct their moral choices. But experts think
it is impossible to make any important moral judgments without
emotions.
o evoked by suffering, such as sympathy and empathy, often lead
people to act ethically toward others. Indeed, empathy is the
central moral emotion that most commonly motivates prosocial
activity such as altruism, cooperation, and generosity.
Characteristics of
o The core ofEmotions
an emotion is feeling
o Emotional experiences are associated with some instincts
or biological drives.
o Emotions are the products of perception.
o Every emotional experience involves several physical
and physiological changes in organism.
o The basic ways of expressing emotions are inborn and it develops
through maturation.
o Emotions rise abruptly and die slowly.
o Same emotion can be aroused by a number of different stimuli.
o Emotions have the quality of displacement.
Feeling Emotion
o are mental associations and are physical states that
reactions to emotion arise as a response to
o caused by emotions external stimuli
o mental association and aroused before
reactions feelings
o can be hidden physical states
can be observed through
physical reaction
2 Related Models in Ethics
Ethical Subjectivism
It holds that the truth or falsity of ethical
propositions is dependent on the feelings,
attitudes, or standards of a person or group
of person.
it is based solely on FEELINGS.
Emotivism
Emotivism earned the nickname
has
“Boo-Yay the
Theory of Ethics”
An ethical theory which says that moral
statements just expressions of Feelings
and/or
are Emotions.
It is a Non-Cognitive theory
Ethical statements cannot be proves true
or false .
Therefore, objective moral laws do NOT exist.
MORALITY
A choice made based on a person’s ethics,
manners, character, and what they believe is
proper behavior.
TYPES OF MORALITY
COMMON MORALITY
– generally universally accepted
PERSONAL MORALITY
– rules or principles, rules or standards we
accept as individuals but are not necessarily
shared by others.
PROFESSIONAL MORALITY
– moral standards that apply to ones role as a
member of a profession.
MORAL DECISION
A choice made based on a person’s ethics, manners, character, and what they
believe is proper behavior.
making refers to the process of evaluating and choosing among alternatives in
a manner consistent with ethical principles. In making ethical decisions, it is
necessary to perceive and eliminate unethical options and select the best
ethical alternative.
MAKING ETHICAL DECISIONS: Core Ethical Values
Key ethical values can help you build character in
yourself and others:
Trustworthiness
Respect
Responsibility
Fairness
Caring
Citizenship
MAKING ETHICAL DECISIONS: Model
1) All decisions must take into account and reflect a concern for the interests
and well being of all affected individuals ("stakeholders").
2) Ethical values and principles always take precedence over nonethical
ones.
3) It is ethically proper to violate an ethical principle only when it is clearly
necessary to advance another true ethical principle, which, according to the
decision-maker's conscience, will produce the greatest balance of good in
the long run.
-Josephson Institute of Ethics
MAKING ETHICAL DECISIONS: Obstacles
1) All decisions must take into account and reflect a concern for the interests
and well being of all affected individuals ("stakeholders").
2) Ethical values and principles always take precedence over nonethical
ones.
3) It is ethically proper to violate an ethical principle only when it is clearly
necessary to advance another true ethical principle, which, according to the
decision-maker's conscience, will produce the greatest balance of good in
the long run.
-Josephson Institute of Ethics
PROCESS OF MAKING MORAL DECISIONS
REQUIRES:
the desire to do the right thing regardless of the cost.
PROCESS OF MAKING MORAL DECISIONS
REQUIRES:
the awareness to act consistently and apply
moral convictions to daily behavior.
PROCESS OF MAKING MORAL DECISIONS
REQUIRES:
theability to and evaluate information,
collect
develop alternatives, and foresee potential
consequences and risks.
Good decision are both ethical and effective:
- generate and sustain trust; demonstrate respect, responsibility,
fairness and caring; and are consistent with good citizenship.
These behaviors provide a foundation for making better
decisions by setting the ground rules for our behavior.
Good decision are both ethical and effective:
- are effective if they accomplish what we want accomplished and if they
advance our purposes. A choice that produces unintended and undesirable
results is ineffective. The key to making effective decisions is to think
about choices in terms of their ability to accomplish our most important
goals. This means we have to understand the difference between
immediate and short-term goals and longer-range goals.
Traditionally, ethical decision-
making process has been understood
as an exclusively mental process; that
our feelings have nothing to do with
matters of right and wrong and
good or bad, precisely because our
emotions are very unstable.
