Situations of Moral Dilemma - Essay Example

Moral Dilemma In some life situations, individuals find themselves in moral dilemma. Moral dilemmas are challenging andtactical events in life. In the incident, an individual faces challenge on the choice of actions that places him or her in a moral dilemma on the best choice. Each action presents a test of the morality and each is justified based on a moral reason. In situations of moral dilemmas, an individual has to consider the ethical aspects that make the situation a dilemma. A moral dilemma has to be resolved considering the best ethical capability (Biasetti 17). That is, one has to find the best moral standards in order to solve the moral dilemma. The question demands an exclusive level of thinking to come up with the considerable moral solution. A moral dilemma has to be weighed, and a judgment made based on the principle of nonviolence advocated by Gandhi. According to Gandhi, there is an amicable solution to every dilemma in life. Gandhi advocated that moral dilemma should be solved by non-violent means. He understood violence to mean the philosophy of Ahimsa. Gandhi argued that the best man is who advocated Ahimsa. Ahimsa specifically means a nonviolent action. For Gandhi, he interpreted it meant love, love that prevents anybody from harming other people. Therefore, in a moral dilemma a decision has to be made considering the love for a person. A moral decision is the one that best takes the interests of a human being. In 1842, the captain of a lifeboat faced a dilemma when the lifeboat had to be occupied by thirty survivors but could only support seven (Biasetti 49). He had saved the thirty passengers from a boat that had capsized after hitting an iceberg. The captain decided to drown some of the weak survivors to save the stronger ones. According to Gandhi, the best decision was when he could have shown love for of them rather than drowning twenty-three survivors to save only seven. In a moral dilemma, the best decision made involves sacrifices. The person who has to make the best moral decision accepts Ahimsa. That is, despite the violence experienced by an individual he remains non-violent. In a moral dilemma, the decision made after sacrificing for others dependents on the circumstances initiating the moral dilemma (Biasetti 53). Gandhi holds that the most prudent decision is characteristic of courageous individuals. He argued that fear represents an aspect of violence to individuals. Accepting sufferings and remaining courageous attains a prudent solution for particular moral dilemma under any circumstances. The courage enhances the ability to think when faced with a problem presented by moral dilemma. Fear, however, increases the chances of making irrational decisions. Moral decisions should be based on the factual information. A decision made on mere fictional data is factually wrong. Therefore, the moral dilemma requires a high level of thinking that is highly based on factual data (Williams 87). Gandhi worked on non-violence Satyagraha: a principle that requires the establishment of truth in non-violent means. Hence, the moral dilemma would be best solved if the truth on a particular matter were, first, established. When the truth is established through the analysis of the factual data available, then the moral dilemma is best solved. It is challenging to acquire the information if the decision is required to be made urgently. However, efforts should be made to obtain any necessary information. In a moral dilemma, a kind of moral reason is always sacrificed. Thus, the choice made reflects the least moral sacrifice made. A moral dilemma is composed of two incompatible normative elements. One must be selected. The decision made will always represent an element where the decision made failed morally. Why should the decision fail to be made if moral failure must be reflected in the decision made? Samuel Johnson referred to the moral dilemma a situation that no existing theory can be applied (Williams, 96). The decision made is unique and is not similar to any decision made earlier. The moral dilemma does not exist in normal situations and when it comes it must be faced with effective rational interpretation. Some genuine dilemmas will exist in nature, but moral dilemmas are very outrageous and require a high level of thinking. Despite how critical it might be a critical dilemma must be faced. In the study of moral philosophy, Kant advocated on moral decisions made on what ought to be. That is, a consequential consideration should be made any time a moral decision is made. The Kant ideas limit us from the responsibility that we have of making decisions. The human must face the laws of nature through the application of the laws of reason (Williams 101). The moral dilemma is an element of nature that must be intelligently faced with elements of reason. Kant required the application of good intent when making the moral decisions. The moral dilemmas must come, and they must be faced with a high level of intelligence and solved with good will. Although, the moral dilemmas are not experienced daily when they come they challenged the subject’s level of thinking. People have diverse concepts about what is considered morally upright. Therefore, the decisions made by an individual will always contradict with one another in similar situations. For instance, a situation in which a man decided to kill his daughter so that he can make her escape from the acts of violation. Individuals may think that the violation may be compromised if the main aim is to save an individual from death. The attitudes towards the killing will also influence the decision made especially between believers and non-believers. That is; different moral considerations will be applied to different individuals when faced with similar circumstances of moral dilemma. The fact raises questions over arriving at the best decision despite the use of rationality (Richard, 43). In all the situations, the idea of love will be applied. Nevertheless, when the love and sufferings elements are applied simultaneously, the problem with different moral consideration will be solved. Moreover, the decisions in moral dilemma are required to be made with high level of intelligence. For this reason, the decision related to killing the daughter due to saving her from acts of violation with not be made out of irrationality. Nevertheless, it is argued that the element of nonviolence did not exclude individuals from taking different moral considerations. Why would the same decisions made under similar standard arrive at different solutions? He believed that the individuals taking himsa decisions should be allowed to move through that path. However, he thought that he had the responsibility to assist them make ahimsa decisions (Richard, 46). Arriving at different solutions will not be avoided despite any precaution being taken. Gandhi himself was faced with a similar situation. It was proposed to Gandhi that it was inevitable to kill those individuals who were oppressors of humankind. Their actions were compared to those of a homicidal lunatic. Gandhi argued that there was no man who was so evil that he could not be redeemed. Moreover, no man who was so perfect that he was justified to kill those noted to be evil. For this reason, arriving at different solutions to moral dilemma could not be avoided. The fact was that at that instance the Gandhi was faced with a situation of moral dilemma. He took a different position depending on what he believed was correct and morally right. The rights to make decisions are bestowed on a human being. When faced with a moral dilemma a decision has to be made. Human beings are moral agents. Therefore, obligations have been placed on the human being to make decisions on moral issues. The best way to take the approach is clearly understanding all elements that are manifested in a certain dilemma (Richard 49). It is important to note that a moral decision is very tricky to make and deserves a high level of thinking. The decision made on moral dilemma must also reflect sacrifice and love for humanity. In addition, the decisions must be made courageously so that to arrive at the best decision. Nevertheless, there is the difficulty of arriving at different moral solutions. Arriving at different moral solutions is caused by what different people consider morally upright. Nevertheless, the problem can be solved by applying different standards concurrently. First, every decision should be made with high level of rationality and intelligence. Second, an individual should be guided by the love of humanity. Third, sacrifice should be an element that guides individuals in solving the moral dilemma. Finally, every decision should be made with good intent. Works Cited Biasetti, Pierfrancesco. "Rights, Duties, and Moral Conflicts." Etica & Politica 17.2 (2014): 1044-1064. http://www2.units.it/etica/2014_2/BIASETTI.pdf Richards, Glyn. The philosophy of Gandhi: A study of his basic ideas. Routledge, 2005. Print. Williams, Bernard. Morality: An introduction to ethics. Cambridge University Press, 2012. Print. Read More