2. TOPICS:
•1. FEELINGS AND MORAL DECISION-
MAKING
•2. REASON AND IMPARTIALITY
•3. THE 7-STEP MORAL REASONING
MODEL
•4. MORAL COURAGE
3. LEARNING OUTCOMES:
AT THE END OF THE LESSON, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO:
• 1. CAPTURE AND ANALYZE YOUR FEELINGS IN PERSONAL MORAL
EXPERIENCES;
• 2. COMPARE REASONABLE AND EMOTIONAL RESPONSES;
• 3. CHECK REAL-LIFE CASES AGAINST THE 7-STEP MODEL;
• 4. DIFFERENTIATE KNOWING AND ACTUALLY EXECUTING A GOOD
MORAL DECISION; AND
• 5. JUDGE YOUR OWN MORAL BEHAVIOR IN TERMS OF PLANNING AND
EXECUTION IN IMPORTANT MORAL EXPERIENCES.
4. TOPIC 1: FEELINGS AND MORAL DECISION-
MAKING
FEELINGS, USED INTERCHANGEABLY WITH EMOTIONS, HAVE A
WIDE RANGE OF MEANING TO PHILOSOPHERS, RESEARCHERS, AND
SCHOLARS.
LANE & SCHWARTZ (1987) EXPLORED THE DEVELOPMENT OF
FEELINGS AND DESCRIBED FIVE LEVELS OF EMOTION ORGANIZATION
AND AWARENESS:
1. SENSORIMOTOR REFLEXIVE
2. SENSORIMOTOR ENACTIVE
3. PREOPERATIONAL
5. FIVE LEVELS OF EMOTION ORGANIZATION
AND AWARENESS
• 1. SENSORIMOTOR REFLEXIVE: EMOTION IS EXPERIENCED
ONLY AS BODILY SENSATIONS, BUT MAY BE EVIDENT TO
OTHERS IN THE INDIVIDUAL’S FACIAL EXPRESSION;
• 2. SENSORIMOTOR ENACTIVE: EMOTION IS EXPERIENCED
AS BOTH A BODY SENSATION AND AN ACTION TENDENCY;
• 3. PREOPERATIONAL: EMOTIONS ARE EXPERIENCED
PSYCHOLOGICALLY AS WELL AS SOMATICALLY, BUT THEY
ARE UNIDIMENSIONAL, AND VERBAL DESCRIPTIONS ARE
6. FIVE LEVELS OF EMOTION ORGANIZATION
AND AWARENESS
• 4. CONCRETE OPERATIONAL: THERE IS AN AWARENESS OF
BLENDS OF FEELINGS, AND THE INDIVIDUAL CAN DESCRIBE
COMPLEX AND DIFFERENTIATED EMOTIONAL STATES THAT
ARE PART OF HIS OR HER SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE; AND
• 5. FORMAL OPERATIONAL: THERE IS AN AWARENESS OF
COMBINATIONS OF BLENDS OF FEELINGS, AS WELL AS A
CAPACITY TO MAKE SUBTLE DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN
NUANCES OF EMOTION, AND AN ABILITY TO COMPREHEND
THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE OF
7. TOPIC 2: REASON AND IMPARTIALITY
ACCORDING TO ELLS (2014), REASON ALLOWS A PERSON TO MAKE
CONSCIOUS DECISION BASED ON FACT, WITH NO REFERENCE TO
PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT. ITS USE AS A WAY OF KNOWING ALLOWS THE
KNOWER TO USE THE CONSEQUENCES OF AN ACTION THROUGHOUT THE
DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. IT LACKS THE ATTACHMENT THAT EMOTION
CARRIES AND IT HAS THE ABILITY TO REMAIN DETACHED FROM THE
SITUATION. THEREFORE, IT IS THROUGH REASON THAT ETHICAL
DECISIONS CAN BE MADE WITHOUT ATTACHMENT TO THE PROBLEM AT
HAND.
FOR GERT (1998), IMPARTIALITY IS A PROPERTY OF A SET OF
DECISIONS MADE BY A PARTICULAR AGENT DIRECTED TOWARDS A
8. TOPIC 3: THE 7-STEP MORAL REASONING
MODEL
THE 7-STEP MORAL REASONING MODEL PRESENTED BELOW IS
USED IN BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY. ETHICAL DECISIONS ARE HARD AND
WHEN WE FACE MORAL DILEMMAS, IT IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA TO AT
LEAST HAVE A GUIDE TO HELP US WHEN CONCERNS ARISE.
