GE-8 Ethics | Module 5 | The Act, | Feelings, | Reasons,

| Meaning, | 7-step Moral Reasoning Power, |

Impartiality, | Moral Courage, | Moral Imagination
Reminder: Please be reminded that the distribution of modules in this subject is
through the CEAS office, made to be available for copying only maybe by a
xerographic copier. This shall be available only on the first (1st) and third (3rd)
Monday of the month during the entire period of the semester.

I. Warm-up:
For 2-5 minutes ponder on these questions: (you may write on a sheet of paper)
1. Remember and relate a moral experience decided upon solely based on
feelings? Please make a short narration.
2. Is it an effective way in making a moral decision?
3. What are the effects of this decision on your personal moral character?

II. Learning Objectives:

At the end of the lesson the students must be able to, to wit;
a) Capture and analyze their feelings in personal moral experience.
b) Compare a reasonable and emotional responses to every moral situation.
c) Check real life case against the 7-step model, a model that uses reason and
impartiality.
d) Recall immediate responses to moral dilemmas.
e) Differentiate responses based on reason and those based on feelings.
f) Develop man ability to discern on various possibilities and take ownership of such
decision.

III. Input
Reason
➢ a cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event.
➢ is the analytic faculty of the human mind that maintains objectivity unto inspecting
and organizing perceptions.
Reason may also refer to:

• Rationality, the quality or state of being reasonable, based on facts or reason.

• Reason (argument), a factor which justifies or explains.
• The cause of some thing.

Impartiality

➢ (also called evenhandedness or fair-mindedness) is a principle

of justice holding that decisions should be based on objective criteria, rather than
on the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the benefit to one person over another
for improper reasons.

Moral Courage

➢ It is the capacity to initiate and sustain your resolve whenever you are certain of
doing the good.
 ➢ is the courage to take action for moral reasons despite the risk of adverse
consequences.
➢ It is the result of a morally developed will.

Moral imagination
➢ means envisioning the full range of possibilities in a particular situation in order
to solve an ethical challenge.

• The Moral Act, Feelings, Reasons, and Impartiality

Human beings are complex beings. Unlike other organism that are simply driven by the
survival instinct, human beings experience the world in a variety of ways through a variety
of perceptive capacities. Bacteria are driven solely to replicate themselves; plants seek
only nourishment and growth and animals seek to address their hunger and reproduce
themselves. Apart from our rational capacity which allows us to reckon reality with
imaginative and calculative lenses, our feelings also play a crucial part in determining the
way we navigate through various situations that we experience. We do not simply know
the world and others; we also feel their existence and their value.
We are pleased when others compliment us for a job well done. We get angry when we
are accused of a wrongdoing we did not do. We become afraid when we are threatened
by someone, and we feel anguish and despair in moments of seemingly insurmountable
hardship. Most of the time, we act based on how we feel. This is something we share with
animals to a certain degree. We seek food when we are hungry and we wish for
companionship when we are lonely. However, unlike animals that are instinctively
programmed to act in accordance with how they feel, we have the capacity to reflexively
examine a situation before proceeding to act with respect to how we feel. In other words,
although feelings provide us with an initial reckoning of a situation, they should not be the
sole basis for our motives and actions.
A person who is in a state of rage towards a perceived enemy or competitor is likely unable
to process the possible consequences of his/her actions done impulsively. Feelings seek
immediate fulfillment, and it is our reason that tempers these compulsions. Feelings
without reason are blind. Reason sets the course for making ethical and impartial
decisions especially in moral situations although it is not the sole determining factor in
coming up with such decisions. Reason and feelings must constructively complement
each other whenever we are making choices. When feelings such as anger, jealousy,
and shame are out of control, hence without the proper guidance of reason, one's moral
capacities become short-sighted and limited. Reason puts these emotions in their proper
places seeking not to discredit their validity but calibrating them in such a way that they
do not become the primary motive in making moral decisions.
However, it must be noted that reason in and by itself is also not a sufficient instrument in
assessing moral situations. Reason can sometimes be blinded in implementing and
following its own strict rules that it becomes incapable of empathy for the other. While it is
morally wrong for someone to steal food out of hunger, to punish a person for doing it
without even trying to listen to his/her reasons for committing such an act may be
considered cold and cruel. That is not to say that the act is deemed right after one finds
out why someone stole. It is then viewed as a complex act, connected to a web of various
circumstantial factors and motives. A person's act of stealing may, in fact, appear to be a
symptom of a greater injustice in one's society prompting one to do good not by simply
punishing an immoral act but by proactively seeking justice for the disadvantaged people
who are pushed by poverty and societal injustice to feed themselves by stealing. In other
words, reason, while a reliable ground for moral judgment, needs the feeling of empathy
to come up not just with a moral but also a just decision.
Moral situations often involve not just one but others as well. Our decisions have
consequences and these have an effect on others. Matters of moral import need to be
 analyzed with a perspective that takes the welfare and feelings of others into
consideration. What is good for one may not be good for others.
For example, if a jeepney driver thinks it is only right for him to get as many passengers
as he can in order to address the needs of his family of by breaking a few traffic rules that
to his mind harms nobody (he does not run anyone over or he does not bump other
vehicles on the road), his reasoning may be construed as narrow and selfish. The
inconvenience and stress he caused other drivers by picking up and dropping off
passengers anywhere and anytime he pleases actually harms more than he thinks. Some
people may come late for work and get fired because of this habit. Some drivers may feel
too much stress which endangers their lives and this has an effect on the people that
depend on them. In other words, if one's reasoning does not consider the interests of
people that are affected by his/her actions, then he/she is actually being prejudicial to
his/her own interests. Saying that the actions do not harm anybody is not a sufficient moral
justification until one actually takes into rational account the effects of the actions on
others. Simply put, morality involves impartiality because it ensures that all interests
are accounted for, weighed rationally, and assessed without prejudice. Prejudices make
decisions impartial. Reason recognizes not only the good of oneself but also the good of
others.
One way of ensuring the rationality and impartiality of moral decisions is to follow the
seven-step moral reasoning model. These steps can serve as a guide in making choices
of moral import.

