MORAL DECISION-

MAKING
A Lecture Presentation by

EDWARD L. MACARIOLA, MA, RGC, LPT

 I- The Role of Reason and Emotion in Ethical
Decision-Making

OUTLINE OF
II- Moral Argumentation
PRESENTATION

III- Scott Rae’s Seven-Step Moral Decision-

Making Model
 FEELINGS
ROLE OF REASON
AND EMOTION
IN MORAL
DECISION-
MAKING
THINKING
 Aristotle’s Categories of
Statements We Make

1. Analytic Statements
MORAL The predicate is already contained
ARGUMENTATION
within the subject
A priori in nature, it no longer needs
the verification of experience to
determine that what is said about the
subject is true.
 Aristotle’s Categories of Statements
We Make

MORAL 2. Descriptive Statements

ARGUMENTATION The predicate is not yet contained in the
subject.
A posteriori in nature, meaning, one
needs experience to verify if the traits
mentioned about the subject is indeed
true.
 Aristotle’s Categories of
Statements We Make

MORAL 3. Evaluative Statements

ARGUMENTATION
Statements that provide
judgment to any object.
Factual Judgment
Aesthetic Judgment
Value Judgment
 Types of Human Judgments

MORAL 1. Factual
ARGUMENTATION Any kind of judgment claim
about any object that we
encounter.
 Types of Human Judgments

2. Aesthetic
MORAL
ARGUMENTATION Any kind of judgment concerning
art and beauty – such as the
artistry and beauty of any object
we encounter.
 Types of Human Judgments

3. Value Judgment / Moral Judgment

 Any judgment that would entail the use of
moral principles in terms of evaluating
MORAL thoughts, perceptions, decisions, actions, and
ARGUMENTATION
the like, as either right or wrong; good or bad;
moral, immoral, amoral, or even non-moral.
 This is what is involved in Ethics and Morality.
 You have good reasons for it; there are good
reasons for it.
 MORAL ARGUMENTS
Moral judgments must be:
Backed up by good reasons; and
Impartially considerate of each
individual’s interests.
MORAL
ARGUMENTATION Moral Reasoning and reasoning, in
general, is a requirement in logic. Moral
Judgments differ from personal taste and
expressions of such.
 MORAL ARGUMENTS

Common Structure of Moral

Arguments
MORAL 1. Premises (Two Kinds)
ARGUMENTATION
a. Ordinary Non-Moral Claim / Premise –
about the way the world is
b. Moral Principles – Supporting Principles
2. Moral Claim – The Conclusion
 EVALUATING MORAL ARGUMENTS
How to know one’s reasons for Moral
Judgments / Arguments are good?
Getting one’s facts straight;
Incorporation of Moral Principles;
MORAL Moral Arguments must include
ARGUMENTATION nonmoral claims;
If Moral Principles are defective:
If claims about facts are not true or
reasonable, and
If moral principles are not reasonable.
 You are at your best friend's wedding just an
hour before the ceremony is to start.

Earlier that day, you came across definitive

proof that your best friend's spouse-to-be is
MORAL having an affair with the best man/maid of
ARGUMENTATION
(Practice and Sample Case) honor, and you catch them sneaking out of a
room together looking disheveled.

If you tell your friend about the affair, their

day will be ruined, but you don't want them to
marry a cheater. What do you do?
 ❖I should tell my best friend what I saw.

❖This is because, having come across

definitive proof on the day of the wedding
that my best friend’s spouse-to-be is
having an affair with the best man /
MORAL bridesmaid, I believe my best friend
ARGUMENTATION deserves to know, at the very least, what I
(Practice and Sample Case)
encountered.

❖Furthermore, considering the case, I

shall only tell her of WHAT I SAW since I
only came across the proof but it is
unclear if I managed to document it.
 ❖I should tell my best friend what I
saw.

❖Having been best friends with him

for quite some time, I have a duty to
MORAL uphold his welfare. (insert virtue
ARGUMENTATION
(Practice and Sample Case) Ethics on Friendship)

❖His spouse-to-be may not really be

marrying him for love and could
possibly just be using him.
 ❖I should tell my best friend what I saw.

