MODULE 10
Moral Deliberation
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
1. Internalize the necessary steps toward making informed moral decisions.
2. Apply and explain the relevance of a particular ethical theory to a specific
moral
issue.
3. Apply the Seven-Step Ethical Decision Method on moral issues involving
the self and society.
Introduction
This Module provides guidelines and explanations for an ethical
decision in reaction to an existing moral problem in which the agent is in a
situation on what to do. Making an ethical decision can be difficult. However,
the different ethical theories that we have studied can be of help to us. What
is needed on our part is to make the right judgment on what specific ethical
theory best applies to our situation? We have known that each of those
theories cannot provide complete answers when we pointed out their
limitations or shortcomings. That is why they have to be combined. In a
complex situation where one theory is not applicable, one ethical theory or
another one can answer. Analysis of a given case and the examples for the
right principle or theory that is most applicable expects a confident promise
that a right or wise ethical decision, though it is difficult, is not impossible.
Lesson
Moral Deliberation
You might have put in a balance the choice of whether you will
continue your studies or you have to rest for a while. You have your reasons
for considering why you decided to continue your studies this semester.
What you did is a deliberation. It is the process of thinking, just as what
you did, for you to arrive at a reasonable choice and practical decision,
that is a plan that you have put into practice. Moral deliberation requires
the justification of our chosen action by applying a certain moral theory or
principle. It also takes into account whether the chosen alternative can be
effectively carried out. Ethical deliberation pertains to the different
considerations in the application of the Seven-Step Method that involves
answering seven “what” questions:
The Seven Steps in an Informed Ethical Decision Making
The following ethical issue will be used as an example in the analysis
and application of the seven steps. The aim is to arrive at an informed ethical
decision. It is an ethical decision because it is correctly grounded from any of
the combinations of the five ethical theories. Of great value is the judgment of
the agent as to what is the most appropriate or suitable ethical theory and
principle in his/her situation. Given that you one of the members of the
Philippine House Special Committee on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity,
what recommendations are you going to present to address and solve
criminality in our country? The issue runs as follows:
Crime is present in various forms in the Philippines, and
remains a serious issue throughout the country. Illegal drug trade,
human trafficking, murder, corruption and domestic violence
remain significant concerns. The Philippines has a high rate of
murder cases, which is the highest in Southeast Asia as of 2014.
Most major cities are plagued with high prevalence of crimes.1
1. What are the Facts?
Facts are those that exist in our real environment or those that happen
in the sensible world. The facts in the above issue would include the
immediate and long term prospects of Philippine society, the demography of
the law offenders such as age, sex or gender, economic standing, educational
background, etc. Facts also include the terrified citizens, businesses
shortening their store hours, losses in government funds, citizens losing their
trust to the government, recreational sites, and facilities getting empty of
customers, etc.
2. What are the Ethical Issues in the given situation?
What are the specific ethical issues this situation raises? We could
enumerate the ethical issues as follows:
(1) What type of solution is most appropriate in solving crimes?
(2) What approach (use of force, diplomacy, dialogue) will facilitate the
acceptance and cooperation of the citizens?
(3) Should the government involve the advice and support of either
China or
USA?
______________________________
Crime in the Philippines. (29 August 2020). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 14,
2020,
from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_the_Philippines#:~:text=Illegal%20drug%20trade%
2C%20human%20trafficking,with%20high%20prevalence%20of%20crimes.
3. What are the Alternatives?
Having determined the facts and the ethical issues, the next step is, what
are the alternative actions that are applicable in this situation? All possible
alternatives have to be exhausted without yet making whether they are
feasible. Alternatives to address criminality in our country would include
education, justice system reform, economic reform, social justice, social ID
system, community watch, capital punishment, martial law, etc. After knowing
the different alternatives, the most plausible one should then be chosen for
further analysis and examination. An important observation of the reality of
our current social situation is:
For economic concerns, our government cannot provide salary
increase nor grant more loans due to shortage of funds. To prevent
further division and unrest, the government cannot employ force to
solve criminality. The most practical alternative is one that is least
capital intensive and technology based, that which furthers justice,
general understanding, acceptance and cooperation.
4. Who are the Stakeholders?
a. First is to determine the persons who will be affected by the
chosen alternative or decision. In the negative sense, the list of persons
who will be affected by the decision is surely long, but some will be most
affected and so they can be classified as primary stakeholders. The family
can be taken as a primary stakeholder. If the case death penalty is chosen,
the poor citizens will be most hit. All of us know it well why. In the positive
aspect, those who will be affected are the businesses, the poor families, the
weak citizens, the tourism industry, etc. There will also be those who will be
affected after quite some time, and they can be grouped as secondary
stakeholders. The youth and the children are still too young to understand the
complexity of the death penalty, but surely it will leave a mark in their mind
and heart resulting in personal problems in time. Other people will also be
affected by far like, tourists, future citizens, even those who don’t care at all,
etc.
In the given issue, the stakeholders include the Filipino families,
local communities as well as the country’s social institutions.
b. Second is how to rank stakeholder claims? The stakeholders
have their claims. For example, businessmen clamor for the security of their
businesses. What has to be resolved is which of those stakeholders’ claims
would be given weight.
