Chapter 10: Reason and Impartiality as Requirements for Ethics
By JHOMEL R. BORIBOR
Part-Time Instructor
REASON AND IMPARTIALITY AS REQUIREMENTS FOR ETHICS
Chapter 10 in GEC 8 - ETHICS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Define reason and impartiality as minimum requirements for morality.
2. Recall immediate responses to moral dilemmas.
3. Differentiate responses based on reason and those based on feelings.
The minimum requirements of morality are reason and impartiality.
“Moral judgments must be backed up by good reason and impartiality.”
“Morality requires the impartial consideration of each individual’s interests.”
Reason and impartiality refer to a mental activity following the basic principle
of consistency — the lack of contradiction between one idea and another.
It is a process of deriving necessary conclusions from premises, avoiding all
forms of deception or fallacy of reasoning.
It avoids ad hominem, by not attacking the personality of the opponent and
instead directing one’s argument against his idea.
Reason avoids ad misericordiam (appeal to pity), since appearing miserable
does not improve an argument.
Reason does not resort to ad verecundiam (appeal to authority); one’s power
and influence cannot make a wrong right.
Good reasons include consistent and coherent reasons.
Coherent reasoning is needed to establish truth and meaningfulness of
moral judgments.
“Morality requires impartial consideration of each individual’s interest.”
In arriving at a sound moral judgment, you must listen to everyone trying to
speak.
Biases and prejudices must be placed between brackets—suspended.
Everyone’s message, silent or verbal, should be allowed to be unveiled.
Everyone has always something to tell.
No one has a monopoly of the truth.
A moral subject must be seen from various perspectives and standpoints.
VALUES CLARIFICATION
The Values Clarification method, as a part of the moral reasoning model,
consists of a series of questions which one may ask himself or others in order
to arrive at one’s true values — values that he really possesses and acts
upon.
STEPS OF VALUES CLARIFICATION
(Raths, L. et al., 1978)
1. Choosing freely.
o “Did you choose this value freely?”
o “Where do you suppose you first got that idea?”
o “Are you the only one among your friends who feels this way?”
2. Choosing from alternatives.
o “What reasons do you have for your choice?”
o “How long did you think about this problem before you decided?”
3. Choosing after thoughtful consideration.
o “What would happen if this choice were implemented? If another
choice was implemented?”
o “What is good about this choice? What could be good about the
other choices?”
4. Prizing and being happy with the choice.
o “Are you happy about feeling this way?”
o “Why is this important to you?”
5. Prizing and willing to affirm the choice publicly.
o “Would you be willing to tell the class how you feel?”
o “Should someone who feels like you stand up in public and tell
people how he or she feels?”
6. Acting on the choice.
o “What will you do about your choice?”
o “What will you do next?”
o “Are you interested in joining this group of people who think the
same as you do about this?”
7. Acting repeatedly in some pattern of life.
o “Have you done anything about it?”
o “Will you do it again?”
o “Should you try to get other people interested in this?”
As a result of the process, one may discover an ideal priority of values.
One may need to recollect and re-orient oneself to genuine moral values.
REFERENCE:
Kierulf, Joseph Brian R. (n.d.). Reason and Impartiality as Minimum
Requirements for Morality.
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