❖Whether if such is the case or not, by

engaging in an affair with someone else,
the spouse-to-be is not respecting the
humanity and dignity of my best friend.
MORAL
ARGUMENTATION
(Practice and Sample Case) ❖This is in line with Kant mentions in the
second formulation of his categorical
imperative, which states never to treat
people merely as a means but almost
always as an end in themselves.
 ❖I should tell my best friend what I
saw.

❖In addition, if I stayed silent, it

would be difficult to apply it
MORAL universally, following Kant’s ethics –
ARGUMENTATION since if everyone were to keep silent
(Practice and Sample Case)
in such a situation, then we are
exposing our friends to harm by
leaving them ignorant of their
partner’s cheating attitude.
 ❖I should tell my best friend what I
saw.

❖That is why I should tell my best

MORAL friend of what I saw and to
ARGUMENTATION eventually support him all the way –
(Practice and Sample Case)
if he opts not to believe me. I will
continue to be by his side to help
and support him any way I can.
 Moral Claim / Conclusion:
❖ I choose to tell my best friend of
what I saw.

Non-moral Claims / Premises:

MORAL ❖ I came across definitive proof of
ARGUMENTATION their infidelity – the spouse-to-be of
(Practice and Sample Case)
my best friend and the best man /
bridesmaid snuck out of a room
together looking disheveled
(actually stated in the case)
 Moral Claim / Conclusion:
❖ I choose to tell my best friend of what I
saw.

Non-moral Claims / Premises:

❖ I saw the whole thing on the day of the
MORAL
wedding. (actually stated in the case)
ARGUMENTATION
(Practice and Sample Case)
❖But since I only came across definitive
proof, I can only tell my best friend what I
saw since I do not have well-documented
evidence of the affair. (implied in the case)
 Moral Principles:
❖Having been best friends
with him for quite some
time, I have a duty to uphold
MORAL
ARGUMENTATION his welfare.
(Practice and Sample Case)
❖Virtue Ethics on Friendship
 Moral Principles:
❖By engaging in an affair with
someone else, the spouse-to-be is
not respecting the humanity and
dignity of my best friend. This is in
MORAL line with Kant mentions in the
ARGUMENTATION second formulation of his
(Practice and Sample Case)
categorical imperative, which states
never to treat people merely as a
means but almost always as an end
in themselves.
 Moral Principles:
❖Following Kant’s ethics – since if
everyone were to keep silent in such
a situation, then we are exposing
MORAL our friends to harm by leaving them
ARGUMENTATION
(Practice and Sample Case) ignorant of their partner’s cheating
attitude.
 1. Gather the Facts
2. Determine the ethical issue/s
3. Determine what virtues / principles have a
RAE’S bearing on the case
MORAL 4. List the alternative courses of actions
REASONING
5. Compare the alternative courses of action
MODEL with the virtues / principles
6. Consider the consequences
7. Make and defend your decision
 You have a wonderful daughter. She is 8 years
old and has always been a happy outgoing
child. But a while ago something terrible
happened, she was raped.
PRACTICE
CASE You are quite sure that the person who raped
SEATWORK her is your neighbor. Your daughter is so
traumatized she has stopped speaking, but
she in other ways been able to convince you
that he is the one. Unfortunately not enough
evidence can be found to convict him.
 You try to put your life back
together. You move to another
PRACTICE house and try to help your daughter
CASE in any way you can, but it is clear
SEATWORK that the experience has ruined her
life and that of your family.
 One evening you have taken your
wife out to dinner at a restaurant
when you spot your former
neighbor at another table.
PRACTICE
CASE
SEATWORK He is eating alone and looks
unhappy. You quickly finish eating
and leave. The next day you find
out that your former neighbors
wife has been murdered.
 Enough evidence to convict him of
the murder is soon found, and at
first you are very happy, finally he
will get what he deserves.
PRACTICE
CASE
But then you remember that you
SEATWORK
saw him in the restaurant at the
time of the murder. you know he did
not murder his wife.
 Maybe he paid someone else to do
it… You remember that the police
said that it had been made to look
PRACTICE CASE like a burglary, maybe it was…
SEATWORK

You sit down to think. If you keep

quiet he will be convicted for the
murder, and the real murderer will
go free.
 If you give him an alibi, he will
go free, but you can’t be sure
PRACTICE CASE the real murderer will be found,
SEATWORK
and it is possible that the evil
bastard paid someone to do it…
What do you do?