The Fundamental Element of a Dilemma - Essay Example

Do you think there are genuine moral dilemmas? Term paper March 23, 1510 words The of the School If one takes a close look at the society that it formed by human, one will be able to see that the notion of Ethics plays a considerably important role in it. Indeed, the understanding of right and wrong can hardly be found anywhere in the world other than in the social environment. That is why it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that Ethics reflects some of the most important aspects of the human nature. However, opponents of such idea suggest that morality is a rather relative manner; in other words, dilemmas that are being studied by the scholars have no connection to the real life and, therefore, are not worth being examined. This paper will utilize different ethical theories and prove that genuine moral dilemmas exist. Overview of ethical theories Deontological Ethics One of the most obvious proofs that genuine moral dilemmas exists lies in the fact that there are numerous ethical theories, each of which adopted a different point of view on the same situation. That is why it may be important to analyze the exemplary approaches to support this point. The first theory that will be engaged is called Deontological Ethics and is closely connected to the legacy of Immanuel Kant. This German philosopher developed an idea that life of a person should be guided by a necessity to adhere with the duty1. There is no one strictly defined duty, it is rather a set of various universal maxims that adherence to which defines whether an action of a person should be seen as a moral one. The next concept that also was developed by him is titled categorical imperative. Indeed, in the view of Kant, actions of a person should be guided by categorical imperative which is the necessity to choose the right action regardless of the circumstances or the negative consequences that this might bring for a person. As one can clearly see, this is a rather rigorous position that makes a clear judgment about the significance of a particular action. So, the latter will always be viewed as a moral or an immoral one, regardless of the general context of the situation. Speaking of moral dilemmas, one might argue that this theory is a rather useful one since it will always be able to prove a clear answer to a dilemma. Consequentialism Considering the name of this ethical theory, one might guess that it places a significant emphasis on the consequences that an action brings. The same idea was explored by John Stuart Mill in his Utilitarianism who claimed that the morality of an action should be determined by the amount of utility that it brings2. That is why it is quite understandable that the action which is able to maximize the utility in a particular situation should be found the correct one. There is no doubt that within this frame of references the same action might be evaluated in a different manner according to the context in which it takes place. While engaging this ethical theory in solving ethical dilemmas, one will be able to see that it often encourages people to perform actions that others might find immoral. Indeed, this approach clearly contradicts with the previously discussed one which is straightforward in it judgment about actions. In other word, the very presence of these two points of view justifies the existence of moral dilemmas as it is obvious that different people are likely to choose a different approach while coping with a controversial situation. It is understandable that this ethical theory heavily relies on the additional information while making an evaluation of an action; so, the same one is likely to receive different interpretations if all the aspects are taken into consideration. Virtue Ethics One last ethical theory that should be taken into account while considering different approaches towards solving a moral dilemma is titled Virtue Ethics. By far, it is one the oldest one among the previously discussed theories as it was developed by Aristotle. According to this view, a person should judge one’s actions through the prism of two important notions: vice and virtue3. The former appear when a particular characteristic is in excess or in deficit; just logical, the latter arises when one is able to find the perfect balance between the two. There is no doubt that this is a rather difficult concept that apply to a moral dilemma as one might have a hard time determining a particular characteristic and finding the perfect balance between the excess and the deficit of it. Another important aspect that is made by this ethical theory is the focus that it places on the character of a person. Indeed, this might be seen as a rather effective way to determine one’s position with regard to a particular moral dilemma. Thus, a person may be having an ideal that one wants to comply with. So, if an action that one is about to perform does not fall in line with the desired character, one should refrain for doing so. Because of the significance that is attributed to the character, this ethical theory of often referred to as character based ethics. As one can easily see, the three approaches which were discussed in the paragraphs above occupy a unique position with regard to any moral dilemma, providing a person with multiple way to cope with it. Examination of a particular moral dilemma General overview of Trolley dilemma It is quite understandable that the best way to prove that genuine moral dilemmas do exist is to find a suitable examine of one. One might engage the view of E.J. Lemmon, who thought that dilemmas arise when the outlook of a person is not able to reflect the reality adequately. That is why the fundamental element of a dilemma is a collision between different ways of coping with a single situation. Keeping in mind a vast array of them, it may be beneficial to focus on a particular example that is titled Trolley dilemma. There are might be different variations of it, but the core idea behind it is always the same. The dilemma focuses on the difficult choice that a person has to make: a running trolley is headed to five tied people and will surely kill them unless one pulls a lever which will direct the trolley to a different track and it will kill only one person. In spite of the fact that this is a rather unrealistic situation, it introduces various elements which urge a person to reconsider one’s attitude towards different matter, such as value of a human life, responsibility for actions and so on. It may be important to perform the analysis of the situation with the help of different ethical theories in order to show that the above mentioned is a genuine moral dilemma. Deontological approach It is beyond any doubt that Kant as well as the approach that he advocated would point out that there is a duty of a person not to harm anyone. Indeed, the idea solution of the dilemma in question is to knock the trolley down so that it kills no one. However, this is clearly not an option in this case as either five or one person will be killed anyway. It is understandable that whatever choice is made, Deontological Ethics would condemn it as an immoral one since it features a deliberate killing of a person suggesting that one violated the above mentioned duty. Consequentialist approach The proposed dilemma will be a rather easy one for consequentialists in general and John Stuart Mill in particular. Thus, the utility that each of the given options can bring is saving life of a person. The dilemma would have been a rather difficult one if there had been one person on each track; however, the number of people is unequal. So, in the view of consequentialists it is much more desirable to save lives of five people rather than saving life of one person. Mill would most certainly find this action a moral one. Approach of Virtue Ethics The dilemma with the above mentioned trolley may also be easily solved by Virtue Ethics. Thus, the author of this paper condemns killing in any form. In other words, killing another person is completely incompatible with her character. This means that having the option, the author would make sure that the trolley in question does not kill anyone. Nevertheless, the situation does not provide the subject with such an option, so it is better to direct the trolley to one person rather than five. The major reason for it does not life in the idea that it would be a moral thing to do, but it will simply cause less killing. Conclusion Having examined all the evidence which was brought up in the paragraphs above, it become quite clear that genuine moral dilemmas exists. The very concept of dilemma arises from the fact that there are different ways of coping with a particular situation. As it has been presented, there are at least three sound ethical theories, each adopting a completely different approach towards a controversial issue. Since there is no possible way to say that some of them is not correct, the very nature of Ethics conditions that there will be genuine dilemma, like the one with the trolley. Works Cited Aristotle. Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2000. Kant, I., Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals: With On a Supposed Right to Lie Because of Philanthropic Concerns, ed. James W. Ellington, 3rd ed, Indianapolis, IN, Hackett Pub., 1993. Mill, J.S. Utilitarianism. ed. George Sher, 2nd ed, Indianapolis, IN, Hackett Pub., 2002. Read More