• 7-step of Moral Reasoning Power

1. Stop and think. Before making any decisions, it is best to take a moment to think
about the situation itself, your place in it, and other surrounding factors which merit
consideration, such as the people involved and the potential effects of your decisions
on them. This involves a step-back from the situation to make Sure that you do not act
out of impulse.

2. Clarify goals. It is also necessary to clarify your short-term and long-term aims. One
often decides on the basis of what he/she wants to accomplish. Sometimes, in the
heat of the moment, short term wants eclipse long-term goals. Thus, you must
determine if you are willing to sacrifice more important life goals to achieve your short-
term goals.
If you. for example, are seeking retribution for harm caused by another person, you
have to think about the long-term consequence of revenge on your character in the
long run.
3. Determine facts. Make sure you gather enough information before you make n
choice. An intelligent choice is one that is supported by verified facts. You must first
make sure that what, you know is enough to merit action. Without verifying facts, you
may regret your choice in the future once various aspects of the situation come to light.
Never make a choice on the basis of hearsay. Make sure your sources are credible
and have integrity.

4. Develop options. Once you are clear in terms of your goals and facts, try to come up
with alternative options to exhaust all possible courses of action. Most of the time, the
pressure of a situation may make you feel you have less options than you think. Clear
your mind and try to think of other creative ways of clarifying your motives and
implementing your actions with the least ethical compromise.
 5. Consider consequences. Filter your choices and separate the ethical from the
unethical choices bearing in mind both your motives and the potential consequences
of your action. Think of long-term consequences and act in accordance with the
principles of justice and fairness. Consequences are historical realities Chat bear upon
the lives Of others. A decision turns something in your mind into reality. Make Sure
you do not regret Che decision you have conferred reality upon.

6. Choose. Make a decision. If the choice is hard to make, try consulting others Who
may have knowledge or experience of your situation. Find people with a virtuous
character and compare your reasoning with your moral analysis. Once you make up
your mind, summon the will to do the right thing even if it is hard and seemingly
counter-intuitive.

7. Monitor and modify. Monitor what happens after your decision and have enough
humility to modify your action or behavior as necessary. Pride may get in the way of
admitting that you might have not thought out, a decision well enough. As you become
more aware of the consequences of your actions, especially on the lives of others,
summon the strength and determination to make changes to rectify any shortcomings.
Do not hesitate to revise your decisions in light of new developments in the situation.
These seven steps can help you ensure that you do not take moral decisions lightly. They
shed light on the various aspects of moral situations that you have to consider before
making a decision. An important element, though, is your will to commit to an action based
on moral principles. You must have the necessary resolve to put your choice in motion
after a long process of deliberation. Goodwill, though sufficient as a ground for morality
according to some philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, must nevertheless be enacted
and applied to make a difference in the world of practical moral affairs.

• The Moral courage

While feelings and reason set up the theoretical basis for moral action, it is the will which
implements your decision and projects your motives into reality. It is not enough to Want
to do the good, you must actually do it not only for Your sake but for the benefit of those
that may bear the consequences of your decision. To a great extent, you owe it to others
to do the right thing. It shows how much You respect them that you cannot allow yourself
to not do something that may benefit them. It is only by habituating yourself to doing good
that your will becomes used to propelling your decisions into actions. The will is like muscle
that you must constantly exercise in order to develop and strengthen.
Moral courage is the result of a morally developed will. It is the capacity to initiate and
sustain your resolve whenever you are certain of doing the good. Many factors can derail
you from consistently standing by your moral principles, such as intimidation from others,
but remember that a person of moral courage is not afraid to stand his/her ground in
matters that involve doing what is right and just. Moral courage is what some of our heroes
displayed in the face of dictators and colonizers. Moral courage is a kind of virtue that
enables one to be ethical not just in thought but, more importantly, in deed.

• Moral Imagination
Moral imagination, means envisioning the full range of possibilities in a particular situation
in order to solve an ethical challenge. Accordingly, it emphasizes that acting morally often
requires more than just strength of character. For example, moral action requires empathy
and the awareness to discern what is morally relevant in a given situation.
Moral imagination, as defined by Minette Drumwright and Patrick Murphy, is the ability to
be simultaneously ethical and successful by envisioning new and creative alternatives. In
other words, can people look beyond the dollars-and-cents impact of a decision to see
how it affects others?
For example, consider Nestle Foods. The company refused to target young children with
advertising for its high sugar, high fat products. Instead, to keep the company competitive
in that market, it innovated and created new, healthier products to advertise to young
children.
Indeed, moral imagination, combined with creativity and moral courage, enables both
individuals and businesses to act more ethically in society.
Beginning with the recognition of the particularity of both individuals and circumstances,
the moral imagination allows one to consider possibilities that extend beyond given
circumstances, accepted moral principles, and commonplace assumptions.

FREDDIE R. COLLADA
INSTRUCTOR 1