A SEVEN-STEP GUIDE TO ETHICAL DECISION MAKING
(FROM MICHAEL DAVIS, “ETHICS AND THE UNIVERSITY”
(ROUTLEDGE. LONDON, 1999), PP. 166- 167)
1. STATE PROBLEM. FOR EXAMPLE, “THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT THIS
DECISION THAT MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE” OR “DO I HAVE A CONFLICT
OF INTEREST?”
9. TOPIC 3: THE 7-STEP MORAL REASONING
MODEL
2. CHECK FACTS. MANY PROBLEMS DISAPPEAR UPON
CLOSER EXAMINATION OF SITUATION, WHILE OTHERS
CHANGE RADICALLY.
3. IDENTIFY RELEVANT FACTORS. FOR EXAMPLE,
PERSONS INVOLVED, LAWS, PROFESSIONAL CODE, OTHER
PRACTICAL CONSTRAINTS (E.G., UNDER $200).
4. DEVELOP LIST OF OPTIONS. BE IMAGINATIVE, TRY TO
AVOID “DILEMMAS”; NOT “YES” OR “NO” BUT WHOM TO GO
10. TOPIC 3: THE 7-STEP MORAL REASONING
MODEL
5. TEST OPTIONS. USE SUCH TESTS AS THE FOLLOWING: •
HARM TEST: DOES THIS OPTION DO LESS HARM THAN
ALTERNATIVES? • PUBLICITY TEST: WOULD I WANT MY CHOICE
OF THIS OPTION PUBLISHED IN THE NEWSPAPER? •
DEFENSIBILITY TEST: COULD I DEFEND THIS CHOICE OF OPTION
BEFORE A CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE OR COMMITTEE OF
PEERS? • REVERSIBILITY TEST: WOULD I STILL THINK CHOICE
OF THIS OPTION GOOD IF I WERE ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY IT?
• COLLEAGUE TEST: WHAT MIGHT MY PROFESSION’S
GOVERNING BOARD OR ETHICS COMMITTEE SAY ABOUT THIS
11. TOPIC 3: THE 7-STEP MORAL REASONING
MODEL
6. MAKE A CHOICE BASED ON STEPS 1 – 5.
7. REVIEW STEPS 1 – 6.
WHAT COULD YOU DO TO MAKE IT LESS LIKELY THAT YOU
WOULD HAVE TO MAKE SUCH A DECISION AGAIN? ARE THERE
ANY PRECAUTIONS YOU CAN TAKE AS AN INDIVIDUAL (E.G.,
ANNOUNCE YOUR POLICY ON THE QUESTION, CHANGE JOBS,
ETC.)? IS THERE ANY WAY TO HAVE MORE SUPPORT NEXT
TIME? TOPIC 3: THE 7-STEP MORAL REASONING MODEL 40 IS
THERE ANY WAY TO CHANGE THE ORGANIZATION (E.G.,
SUGGEST POLICY CHANGES AT THE NEXT DEPARTMENT
12. TOPIC 4: MORAL COURAGE
MURRAY (2015) WROTE THAT MORAL COURAGE IS TO
STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN EVEN WHEN IT MEANS
THAT YOU ARE DOING IT ALONE. MORALLY COURAGEOUS
PEOPLE ACT UPON THEIR ETHICAL VALUES, ESPECIALLY WHEN
FACED WITH MORAL DILEMMAS.
IN MORAL DECISION-MAKING, PEOPLE MAY USE
DIFFERENT MORAL PRINCIPLES, OTHERS MAY BE MORE
FLEXIBLE AND APPLY DIFFERENT PRINCIPLES DEPENDING ON
THE SITUATION. BUT HOW DO PEOPLE CHOOSE WHICH THE
BEST COURSE OF ACTION IS? ESPECIALLY WHEN FACED WITH A
MURRAY (2015) WROTE THAT MORAL COURAGE IS TO
STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN EVEN WHEN IT MEANS
THAT YOU ARE DOING IT ALONE. MORALLY COURAGEOUS
PEOPLE ACT UPON THEIR ETHICAL VALUES, ESPECIALLY WHEN
FACED WITH MORAL DILEMMAS.
