reason and emotion-fundamental moral
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FundamentalMoralTheology
StAlphonsusTheologicalandMissionInstitute
TerenceWeeC.Ss.R
Reason and Emotion on Moral Judgement
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TableofContents
Introduction....................................................................................................................................1
ReasononMoralJudgement ......................................................................................................3
EmotiononMoralJudgement ....................................................................................................6
ReasonandEmotions .................................................................................................................9
BeyondReasonandEmotion .......................................................................................................12
ReflectionandConclusion ............................................................................................................13
BIBLIOGRAPHY:.............................................................................................................................16
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ReasonandEmotiononMoralJudgement
IntroductionHuman life can never be separated from moral judgements. No area of deliberate
human behaviour lacks a moral dimension. In our everyday living, we are constantly
bombardedwithmoralchoiceswhichwehavetomakeandlivewith.Themoralchoicetouches
almosteveryaspectin life,beitsocialrelationship,sex,money,poweroreventhedaytoday
encounter with people or situations. Face with any moral situations, we are challenged to
make a choice between rightandwrong, just and unjust, good and bad.Whatis objectively
knownastherightchoicedependsverymuchonsubjectivebackground(culture,tradition,
believes,etc),andtheabilityforonetomaketheproperandsoundchoicealsodependsvery
much on ones receptiveness to these moral teachings through ones upbringing and the
formationofonesmoralcharacter.
InaCatholiccontext,moralityisdeeplyintertwinedwithourfaith.Therefore,wetalk
aboutMoralTheology,inwhichweformourmoralsbaseonthewordofGodandtothebest
of tradition. It is seen as a ministry to help believers to understand all of Christian life as
specificallymarkedby creativefreedom,fidelityandbygenuineresponsibility. Itisnotonlya
question of howwe live our calling but also how free we actually are to communicate an
understanding ofChristianmoralitythat truly expresses creative libertyandfidelity in loving
responsetotheLordsownlove.1
Moraltheologyinvolvesalmostallaspectsoflives,asshowninAppendixI.Itisahuge
plethoraofinterminglingfactorsthatultimatelyformoneintoatrulymoralperson.Someof
thesefactorsarepresentasis(freedom,revelation,God),whilesome(virtues,Experience,law,
responsibility,etc)requiresthegradualformationandmaturingofapersonbeforeitcanbe
imbibed.
1Bernard Haring,Free andFaithful inChrist:MoralTheologyfor PriestandLaity (Vol I) (Quezon City: Cleretian
Publications,1987),28.
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Takingastepback,letusaskourselves:whatwouldthemoralgroundofapersonbeif
hehasnotcomeintocontactwithfaith?
Throughouthistory,wehaveseenthatmanycultureshaveindeeddevelopedawholemoral system without the faith aspect. They based their morals on certain life principles,
philosophyorpsychology(Eg:Happiness,knowledge,etc),andtheyareheavilybasedonlogical
reasoningandpracticalapplication.Inthissense,moralityisseenasafoundationofsociety,
andmoralistakentomeanwhatbefitsordoesnotbefitpersonsaspersons. Itrefersto
behaviourthatenhancesandrespectsthevalueofthegoodearth.2
Atthisend,MaguireandFargnoliproposedamodelinunderstandingmoralitybasedon
aquestioning(orhuntingandgathering)phaseandan evaluatingphase.AppendixIIshowsa
graphicalrepresentationofthemodel.Centerwithinthemodelwheelisthequestioningphase
wherequestionsandfactsaregatherstouncovermoralreality,whilethespokesrepresentsthe
evaluationalprocessesandresourcesavailable.
Althoughthereseemstobemanyresourcesforthemoralevaluation,coretoitisthe
reasoning/Analysis process which gathers all information and ultimately produce a moral
judgement. However, strongly connected to the cognitive brain of reasoning is theaffectivity/emotional response, for although reason demonstrates the coherence and
truthfulnessofonespositions,itisinthefeeling/emotionsthattherootsofmoralityarefound
andnourished.
Therehavebeenalongstandingstudyonthelevelofinfluenceofreasonandemotions
onmoraljudgements,withdifferentschoolsfavouringdifferentideas--onesidearguingthat
moraljudgmentfollowsfromemotionalreactions,theotherre-assertingtheroleofconscious
reasoninginarrivingatmoralconclusions.Althougha fullyconclusiveoutcomehavenotbeen
reached,anappreciationofthemoraljudgementbaseonthesetwoaspectswoulddefinitely
2DanielC. Maguire andA.Nicholas Fargnoli,OnMoralGround:The Art/Scienceof Ethics (New York: Crossroad,
1991),8.
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helponetounderstandandinternalizemoralitybetter.Therefore,itistheinterestofthispaper
tostudythesetwomajoraspectsofmoraljudgement,reasonandemotion.Wewouldstudyits
basis,itsstrength,itsrelationship,andultimatelyitslimitation.
