Emotion and Reason to Justify Moral Decisions - Case Study Example

Are Emotion and Reason Equally Necessary in Justifying Moral Decisions? Total Number of Words: 1,609 Table of Contents I. Introduction ………………………………………………………………………. 3 II. The Moral Justification of Torture, Cruel and Inhuman Acts ………………. 4 III. Is Induced Abortion Morally Justified? ………………………………………… 5 IV. Discussion ………………………………………………………………………… 6 V. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………… 8 References ………………………………………………………………………………… 9 Introduction Justification of moral decisions is considered as a common issue or subject that most philosophers often debate. Moral justification is a very broad and complex subject that we normally deal with in our personal and professional lives. Regardless of whether we are conscious or not, we often encounter simple or complicated situations that must be dealt with our moral judgment. In fact, simple things such as gossiping, telling big or white lies, hurting another person’s reputation by simply being rude or torturing another human being can a subject of whether or not such act is morally acceptable or not. (Westacott, 2006; Davis, 2005; Westacott, 2000) There are many considerations that build-up a person’s moral judgment. First, our conscience serves as our guide when choosing between something that is morally right or wrong. (Paunil-Ciabal, 2003: 23) It is also unavoidable that some of us may end up having to face a situation wherein we need to make a major life decision based on the principle of choosing the lesser evil. (Paunil-Ciabal, 2003: 33) Since we all have the freedom to make choices in our lives, some of us may end up deciding to act on something that may not be morally right in the eyes of another person. Choosing the action that does not fully promote humanity is never an easy task. Considering all the factors that may contribute to the development of moral decisions in each person, this study will examine and provide some real-life examples that will prove as to whether or not the application of pure emotions, pure logical reasoning, or both is necessary when it comes to the justification of a moral decision. The Moral Justification of Torture, Cruel and Inhuman Acts Torturing or inflicting cruel acts on another human being is morally unacceptable considering that the act itself, regardless of its purpose, is considered as evil and inhumane. (Kershnar, 2004; Paunil-Ciabal, 2003: 33) Back in 2002, we have heard from the news about the story behind the American soldiers in Afghanistan, Guantánamo Bay naval base, and Iraq wherein the prisoners were brutally tortured as part of their preferred “interrogation technique” in order for the American soldiers to gather more information with regards to the terrorists group that has attacked the Americans back in 2001. (Davis, 2005) Basically, the five possible reasons behind torturing another individual includes: (1) to make another person confess; (2) to gather sensitive information; (3) to intimidate another party; (3) as a punishment; (5) to make another person suffer for the personal satisfaction of the torturer. (Davis, 2005) Based on the said scenario, it is clear that the means of to an end is morally not good. (Kershnar, 2004) As part of the military order, some of these American soldiers were left with no choice but to follow. These soldiers are consciously aware that such action is not morally good considering the fact that torturing another person could inflict physical and emotional harm. The emotions of these American soldiers were totally disregarded as part of their profession. All they have left is to make a logical reasoning when making decisions since each of them will be held accountable for not following the military order. Being a part of the military does not excuse the soldiers from the evil acts of torturing another human being. (Dershowitz, 2002) At the end of the day, it is more likely that these soliders will have to go through a reflection on their moral responsibility with regards to their past actions. Prior to joining the military, each American soldiers were given a freewill to decide for themselves. Considering that they have accepted the profession as a soldier, it is possible that they have already trained themselves not to rely much from their emotions but with a logical reasoning. Is Induced Abortion Morally Justified? Induced abortion is another morally controversial issue since it directly affects the women’s right and their health’s safety. (Bandewar, 2005) Some of the ethical decision-making behind an induced abortion includes the principles of autonomy and justice. (Donchin, 2001; Beauchamp and Childress, 2001) Aside from the medical approach used in induced abortion (Sherwin, 1996), another major problems with abortion is the fact that it does not provide justice to the foetus that is already present in the womb of a woman (Okin, 1989) aside from the fact that it violates the foetuses’ right to live (Bandewar, 2005). With regards to abortion-issues, there will always be a conflicting arguments between the socio-economic status, age, lifestyle preferences of a woman versus the religious teachings that is present within the society. Based on a theological point-of-view, it is morally wrong to go through an induced abortion since the act itself is similar to killing another human being or the prenatal life. (Cahil; 1992; Noonan, 1983) On the contrary, the perception of philosopher Anne Warren (1978) on a human being includes: “consciousness, reasoning, ability to make decisions and communicate his/her opinions as well as the presence of self-awareness and self-concepts” which are not present in a foetus. Similar to other medical-related issues, the person involved will have to go through the process of balancing or justifying her moral decisions based on her emotions as a soon-to-be mother and the logical reasoning of whether it is acceptable or unacceptable in her culture and family traditions to become pregnant outside the context of marriage; is she financially capable of fiancially supporting a baby or not; or is she prepared and willing to