3401_Slides_Week 4 Common Morality_Moodle

WINTER Week 4 – Common Morality & Ethical Decision-Making

• Instructor: Susan Stevens, BSW, MEd, RSW, CHE, EXTRA Fellow, Adjunct Professor & Part-time Faculty

• Course: Department of Family Studies and Gerontology

Today’s Class

• Topic: Common Morality & Ethical Decision-Making

  • Key Topics:

    • Moral behavior

    • Gert’s Theory of Morality

    • Gert’s Common Moral Framework

• Required Reading:

  • Bryan, V. et al. (2022). The helping professional’s guide to ethics: Theory in practice (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

  • Chapter 3 – Common and Ethical Decision-Making

Learning Outcomes

• Discuss the common moral system and Gert’s theory of morality.

• Apply Gert’s Common Moral Framework in ethical decision-making for practice cases.

Common Morality

• Assumptions:

  • A moral system exists and can be effectively described.

  • All people are both vulnerable and fallible.

• Understanding the Moral System Will:

  • Reaffirm good decisions and challenge poor ones by clarifying moral reasoning.

  • Foster meaningful discussions about moral dilemmas by illuminating ethical and non-ethical issues.

  • Provide a framework useful in addressing complex ethical cases.

Common Moral System Elements

• Characteristics of Common Moral System:

  • Informal and public system agreed upon by rational individuals.

  • Characterized by impartiality.

  • Consists of informal moral rules and ideals.

  • Key Terms:

    • Impartial

    • Rational

    • Informal

Moral Obligations

• Key Point:

  • All individuals are subject to morality simply by being rational and responsible for their actions.

Key Concepts

• Rationally Required Beliefs:

  • Beliefs dictating that all individuals are vulnerable and desire to avoid harm.

• Rationally Acceptable Beliefs:

  • Examples include belief in a higher power.

Rationality

• Definition:

  • Actions not based on rational thought are defined as irrational, potentially leading to personal harm without adequate reasoning.

• Harms to Avoid Include:

  • Loss of pleasure

  • Loss of freedom

  • Disability

  • Death

  • Pain

Impartiality

• Aspects of Impartiality:

  • Applicability to specific groups and within certain contexts.

  • Moral rules must be applied impartially to all rational persons.

Public Allowance

• Definition:

  • An action is morally permissible if the individual would consent to have others know that such action is allowed.

Four Main Components of Common Morality

• Components Include:

  • Moral Rules

  • Moral Ideals

  • Morally Relevant Features of Situations

  • A 2-Step Procedure for Decision Making

Moral Rules

• Fundamental Moral Rules Include:

  • Do not kill.

  • Do not cause pain.

  • Do not disable others.

  • Do not deprive of freedom or pleasure.

  • Do not deceive or cheat.

  • Keep promises and obey laws.

  • Fulfill your duty.

Moral Ideals

• Key Principles:

  • Preventing or reducing the risk of death, pain, disability, loss of pleasure, and loss of freedom.

Justifying Moral Rule Violations

• Process:

  • Step 1: Identify morally relevant features.

  • Step 2: Estimate consequences of universal knowledge regarding the allowance of rule violations.

Universality and Cross-Cultural Practice

• Question of Universality:

  • Why is there diversity in moral structures, cultures, and laws across societies?

• Fundamental Human Rights:

  • Are there human rights that must be upheld universally?

  • Challenges of addressing social justice in a relativistic framework.

Universal vs. Relativistic Elements

• Concept Overview:

  • Vulnerability of people

  • Variance in ranking harms

  • Justification of moral rule violations and beliefs.

• Relation to Moral Rules:

  • General moral rules adapted to specific cultural practices.

Final Thoughts on Moral Rules and Ideals

• General moral rules remain stable, while particular moral rules and ideals may evolve with cultural shifts.

• Changes can lead to societal debates on preferred values and practices.

Next Week's Topics

• Focus on Confidentiality and Privacy, Codes of Ethics and Laws, Duties to Warn and Protect.

• Required Reading: Bryan, V. et al. (2022). Chapter 4 – Confidentiality and the Duty to Warn & Protect.