ETHICS

Moral person

A person who is both an agent and sentient, capable of making moral decisions and feeling emotions.

Agent

A moral person who can decide and deliberate on possible courses of action.

Sentient

A moral person who has the capacity to feel and sense.

Morally educated intellect

The cognitive aspect of a virtuous moral character, which has knowledge of the good.

Strong matured reason

The non-rational affective aspect of a virtuous moral character, which can control emotions and interfere with morally right decisions.

Emotions

Feelings that can hinder a moral person from arriving at the truth and cloud one's judgments.

Prejudices

Other causes that can drive emotions and are not rational and fundamental.

Personal taste

Emotions that vary among different individuals and are equated with personal preference.

Moral judgments

Decisions that must have good reasons and be guided by reason and impartiality.

Good reasons

Arriving at truths by getting the facts right and using reason in moral deliberations.

Rational principles

Principles that are universally true to all individuals regardless of differences in race, religion, age, gender, etc.

Action

Something that people do, directed at a goal, with knowledge, direct control, intention, and reasons.

Behavior

Something that people do, but not directly in control of, such as sneezing or breathing.

Accountability

Deservingness of blame or praise for the actions performed based on rationality, intellect, and free will.

Blame

Deservingness of negative consequences for freely choosing to act on the wrong course of action or refusing to act on something good.

Praise

Deservingness of positive recognition for acting upon the right course of action or refusing to do the bad.

Deservingness

The concept that a person may deserve praise or blame regardless of whether they receive it or are known for their actions.

Responsibility

The wider term encompassing accountability, referring to three aspects:responsibility as causation, prospective duty or obligation, and retrospective duty or obligation.

Causation

The natural relation of being the cause of something, with humans being called agents due to their rationality.

Prospective duty or obligation

Responsibility for others that will or may happen, expected of rational individuals.

Retrospective duty or obligation

Responsibility for others that has already happened, evaluated based on performance.

Rights

Entitlements that allow the bearer to pursue or do certain things, contrasting with duties.

Duties

Actions that one ought to do or perform, usually expressed as commands or imperatives.

Negative right

Respected by the duty not to interfere in the exercise of the right.

Positive right

Respected by the duty to provide the conditions for the exercise of the right.

Contractual Rights

Rights acquired through agreements or contracts with others.

Legal Rights

Rights acquired through citizenship in a specific country or state, as provided by its constitution.

Moral Rights

Rights acquired by being a moral person or member of a moral community, based on rationality and sentience.

Attribution Conditions

Conditions that determine accountability, including the agent condition, knowledge condition, and intentionality condition.

Incrimination

Holding someone accountable for an action based on the presence of the agent, knowledge, and intentionality conditions.

Excuse

Exempting someone from accountability based on the absence of the non-agency, ignorance, and involuntariness conditions.

Degree Conditions

Taking into account the degree of accountability, considering factors such as knowledge, pressure, intensity of injury, and involvement in collective wrongdoing.

Gather the Facts

Collect all relevant information and avoid making assumptions.

Define the Ethical Issues

Identify and focus on the main ethical problem in the situation.

Identify the Affected Parties (Stakeholders)

Determine who is directly and indirectly impacted by the issue.

Identify the Consequences to each affected party

Consider the positive and negative outcomes for each stakeholder.

Identify Ethical Principles and the Rights or Duties of those involved

Determine the ethical principles and rights relevant to the situation.

Consider your character or Integrity

Reflect on what decision aligns with integrity and virtues.

Think creatively about potential actions

Explore alternative solutions that may not have been initially considered.

Check your gut

Trust your intuition and consider your experience in making a decision.

Decide on the proper ethical action (prepare to deal with opposing arguments)

Evaluate potential actions based on consequences, obligations, and character, and be prepared to address opposing viewpoints.

undefined