For the decision to earn justification and uprightness, the process for weighing
the competing claims should be clarified as much as possible.
c. The Filipino families’ claim so as to preserve their integrity is to be
given the greatest weight, since when they collapse, the whole society will
likewise follow. The stability of the family provides strength to other social
institutions. The security claims of the educational, church and political
institutions would have to be given the next greatest weight because such
institutions contribute to the stability of the family.
5. The Ethics of the Alternatives?
a. Apply the most reasonable ethical principles in deciding on the
best alternative.
Utilitarian Principle: Given the foundational importance of the
family, and the larger social institutions, which alternative would
provide the greatest benefit to the greatest number? How are we going
to measure costs and benefits in this case?
Deontology Principle: What alternatives would gain universal
acceptance and practice?
Justice Principle: Would the chosen alternatives treat people
equally or proportionately?
Virtue Principle: Would the determination of the mean
between extremes be verified in the chosen alternatives? Would it
provide an environment for us to flourish, maintain our well-being and
happiness?
Natural Law Principle: We have our natural inclination to
existence or life, to seek for truth or knowledge, an inclination to social
and political life. If any of these is reflected by the chosen alternatives,
then it gives value to natural law.
b. Choosing the best alternative. Many possible alternatives are
fitting to the solution of criminality. In this case, the best one has to be chosen
with the responsibility to justify that choice as best as we can. For example, if I
choose education as my alternative and my ethical principle on it is virtue
ethics, why is education the best solution to address criminality? As virtue
ethics teaches, our justification can include our understanding of happiness as
the highest goal of a human being. On a personal note, my justification can
mean my willingness to live by that decision.
6. What are the Practical Constraints?
a. Can the best alternative be effectively put into actual practice?
If in case our government proceeds with the National ID system, we need
to see if there are hindrances for it to effectively solve criminality. Some say
that it is open to forgery and duplication. There are even those who lament
that it would be an intrusion to our privacy. In such a case where constraints
rule out an alternative, we must go back to Step 5 to choose the next possible
alternative then subject it to the practical constraints test.
The best alternative may be community watch involving the citizens of
the community working together with their leaders and law
enforcement agencies to make their locality safe and crime-free.
b. Distinguish ethical from practical constraints. Ethical decision
making involves ruling out a particular alternative on ethical grounds. That is
what we did in step 5. For example, we cannot choose the death penalty
because it is against the natural law. In step 6, an alternative is also ruled due
to practical constraints. For example, we can eliminate the death penalty
because no one wants to administer the actual killing of the criminal. For
clarity, we can cite an example to further simplify the difference between
practical and ethical constraints.
In choosing community watch as a solution to criminality, we used the
justice theory of John Rawls’ asserting that “social justice concerns the
distribution of benefits and burdens throughout a society.” 2 On the
other hand, the practical consideration would be about the readiness
of each member of the community to accept the assigned burdens or
duties.
7. What are the Actions to Take?
The chosen alternative that is not ruled out by both ethical and practical
constraints must now be enacted. It may involve the necessary steps for it to
be effectively carried out.
Summary
Ethical decision making has been described as a process. Socrates,
the Father of Ethics, advised that we need the guidance of experts in our
ethical decisions. The different ethical theories that we have studied serve as
our guides. What is left in us is to make the right understanding and judgment
as to what is the most appropriate ethical theory in our situation? In like
manner, the practical aspect of our decision is also of similar importance.
One’s best choices will be worthless without its application in real life. We
may be wrong in our decisions. Regret may happen later. The important thing
is that we have the ground for justification of what we decided to do and that
is we made full application of the seven steps.
References
Angulo, Joselito B., Ely S. Alpe, Jr. and Willie A. Buñag. 2019.
Heuristic
Approach, Manila: Mindshapers Co., Inc.
Ethics: A
Calano, Mark Joseph, Oscar G. Bulaong Jr., Albert M. Lagliva, Michael Ner E.
Mariano
and Jesus Deogracias Z. Principe. 2018. Ethics: Foundations of
Moral Valuation,
1st ed. Manila: Rex Bookstore.
De Guzman, Jens Micah, Edna C. Aquino, Rodrigo DP. Tomas, Jeremiah B.
Pacer,
Aloysius T. Madriaga, Gherold C. Benitez, Lou S. Hualda,
Restie Allan A. Puno,
Jayson Anthony B. Banzon and Lamberto M.
Bamba, Jr. 2017. Ethics: Principles
of Ethical Behavior in Modern
Society, Malabon: Mutya Publishing House, Inc.
Evangelista, Francis Julius N. and Napoleon M. Mabaquiao, Jr., 2020. Ethics:
Theories
and Applications, Mandaluyong: Anvil Publishing, Inc.
Miller, David. Social Justice. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1976.
You Tube Source
Cortez, Roel. Napakasakit Kuya Eddie, August 8, 20028,from URL https:
//www.youtube. com/watch?v=o7FFs2ygKfY