reason and impartiality as requirements for morality

lesson 5

reason

basis or motive for an action, decision or conviction

helps us evaluate whether our feelings and intuitions about moral cases are correct and defensible

impartiality

involves the idea that each individual’s interests and point of view are equally important

principle of justice holding that decisions ought to be based on objective criteria, rather that on the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the benefit to one person over another for improper reasons

even-handedness or fair-mindedness

impartiality is also called —

the 7 step moral reasoning model

to sufficiently address the ethical dilemmas that people encounter, someone offers a model which can be used to ensure that al needed bases are covered

Scott B. Rae

he offers the 7 step moral reasoning model

he admits that the model is not a formula that will automatically generate the right answer to an ethical problem but a guideline in ascertaining that all the right questions are being asked in the process of ethical deliberation.

step 1 - gather the facts

simplest way of clariying an ethical delimma is to make sure the facts are clear

In this light it might become clear that the delimma is not ethicalbut about communication or strategy

step 2 - determine the ethical issues

ethical interest are stated in terms of legitimate competing interests or goods. The competing interests are what creates the dilemma

step 3 - determine what values / principles have a bearing on the case

the right of the patient to give informed consent

step 4 - list the alternatives

provide options

step 5 - compare the alternatives with virtues/ principles

this step eliminates alternatives as they are weighed by the moral principles which have a bearing on the case. Potentially the issue will be resolved here as all the alternatives except one are eliminated. Here you must satisfy all the relevant virtues and values

step 6 - consider the consequences

if the principles have not yielded a clear decision consider the consequences of your alternatives

step 7 - make a decision

we have to think through our ideas of respect for family and culture

Rae suggest, “here it seems the alternative that involves asking the patient if she wants to know the details of her situation satisfies most of the virtues and values at stake and produces the best balance of consequences to”