Justification in applied ethics

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Justification in applied ethics

• Marcel Verweij
• Ethics Institute, Utrecht University

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• A moral problem
• Critique of appeals to principles
• What are principles?
• Respons to critique
• Justification
• Foundationalism
• Reflective equilibrium
• Concluding remarks

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A moral problem

• Patient, with small-cell lung cancer,
  life-expectancy lt 1 year, is asked to participate
  in a trial, aiming to establish the maximum
  acceptable dosis of a new chemotherapy....

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A moral problem

• After lenghty information disclosure, the patient
  agrees to participate I will take any
  oppportunity that might help me you never know
  if its a magic bullet

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A moral problem

• One staff member proposes not to enroll the
  patient in the trial He may consent but his
  choice is based upon false expectations.
  Participation will be harmful. It would be a
  violation of the principle of non-maleficence,
  and maybe also of autonomy.

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Why appealing to a principle?

• Appealing to principles might help to justify our
  moral choices

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• Moral principle non-maleficence
• one should not harm others
• Particular moral views about

Terrorist attacks on Twin Towers
Enrolling X in trial
rape
insulting someone
A case of murder
selling contaminated food
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Critique of appeals to principles

• Principles are highly abstract, they require
  judgement in their application to specific cases
• More confidence in general principles than in
  concrete judgements?
• We appeal to a plurality of often conflicting
  principles

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What is a moral principle?

• A moral action guide
• with strong binding force
• universal in form
• that summarizes our own moral experience
  together with that of a whole community
• and is fundamental

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Two roles of principles two roles of normative
theory

• Theoretical aim of a moral theory to discover
  those underlying features of actions that make
  them right or wrong.
• Practical aim a decision procedure that can be
  used to guide correct moral reasoning about
  matters of moral concern

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Back to the critique of principles

• Too abstract
• Lacking moral certainty

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Principles cannot do justice to specific details
of each case

• Principles necessarily pointing at general
  features
• Too much emphasis on role of principles as
  decision procedure?
• Practical principles are not algoritms for moral
  problem solving
• No practical principle without practical
  judgement (and vice versa)

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• One should not harm others
• Patient X should not be enrolled in the trial

• Is enrollment in the trial harmful? What counts
  as harm?
• What is the relevance of this patients consent
  (voluntary assumption of risk)?
• Specific responsibilities of the physician?
• Considerations of autonomy, utility

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Lacking moral certainty

• Meta-ethical issues
• Can there be something like moral truth?
• How to justify moral judgements or principles

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Justification in moral theory

• Foundational
• looking for rock-bottom, a starting point
  beyond doubt
• Coherentist
• seeking for the broadest possible coherence

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• Moral principle

Moral judgment
Moral judgment
Moral judgment
Moral judgment
Moral judgment
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Foundationalist justifications

• Examples
• Principle is intuitively known as self-evident
• Principle is evident given certain facts and
  assumptions about e.g. (human) nature
• Principle is necessary condition for (moral)
  experience
• Principle is systematization of particular moral
  judgements beyond doubt

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• Moral principle

Moral judgment
Moral judgment
Moral judgment
Moral judgment
Moral judgment
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Foundationalist justifications

• Problems
• Strengths of the foundation
• Insulation (Rachels)

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Coherentist justification

• There is no fixed starting point for moral
  justification
• All judgments, principles and background beliefs
  are amenable to adjustment and change
• The only possible justification is to seek
  coherence among all relevant principles,
  particular judgments, factual beliefs and
  background beliefs

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Background beliefs and theories

• Moral principles

Moral judgments
Wide Reflective Equilibrium
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Coherentist justification

• Problems
• Reflective equilibrium unattainable - ideal
• Lack of critical power seeking mutual support
  among ones prejudices

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Foundationalism vs Coherentism

• No meta-ethical debate today
• The interesting thing about coherentism
• Coherentism no insulation (Rachels)
• Engaging in applied ethics contributes to theory
  formation and - adjustment
• Justifications modest and often provisional

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Note

• Different normative theories (consequentialism,
  utilitarianism, deontological theories,
  rights-based theory, virtue ethics, etc.) can be
  compatible to different ways of justification...

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Concluding remarks

• Moral principles play important role in
  theoretical ethical reflection and in practical
  moral decision making
• Role as decision procedure should not be
  overstretched principles are not problem solvers
• Rachels in ethics there are no moral
  considerations beyond doubt ....?