ReasononMoralJudgement
Foralongwhileuptotheearly90s,theabilitytoreasonwasseenasthesupremepath
todistinguishingrightfromwrong.Rationalistsinmoralpsychologystressthepowerofapriori
reasontograspsubstantialtruthsabouttheworld.3FamouspsychologistsuchasEmmanuel
Kant,JeanPiagetandLawrenceKohlberghaveallresearchedandarguedforthesupremacyof
reasoninginmoraljudgement.Theyadvocatedthatmoralknowledgeandmoraljudgmentare
reached primarilyby a processof reasoning andreflection. A reasonersearchesforrelevant
evidence,weighsevidence,coordinatesevidencewiththeories,andreachesa decision.Some
of these steps may be performed unconsciously, and any of the steps may be subjected to
biasesanderrors,butakeypartofthedefinitionofreasoningisthatithassteps,atleastafew
ofwhichareperformedconsciously.
For example, in Kohlbergs view, moral judgment develops as a function of the
developingcognitiveabilitiesofthechildasreasondevelops,somoralbeliefsmature.Most
modernrationalistsholdreasontobeatthehelmofthoughtandbehaviour,eveniftheimpact
ofreasoningonjudgmentismediatedthroughemotionalmechanisms.
Itisnotdifficulttounderstandthelogicbehindtheclaimforreasonasthemaindrive
behindmoraljudgement,asinplaincommonsenseitdoesseemtruetofact.Humansareseen
verymuchasrationalbeings,thuseveninthecaseofmorals,webuiltupasystemofreasoning
andunderstandingandmakejudgementsfromasetofmoralrules.Aswematureanddevelop,
oursetofrulesbecomemorecompleteandwhole.
Reasonisalsoexpectedtotakeonandreflectthenatureofmoralexperience:
3BWilliams,Rationalismin TheEncyclopediaofPhilosophy,Vol.7&8,P.Edwards,ed.(NewYork,Macmillian
1967),69.
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Throughreason,we find andcompareethicallymeaningfulempiricaldata;we search
fortheunaskedquestions,wecopewiththeinevitablepartialityofourknowledge;we
breakthestrangleandholdofhabituation,wecheckourmythsand otherfilters,and
wesolvetheconflictsbetweenandamongprinciples,reformulatingandcorrectingthe
principlesinviewofnewexperience. 4
Avastnumberofmoralreasoningsystemshavebeendevelopedandstudiedthrough
the ages, some of these systems were pivotal in the psychological understanding of moral
reasoning upto the present.One of the more influential moral systems would be from the
Greeks, who founded the concept of hedonism (morality based on happiness) and
intellectualism (morality based on knowledge/intellect and virtue). Many Christian morality
concepts also stemmed from these strings of thoughts as the early Christian faith was very
muchintertwinedwithGreekcultureandphilosophy.Ourgreatsaints,AugustineandThomas
Aquinas,whocontributedgreatlytotheChristianunderstandingofmorality,alsodrewmuchof
theirconceptsfromGreekmoralsystem.
ThomasAquinas,inoneofhisgreatestopus,SummaTheologica,outlinedafullmoral
system which served very much as the future basis of moral philosophy and theology (see
Appendix III). In it was the systematic reasoning development of the determination of the
humanact.
ItwaspresentedinSummaTheologica5BookIIquestion18thatagood/badactcanbe
determinedthroughthreeconditions,namelyi) theObject(FinisOperis),ii)theCircumstances
andiii)theIntention(FinisOperantis).Foranacttobeconsideredgood,alltheabovethree
conditionmustmeetthecriteriaofbeinggood.
Withsuchreasoningandunderstanding,itissimpleforapersontoguidehisactionsand
decisionsmorally,asallmoralissuescanbejudgedthroughasystematicway.However,inreallife,manysituationsthatoccurarecomplicatedandrequireagreaterlevelofreflectionand
4DanielMaguire,TheMoralChoice(NewYork,Doubleday&Company,1978),263.
5ThomasAquinas.TheSummaTheologicaofStThomasAquinas. TranslatedbyFathersoftheEnglishDominican
Province.Vol.II.(NewYork:BenzigerBrothers,1948).670.
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thoughtprocessbeforeamorallysoundjudgementcouldbeattained.Owingtothis,further
schoolsofreasoningflourishedsothatpersonscouldhaveanevenbettergraspatrealityand
situation,thusallowingclearerjudgement.Oneexampleofthefieldsofreasoningwouldbethe
studyoflogic,inwhichwelearnindepthdiversereasoningmethods,andtheintricateways
to spot flaws in the various complicated situations and statements. Appendix IV shows a
summarylistoflogicsystemwhereoneusestobetterunderstandsituationsandmeanings.
Besidesthat,moralreasoningtriestountanglesomeverycomplexmoralsituationsand
suggestasystemizedmannertodealwiththeserealities.Forexample,Aquinasalsotriedto
reasonifthereweresituationswhensomethingthatwasinherentlyseentobeabadactcould
infactbejustifiedasagoodactbecauseofthesituation(circumstances)andintention.Takinga
specificcase:isiteverpossibleforustojustifystealingasagoodact?
