Frameworks for Moral Arguments

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Frameworks for Moral Arguments

• From Medicine and Moral Arguments by Carol
  Levine, in Taking Sides Clashing Views on
  Controversial Bioethical Issues, 3rd ed.

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Definitions

• Morality The general term for an individuals
  or societys standards of conduct, both actual
  and ideal, and of the character traits that
  determine whether people are considered good or
  bad.
• Ethics A broad set of moral principles (or one
  overriding principle) that is used in measuring
  human conduct.

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Descriptive Ethics

• The scientific study of moralitya
  scientistcan describe in empirical terms what
  the moral beliefs, judgments, or actions of
  individuals or societies are and what reasons are
  given for the way they act or believe.

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Metaethics

• approaches the subject of moralityas an
  analysis of the concepts, terms, and method of
  reasoningmeanings of moral terms and logic.

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Normative Ethics

• reflects on the kinds of actions and
  principles that will promote moral behavior.
• Rejects moral relativism
• With careful moral reasoning and reflection,
  people can discern the more moral solutions to
  ethical dilemmas.
• Examples business ethics, military ethics,
  bioethics, etc.

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Ethical Theories

• Divine Law
• Teleological Theories
• Deontological Theories
• Natural Law Theory
• Theory of Virtue

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Divine Law

• In Western traditions, the law of God is
  interpreted in terms of human moral principles.
• However, a theory of ethics must be accessible
  to all people, not just followers of a particular
  faith.

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Teleological Theories

• from the Greek telos, or end
• The end justifies the means.
• Examples
• Utilitarianism argues that an act is moral if it
  brings more good consequences than bad ones.
• Situational Ethics argues that true Christian
  morality does not blindly follow moral rules but
  acts from love and sensitivity to the particular
  situation and the needs of those involved.

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Deontological Theories

• from the Greek deon, or duty
• The rightness or wrongness of an actshould be
  judged on whether it conforms to a moral
  principle or rule, not on whether it leads to
  good or bad consequences.
• Example
• Kants Categorical Imperativesays that all
  persons have equal moral worth and no rule can be
  moral unless all people can apply it autonomously
  to all other human beings.
• John Rawls social justice theory argues that
  some action is good only if it benefits the
  least well off.

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Natural Law Theory

• St. Thomas Aquinas developed this theory that
  states Actions are morally right if they accord
  with our nature as human beings. We have the
  ability to reason, and by exercising our
  intelligence we can discern right action.

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Theory of Virtue

• Has roots in the Aristotelian tradition
• stresses not the morality of any particular
  actions or rules but the disposition of
  individuals to act morally, to be virtuous.

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Ethical Principles

• Three most important principles
• Respect for persons
• Beneficence
• Justice

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Respect for Persons

• Individuals should be treated as autonomous
  agents.
• Persons with diminished autonomy are entitled to
  protection.
• Derivation from Kant Because human beings have
  the capacity for rational action and moral
  choice, they have a value independent of anything
  they do or can provide to othersshould be
  treated in a way that respects their independent
  choices and judgments.
• Two important moral rules (in bioethics) are
  derived from the principle of respect informed
  consent and truth-telling others include
  confidentiality and privacy.

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Beneficence

• from the Latin bene, or good
• Frankenas four elements of beneficence
• 1) One ought not to inflict evil or harm. 2) One
  ought to prevent evil or harm. 3) One ought to
  remove evil or harm. 4) One ought to do or
  promote good.

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Justice

• what is fair or what is deserved
• An injustice occurs when some benefit to which a
  person is entitled is denied without good reason
  or when some burden is imposed unduly.
• Equals should be treated equally.
• Some distinctionssuch as age, experience,
  competence, physical condition, and the likecan
  justify unequal treatment.
• Those who appeal to the principle of justice are
  most concerned about which distinctions can be
  made legitimately and which ones cannot.

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Conflicting Principles

• No easy solution!
• We must interpret and weigh the issues with
  regard to these fundamental principles.
• Then we make hard choices.