MORAL EMOTIONS & REASONING

ETHICS

MORAL EMOTION

These are emotions that play a major role in most of the ethical decisions people make. These are involved in forming and communicating moral judgements and decisions.

POSITIVE EMOTIONS, INNER-DIRECTED NEGATIVE, OUTER-DIRECTED NEGATIVE

THREE LEVELS OF MORAL EMOTION

POSITIVE EMOTION

• Emotions such as gratitude and admiration, which people may feel when they see another acting with compassion or kindness.

• Can prompt people to help others.

• Ex: The feeling of helping others.

INNER-DIRECTED NEGATIVE

• Emotions like guilt, and embarrassment and shame.

• Can motivate people to act ethically.

• Ex: The feeling of pity and sympathy in a situation.

OUTER - DIRECTED NEGATIVE

• Aims to discipline or punish.

• Ex: The feeling of anger and disgust in a situation.

MORAL REASONING

• applies critical analysis to specific events to determine what is right or wrong, and what people ought to do in a particular situation.

• Both philosophers and psychologists’ study thiss

SCOTT BOTHIC RAE

• His moral reasoning model could be used as a guide in making moral decisions.

• His model does not guide one to an absolutely correct or “right“ answer or decision to a moral dilemma; rather, his model may guide an individual to ask the right questions to ethical deliberation.

1. GATHER THE FACTS AND INFORMATION

In moral decision-making, one has to know the general facts of the moral situation, before coming up with a moral analysis, more so, a decision or an evaluation.

2. DETERMINE THE ETHICAL ISSUES

The ethical issue/s involved in the situation, must be clearly stated in order to specify what issue one has to make a decision to.

ETHICAL INTERESTS

are stated in terms of legitimate competing interests or goods.

COMPETING INTERESTS

These are what create the dilemma

MORAL VALUES AND VIRTUES

These two must support the competing interests in order for an ethical dilemma to exist.

3. DETERMINE WHAT VIRTUES OR PRINCIPLES HAVE A BEARING ON THE CASE

Applicable ethical values and principles relevant to the case must be identified and briefly explained in order to justify how such principles could be used in coming up with a decision concerning the moral dilemma later on.

4. LIST THE ALTERNATIVES WITH PRINCIPLES

Creatively determine possible courses of action for your dilemma. Some will almost immediately be discarded but generally the more you list the greater potential for coming up with a really good one.

5. COMPARE THE ALTERNATIVES WITH THE 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 alternatives except one are eliminated.

6. CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES

If there is no concrete decision yet, take the alternatives and work out the positive and negative consequences of each. Estimate how beneficial each positive and negative consequences are.

7. MAKE A FINAL DECISION

After having analyzed the moral dilemma situation, one must now make a decision based on what has been previously discussed and must clearly justify the decision that has been made.

FALLACIES OF MORAL REASONING

These are logically incorrect ways of reasoning that attempt to persuade emotionally or psychologically.

APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE

An argument from authority that uses an appeal to the beliefs, tastes, or values of a group of people, and stating that because a certain opinion or attitude is held by a majority, it is therefore correct.

APPEAL TO THE MAN

A form of fallacy when the opinion of a non-expert on a topic is used as evidence to support an argument or when the authority is used to say that the claim is true, as authorities can be wrong.

CIRCULAR REASON

Attempting to prove something by repeatedly stating the point. Begging the question is similar to using a circular reason that does not address the original question.

SLIPPERY SLOPE

This fallacy attacks a position by claiming that a first step will lead to a second step, and so on, which ultimately and unavoidably will lead to a genitive result.

NATURALISTIC FALLACY

This is a very common, and most people never see the problem with these kinds of assertions due to accepted social and moral norms. This by passes reason and we fail to ask why something that is ought to be that way.