IN MORAL DECISION-MAKING, PEOPLE MAY USE
DIFFERENT MORAL PRINCIPLES, OTHERS MAY BE MORE
FLEXIBLE AND APPLY DIFFERENT PRINCIPLES DEPENDING ON
THE SITUATION. BUT HOW DO PEOPLE CHOOSE WHICH THE
BEST COURSE OF ACTION IS? ESPECIALLY WHEN FACED WITH A
14. THE FORD PINTO CASE
THE PINTO CASE
IN THE EARLY 1960S FORDS MARKET POSITION WAS BEING HEAVILY ERODED BY COMPETITION FROM DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MANUFACTURERS
OF SUBCOMPACTS. LEE IACOCCA, THE PRESIDENT OF FORD, WAS DETERMINED TO REGAIN FORD’S SHARE OF THE MARKET BY HAVING A NEW
SUBCOMPACT, THE PINTO, IN PRODUCTION BY 1970.
WHEN FORD ENGINEERS CRASH-TESTED AN EARLY MODEL OF THE PINTO, THEY FOUND THAT WHEN THE AUTOMOBILE WAS STRUCK FROM THE
REAR AT 20 MILES PER HOUR, THE GAS TANK REGULARLY RUPTURED. STRAY SPARKS COULD THEN IGNITE THE SPRAYING GASOLINE, ENGULF
THE CAR IN FLAMES AND POSSIBLY BURN THE TRAPPED OCCUPANTS.
NONETHELESS, FORD MANAGEMENT DECIDED FOR SEVERAL REASONS TO GO AHEAD WITH PRODUCTION OF THE PINTO AS DESIGNED. FIRST,
THE DESIGN MET ALL APPLICABLE FEDERAL LAWS AND STANDARDS THEN IN EFFECT. SECOND, THE PLATO WAS COMPARABLE IN SAFETY TO
OTHER CARS BEING PRODUCED BY THE AUTO INDUSTRY. THIRD, AN INTERNAL FORD STUDY INDICATED THAT THE SOCIAL COSTS OF IMPROVING
THE DESIGN OUTWEIGHED THE SOCIAL BENEFITS. ACCORDING TO THE STUDY IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT A MAXIMUM OF 180 DEATHS MIGHT
RESULT IF THE PINTO DESIGN WERE NOT CHANGED. FOR PURPOSES OF COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AT THE TIME PUT
A VALUE OF $200.000 ON A HUMAN LIFE (BASED ON LAWSUITS). CONSEQUENTLY, THE STUDY REASONED, SAVING 180 LIVES WAS WORTH ABOUT A
TOTAL OF $36 MILLION TO SOCIETY. ON THE OTHER HAND, IMPROVING THE 11 MILLION PINTOS THEN BEING PLANNED WOULD COST ABOUT $11
PER CAR FOR A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF $121 MILLION. SINCE THE SOCIAL COST OF $121 MILLION OUTWEIGHED THE SOCIAL BENEFIT OF $36
MILLION, THE STUDY CONCLUDED THAT IMPROVING THE PINTO DESIGN WOULD NOT BE COST-EFFECTIVE FROM A SOCIETAL POINT OF VIEW.
15.
16. • CASE STUDY. THE FORD PINTO CASE. READ THE FOLLOWING CASE. USING THE 7-STEP
GUIDE TO ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING, HOW WOULD YOU HAVE SOLVE THE PROBLEM?
THERE SHOULD BE THREE PARTS:
• PART I IS THE SUMMARY OF THE CASE.
• PART II IS THE ANALYSIS USING THE 7-STEP GUIDE. YOU MAY PRESENT IN TABULAR
FORM, WRITTEN FORM, OR BOTH.
• PART III IS YOUR RECOMMENDATION.
2. WRITE ABOUT YOUR MOST IMPORTANT MORAL EXPERIENCE IN THE PAST YEAR. WHAT
DID YOU DECIDE ON AND WHAT DID YOU ACTUALLY DO? (200 WORDS MINIMUM EACH)