go through physical and social changes that is associated with being pregnant. Since going through an induced abortion could significantly change the life of a woman either for the betterment or the worst, women in general normally applies both the emotional aspect together with her logical reasoning when deciding to go through an induced abortion or to go through the nine-months pregnancy and continuously rear the child into adulthood. Discussion Each situation contributes on how a person could formulate the proper way of justifying his or her own moral decisions. Based on the two examples we have discussed earlier, we have seen the different factors that could affect the moral decision making of a person. In the case of the military soldiers, they do have an obligation to follow the orders dictated to them by their superiors leaving them with not much of a choice but to disregard the emotional factors that could affect their moral decision makings in life. On the other hand, the case of a woman who is caught in a situation wherein she has to decide on whether to go through an induced abortion or not has the freedom to combine her emotions together with a logical reasoning prior to making a final decision. Personally, I believe that a combination of a logical reasoning and conscience are equally necessary in justifying moral decisions. A logical reasoning is essential since it allows us to think deeper as we consider all aspects that could affect our decision makings as well as the fact that it enables us to develop a new path as we go through our life journey. On the other hand, the human conscience or the gift from God enables us to become aware on the difference between what is morally right from wrong. (Personal Development, 2008) The reason why I have decided to change emotions as ‘conscience’ is because the application of emotions in making a moral decision could only make us end up with a bias decision that is not based on a good moral judgment. The problem with making a moral decision making based on logical reasoning alone is the fact that it could violate the moral judgment of what is morally right from wrong. On the other hand, the application of pure emotions could trigger impulsiveness which could end up making a person violate what is ethically accepted norm from the unacceptable norm. For example: I have seen many female friends who are legally married but are constantly being physically beaten by their husbands. When I asked them why they chose to stay with their husbands despite the brutal beatings they receive from them, the usual response I get is because they ‘love’ their husband. I do believe in the sanctity of marriage. However, the case wherein the husband physically beats the wife is another story since the act itself violates the human rights of these women in terms of the right to live peacefully and being respected by their spouse. When a battered wife uses pure emotions in making decisions, it is possible that an intense anger or bitterness could cause her to decide on doing something that could either physically or emotionally harm the husband just to get even with him. Such decision is again distorted or is unacceptable since the act itself is not based on what is morally good. In order for a battered wife to make a better moral judgment, I strongly believe that emotion should not be the basis of making decision but more on the logical reasoning. Conclusion There is no fix or generally acceptable way of justifying a moral decision making since a lot of environmental and situation factors significantly affect the decision making of a person. The moral decision making of a military soldier and an ordinary individual is very much different because of the professional obligations of each soldier to follow orders from their superiors. When making a judgment for moral decision making, a combined logical reasoning and the application of conscience should go together all the time since the application of a pure logical reasoning and the pure emotions could significantly distort the moral decision making of a person. *** End *** References: Bandewar, Sunita. “Exploring the Ethics of Induced Abortion.” Indian Journal of Medical Ethics (2005): 13(1). Beauchamp, T. and J. Childress. Principles of Biomedical Ethics. 5th Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Cahil, L. “Defining Presonhood: A Dialogue.” Conscience (1992): 13(spring):19 - 28. Davis, Michael. “The Moral Justification of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment.” International Journal of Applied Philosophy (2005): 19(2):161 - 178. Dershowitz, Alan M. Why Terrorism Works: Understanding the Threat, Responding to the Challenge. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002. Donchin, Anne. “Understanding Autonomy Relationally: Toward a Reconfiguration of Bioethical Principles.” Journal of Medicine and Philosophy (2001): 26(4):365 - 386. Kershnar, Stephen. “Respect for Persons and the Harsh Punishment of Criminals.” International Journal of Applied Philosophy (2004): 18(Spring 2004):103 - 121. Noonan, John. An Almost Absolute Value in History. In Gorovitz S., Macklin R., et al. (eds) Moral Problems in Medicine 2nd Edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 303 - 308, 1983. Okin, Susan Moller. Justice, Gender, and the Family. NY: Basic Books, 1989. Paunil-Ciabal, Laura Evelyn. Ethics for Health Professionals. C&E Publishing Inc., 2003. “Personal Development.” 2008. Human Conscience: Conscience is Not the Voice of God; It is the Gift of God. 8 February 2008 . Sherwin, Susan. Feminism and Bioethics. In Wolf S. (eds) Feminism and Bioethics: Beyond Reproduction. NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 48 - 66, 1996. Warren, Mary Anne. On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion. In Beauchamp T. and Walters L.E. (eds) Contemporary Issues in Bioethics. CA: Dickenson. pp. 217 - 228, 1978. Westacott, Emrys. “The Ethics of Gossiping.” International Journal of Applied Philosophy (2000): 14(1):65 - 90. —. “The Rights and Wrongs of Rudeness.” International Journal of Applied Philosophy (2006): 20(1):1 - 22. Read More