Topic 2:
Reason
Impartiality
o is the basis or motive for an action, decision, or conviction. As
quality, it refers to the capacity for logical, rational, and analytic thought;
for consciously making sense of things, establishing and verifying facts,
applying common sense and logic, and justifying, and if necessary,
changing practices, institutions, and beliefs based on exiting information.
o It also spells the difference of moral judgement from mere expressions of
personal preference. In the case of moral judgments, they require
backing by reasons. Thus a reason commends what it commends,
regardless of our feelings, attitude, opinions and desire.
o Involves the idea that each individual’s interests
and point of view are equally important. It is a
principle of justice holding that decisions ought
to be based on objective criteria, rather than on
the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the
benefit to one person over another for improper
reasons.
o Impartiality in morality requires that we give
equal and/or adequate consideration to the
interests of all concerned parties. The
principles of impartiality assumes that every
person, generally speaking, is equally important;
that is no one is seen intrinsically more
significant than anyone else.
Topic 3:
7 Steps: Moral Reasoning
Model
1. GAT H E R THE FAC T S
o Don’t jump to conclusions without the facts
o Questions to ask: Who, what, where, when,
how and why.
o However, facts may be difficult to find because of
the uncertainty often found around ethical issues.
o Some facts are not available
o Assemble as many facts a possible
before proceeding
o Clarify what assumptions you are making!
2. D E F I N E THE ETHICAL ISSUE(S)
o Don’t jump to solutions without first
identifying the ethical issue(s) in the
situations.
o Define the ethical basis for the issue you
wan to focus on.
o There may be multiple ethical issues – focus
on one major one at a time.
3. IDENTIFY THE A F F E C T E D PARTIES
o Identify all the stakeholders
Who are the primary or direct stakeholders?
Who are the secondary or indirect
stakeholders?
o Why are they stakeholders for the issue?
Perspective-taking – try to see things
through the eyes of those individuals
affected
4. IDENTIFY THE C O N S E Q U E N C E S
o Think about potential positive and negative
consequences for affected parties by the
decision.
o What are the magnitude pf the
consequences and the probability that the
consequences will happen
4. IDENTIFY THE C O N S E Q U E N C E S
o Broader systemic consequences – tied
to symbolic and secrecy
Symbolic consequences – each
decision sends a message.
Secrecy – what are the
consequences if the decision or action
becomes public?
4. IDENTIFY THE C O N S E Q U E N C E S
o Did you consider relevant cognitive
barriers/biases?
o Consider what y our decision would be
based only on consequences then move
on and see if it is similar given other
considerations.
5. IDENTIFY THE RELEVANT PRICIPLES,
R I GH TS , AND J U S T I C E I S S U E S
o Obligations should be thought of in
terms of principles and rights involved
a) What obligations are created
because of particular ethical
principles you might use in the
situation
5. IDENTIFY THE RELEVANT PRICIPLES,
R I GH TS , AND J U S T I C E I S S U E S
o Obligations should be thought of
in terms of principles and rights
involved
b) What obligations are created
because of specific rights of the
stakeholders?
5. IDENTIFY THE RELEVANT PRICIPLES,
R I GH TS , AND J U S T I C E I S S U E S
o Obligations should be thought of in terms
of principles and rights involved
- What types ofrights are involves
negative or positive?
c) What concepts of justice (fairness)
are relevant distributive or procedural
justice?
5. IDENTIFY THE RELEVANT PRICIPLES,
R I GH TS, AND J U S T I C E I S S U E S
o Did you consider any relevant
cognitive barriers / biases?
o Formulate the appropriate decision
or action based on the above analysis
of these obligations.
6. C O N S I D E R YO U R C H A R AC T E R &
INTEGRITY
o Consider what your relevant community
members would consider to be the kind of
decision that an individual of integrity
would make in this situation.
o What specific virtues are relevant in the
situations?
6. C O N S I D E R YO U R C H A R AC T E R &
INTEGRITY
o Disclosure rule – what would you
do if the New York Times reported
your action and everyone was to
read it.
o Think about how your decision will
be remembered when you are gone.
6. C O N S I D E R YO U R C H A R AC T E R &
INTEGRITY
o Did you consider any relevant
cognitive biases/barriers?
o What decision would you come to
based solely on character
considerations?
