“Some actions are just wrong, bad -

and that is the end of the story.

It is not a matter of opinion. It is a
matter of fact.”
MORAL ISSUE
- a situation that calls for moral valuation
- These situations are often the source of considerable and
inconclusive debates.
Examples:
Capital punishment
Euthanasia
The Death Penalty
Doctor-Assisted Suicide
Ending the Drug War
Abortion
Legalizing (or decriminalizing) Marijuana
MORAL DILEMMA
• arises when a person is forced to decide between two morally
sound options, but they may conflict with the established
boundaries of a business, a governmental agency, or the law.

• Complicated situations wherein a person is torn between

choosing one of the 2 goods or choosing between the lesser of
the 2 evil.
MORAL DILEMMA
• involves a conflict with the very core of
a person’s principles and values. The
choice the person makes may leave
them feeling burdened, guilty, relieved,
or questioning their values.
When a person is placed in a situation and
confronted by the choice of what act to perform, that
person is called to make a MORAL DECISION.

When a person is an observer who makes assessment

on the actions or behavior of someone, that person is
making MORAL JUDGMENT
A moral dilemma often forces the
individual to decide which option he or
she can live with, but any outcomes are
EXTREMELY UNPLEASANT no matter
what.
Some moral dilemmas may involve:
• following the truth versus being loyal to a friend;
• following the laws or rules versus having
compassion for an individual’s plight
• and concerns about an individual person versus the
larger impact on a community.
What can we learn from all this about the
nature of morality?
• moral judgments must be backed by good
reasons
• requires the impartial consideration of
each individual’s interests.
MORAL DILEMMAS
liable to arouse STRONG FEELINGS

can be an impediment to
discovering the TRUTH
We can not rely only on feelings no matter
how powerful they may be.
Our feelings may be IRRATIONAL.
they may be products of PREJUDICE,
SELFISHNESS or CULTURAL
CONDITIONING.
TO DISCOVER THE TRUTH -
feelings must be guided by the arguments that
can be given for the opposing views.

Morality is a matter of consulting

REASON for doing
Not every reason is a good reason.
There are bad arguments as well as
good ones and much of the skill of
moral thinking consists in
DISCERNING THE DIFFERENCE.
How are we assess arguments?
1. GET ONE’S FACTS STRAIGHT. This is NOT as easy as
it sounds. One source of difficulty is that “facts” are
sometimes hard to ascertain—matters may be so
complex and difficult that not even experts can
agree. Another problem is human prejudice. Often
we will want to believe some version of the facts
because it supports our preconceptions.
How are we assess arguments?

2. APPLICATION OF MORAL PRINCIPLES

Most arguments consist of principles being
applied to facts of particular cases, and the
obvious question to be asked are whether the
principles are sound and whether the
principles are being intelligently applied.
THE REQUIREMENT OF IMPARTIALITY
• Each individual’s interests are equally important;
from the moral point of view, there are no privileged
persons.
• Therefore, each of us must acknowledge that
people’s welfare is just as important as our own.
• The requirement of impartiality rules out any
scheme that treats the members of particular groups
as somehow morally inferior.
The Morality of Human Acts
1“Acting is morally good when the choices of freedom
are in conformity with man’s true good and thus express
the voluntary ordering of the person towards our ultimate
end: God himself.”
The morality of human acts depends on:
— the object chosen
— the end sought or the intention
— the circumstances of the action
“The O B J E C T , the INTENTION, and the
C I R C U M S TA N C E S make up the
‘constitutive elements, of the morality of
human acts” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1750).
MAKING MORAL DECISION
1. OBJECT
What will I do?
2. INTENTION
Why? What is the motive? What is
the intended outcome
3 . C I R C U M S TA N C E
What is the situation? What are the actual
circumstances?
“HUMAN ACTS, that is, acts that are freely
chosen in consequence of a judgment of
conscience, can be morally evaluated. They
are either good or evil” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1749).