Moral Decision
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A Moral Decision is a decision-making process by a moral agent that involves determining the morally right or morally wrong course of morally-judgeable action in a given situation.
- Context:
- It can (typically) involve the application of Moral Reasoning (to evaluate different moral actions and their potential outcomes).
- It can (typically) be influenced by the Moral Agent's personal Moral Belief System and External Moral Orders.
- It can (typically) involve considerations of Consequentialist Ethics, Deontological Ethics, or Virtue Ethics.
- It can (typically) be impacted by the Moral Agent's emotions, personal biases, and situational factors.
- It can (often) require a balance between Self-Interest and Other's Interests.
- It can (often) lead to a Morally-Judgeable Action.
- It can range from being a Simple Moral Decision to being a Complex Moral Decision.
- It can range from being a Low-Stakes Moral Decision to being a High-Stakes Moral Decision.
- It can be facilitated by Ethical Decision-Making Models and Moral Guidelines.
- ...
- Example(s):
- Choosing to return a lost wallet to its owner, considering honesty and the well-being of the wallet's owner.
- Deciding to blow the whistle on unethical practices within an organization, balancing personal risks against the greater good.
- A doctor deciding which patient to treat first in a triage situation, based on medical need and likelihood of benefit (see: Persad et al., 2009).
- ...
- Counter-Example(s):
- A Hedonistic Choice driven purely by personal pleasure without moral considerations.
- A decision made by flipping a coin, which lacks moral reasoning.
- A Compulsory Decision made under coercion, where the moral agent has no real choice.
- ...
- See: Moral Reasoning, Ethical Dilemma, Moral Responsibility, Moral Judgment.
References
2009
- (Persad et al., 2009) ⇒ Govind Persad, Alan Wertheimer, and Ezekiel J Emanuel. (2009). “[Principles for Allocation of Scarce Medical Interventions]." In: The Lancet Journal, 373(9661).