Notes on Morality

7/30/2019 Notes on Morality

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What about

MORALITY?The place and role

of REASON

in Morality

“Isitmorally

ACCEPTABLE

orWRONG?”



For each item in Part A: Compare the percentageof those who consider it ACCEPTABLE with those

who consider it WRONG.

1. Over which behaviors/practices does our classgenerally agree in terms of their morality/immorality?

2. Which behaviors/practices does the classconsider “controversial”–i.e., there are almost equalnumber of students claiming rightness and

wrongness?3. Compare the class results with the surveyresults conducted by Gallup on Americanrespondents in 2010. What similarities/dif erences

do you note?



Acceptable OR Wrong ACC WRON DIFF Don’t Know

GAMBLING 55 33 22 12

POLYGAMY 17 73 56 10

ABORTION 31 48 17 21

HAVINGABABYOUTSIDE 37 53 16 10

HOMOSEXUALRELATIONSHIP 58 30 28 12

SUICIDE 20 73 53 7

PREMARITALSEX 65 30 35 5CLONINGANIMALS 81 9 72 10

DIVORCE 57 33 24 10

DEATHPENALTY 34 56 22 10

ADULTERY2 95

93 3DOCTOR-ASSISTEDSUICIDE 39 52 13 8

ANIMALFUR 72 19 53 9

HUMANCLONING 43 48 5 9

MEDICALTESTINGONANIMALS 67 16 51 16

STEMCELLSFROMHUMAN 80 18 62 2



Clearly Acceptable Clearly Wrong ControversyHomosexual Relationship Polygamy Gambling

Premarital SexHaving a Baby

outside MarriageAbortion

Cloning Animals SuicideDoctor-Assisted

Suicide

Divorce Death Penalty Human Cloning

Animal Fur Adultery

Medical Testing - Animals

Human Stem Cells

What do you think of your morality?



For Part B: For most of your answers, which of thefollowing has tended to be the PRIMARY basis for

classifying an action as acceptable or wrong?

4% Parents12% Religion2% School or teachers0% State or government0% Peers or Friends

2% Media80% Personal Preferences

What do you think of the class’s top answer? How

does it compare with your own?



AUTHORITY

DIRECT EVIDENCE/ RATIONAL ARGUMENT

OPINION

Our OPINION should be based on evaluation of DIRECT EVIDENCE/RATIONAL ARGUMENT and AUTHORITY



controversies

aremaersonwhichcontraryviews

canbeheldthatare:

(a)bothwidespread

(b)bothraonal



• It’s not as SIMPLE as that!

• FOUR COMPLICATIONS...

MORALITY: Choice between GOOD and BAD



RIGHT NEUTRAL

A WRONG ACT is an action--or inaction--that violatesan accepted norm and generally causes some harm toones self, to others, or to society in general.

Acts can be RIGHT, NEUTRAL, or WRONG.

Complication #1: SHADES OF GRAY

Basis for Decision: Authority (parents, religion,

state, school), Opinion, or Reason

ForbiddenDuty



RIGHT NEUTRAL

Acts can be RIGHT, NEUTRAL, or WRONG.

Complication #1: SHADES OF GRAY

Not all acts can be readily classified as wrong.Some are contested. Examples of acts thatare not clearly wrong...



The road of CAUTION

Complication #1: SHADES OF GRAYReason cannot always determine with 100%

certainty whether some acts are acceptable orwrong.

When we are unsure of the wrongness of an act, whatwould be the safer assumption?

When unsure of

whether or notan act is wrong,

err on the side of caution.Assume it is wrong.

WHY?



Complication #2: Application of Moral Principles

Practical Wisdom: One can learn theprinciples of action, but applying them in the real

world, in particular situations one could not have

foreseen, requires experience of the world.

Phronesisφρόνησις



Phronesisφρόνησις

Moralissuesandques.onsareambiguous

andcomplex

Solu.onsandanswersareo8ennotself-evidentorobvious



The two extremes of

moral reasoning:

ABSOLUTIST RELATIVISTConsider onlyGENERALPRINCIPLES,but notPARTICULARSITUATION

No considerationof GENERAL

PRINCIPLES.OnlyPARTICULAR

SITUATION

EVALUATIVISTConsider BOTH

GENERAL SITUATIONand

PARTICULAR

SITUATION



RIGHT NEUTRAL

Not all wrong actions are bad/sinful.

SINFUL if and only if:Grave Matter: Serious harm

&/OR Adequate Knowledge

&/OR Adequate Freedom

GRAVE SINif & only if:

ALL OF THE ABOVE

SINFUL

Serious harm has been caused.The actor knew that the act was wrong and harmful.

The actor could freely chooseto do or not to do the action,and was not influenced by

coercion or fear.

Complication #3: RIGHT/WRONG and GOOD/BAD



RIGHT NEUTRAL

MORAL DECISION vs. SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT

If and only if:1) RIGHT vs. WRONG2) WRONG vs. WRONG

(The Lesser of 2 Evils)

If & only if: 1) RIGHT vs. RIGHT

2) NEUTRAL vs. RIGHT(The Greater Good)

SINFUL



The POTHOLES of Morality

Complication #4: Two Principles



The road of SUSPICION

Whenever your decision involvespleasure or avoids pain, cast somesuspicion on your motive.

You may be biased for thisdecision because it is moreconvenient or less painful rather

than because it is right and notwrong.

AGERE CONTRA: To act against our inclination

(to pursue pleasure and to avoid pain)



The road of SUSPICION

The road of CAUTIONWhen unsure of whether

or not an act is wrong,

err on the side of caution.Assume it is wrong.

Whenever your decision involvespleasure or avoids pain, cast somesuspicion on your motive.

Twosimpleguidelines...



Conscience is what we use inmaking moral decisions.

Follow an informed consciencewhen making a moral decision.

The conscience carefully considers:

1) the concrete circumstances of the moralsituation,2) the important values that need to be protected,3) the relevant moral teachings and norms

Primacy of Conscience



We need guidance from Authority and Reason.

Route #1: Learn the WHAT The Rules: The Dos & DontsWhat the Authorities Say

Adequate for simpler issues and

simpler people.

Suitable for complex issues and more

educated people.

Route #2: Learn the WHY & HOWMoral ReasoningWhy the Authorities Say What They SayHow You Assess Their Claim (Conscience)



ASSENT DISSENT

BLIND

REASONED

FOUR POSSIBLE RESPONSES

Blind

Assent

Blind

Dissent

Reasoned

AssentReasoned

Dissent

Which are acceptable responses?

Notes on Morality

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