AquinasconferredanexceptiontothegeneralruleofhumanactinBookIIquestion18
article10.Itstatesthattherearecertaincircumstancesthat couldchangethespeciesofthe
object. Taking stealing as an example, the object (to steal), and the end (to obtain others
goods)arebad,andeitheroneoftheseelementswoulddeemtheacttobebad.However,ina
specialcaseinwhichonestealspurelyinordertosustainoneslife,thentheend(tosustain
life)andthecircumstances(lifesituationmakingthistheonlyoption)couldinfactchangethe
speciesoftheact(stealing)fromgenerallybadtogood.Thisisshowninasimplisticexplanatory
forminAppendixV.
In his treatment of homicidal self-defence (Book II 2nd
part question 64 article 7),
Aquinas also introduced thePrincipleofDouble Effect6, which is a set of ethical criteria for
evaluating the permissibility of acting when one's otherwise legitimate act (for example,
relievingaterminallyillpatient'spain)willalsocauseaneffectonewouldnormallybeobliged
to avoid (for example, the patient's death.) This set of criteria states that an action having
foreseen harmful effects practically inseparable from the good effect is justifiable if upon
6Alison McIntyre, Doctrine of Double Effect, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (June 2009),
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/double-effect(accessedFebruary23,2010).
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satisfactionofthefollowing:a)thenatureoftheactisitselfgood,oratleastmorallyneutral;b)
theagentintendsthegoodeffectandnotthebadeitherasameanstothegoodorasanend
itself;c)thegoodeffectoutweighsthebadeffectin circumstancessufficientlygravetojustify
causingthebadeffectandtheagentexercisesduediligencetominimizetheharm.
Beyondthis,thereweremanymoremoraljudgementstudybasedonreasoninorderto
further deal with difficult moral issues. The study of moral dilemmas- a tension between
conflictingmoralclaimshas dominated thepsychological literatureasresearcherssearched
forthebetterunderstandingofhowonewouldreasonoutadilemma.7Forexample,howcould
adoctordecidewhethertokilladyingpatientwhoisaskingforanendtohersuffering?Orhow
wouldamarinecaptaindecidebetweenorderingamantogoonafatalmission,enablinghim
to lead the rest of his men to safety, and sacrificing himself, leaving his men to their own
device?Orhowwouldamandecidewhetherheshouldbreakintoadruggistsshoptosteala
drugthatmaysavethelifeofhisdyingwife?
This study has proved extremely helpful in exploring the cognition involved in moral
decision making in particularly complex situations, and have helped in identifying reliable
thought processes and arguments which would aid one in resolving moral issues in a more
systematicandlogicalmanner.
Althoughreasonhasbeensignificantlyshowntoplayamajorroleinmoralreasoning,
substantialamountofresearchareindicatingthatthereareotherfactorsthatarejustas,ifnot
even more, important than reasoning. We shall now move on to study one of the major
contenders:Emotion.
EmotiononMoralJudgement
The main thrust of the proponents of moral judgement through emotions were not
tryingtodiscredittheroleofreasoning,rather,theyweretryingtopointoutthatreasoningis
7SeeBenoitMonin,DavidPizarro,andJenniferBeer,DecidingVersusReacting:ConceptionsofMoralJudgement
andtheReason-AffectDebate,ReviewofGeneralPsychology11,no.2,(2007).101.
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moreofanaftereffectofamoraljudgement.Itisinfacttheemotionthatguidesapersons
directjudgementinamoralsituation.
Researchers of this field have argued that people have a built-in moral sense whichcreatespleasurablefeelingsofapprovaltowardsbenevolentactsandcorrespondingfeelingsof
disapproval towards evil and vice8
. A very strong and famous advocator, David Hume, in
particular,proposedthatmoraljudgmentsaresimilarinformtoaestheticjudgments:theyare
derivedfromsentiment,notreason,andweattainmoralknowledgebyanimmediatefeeling
andfinerinternalsense,notbyachainofargumentandinduction.
Someoftheexamplesputforwardtosuggestthisschoolofthoughtinclude:
i) afamilysdog was killed byacar infrontof theirhouse.They had heardthat dogmeat was delicious, so they cut up the dogs body and cooked it and ate it for
dinner.Whatdoyouthinkaboutthis?
ii) Isitoktosellyourdaughtertochildpornographers?iii) Isitoktohireastrangertorapeyourownwife?
Theanswertothesequestionscouldeasilybereachedthroughreason,butthetheorists
favouring emotions would like to emphasize that with the immediate emotional impact oftheseexamples,thereisaquickanddirectemotionalreactionslikedisgustorcontemptwhen
decidingwhethersomethingismoralornot,andthesesocialemotionsshouldundoubtedlybe
partofthemoralpicture.
Manycurrentevidencesdofavourtheconclusionthatordinarymoraljudgementsare
emotional in nature. Jesse Prinz, in his study, defended 3 major theses of the relationship
between emotion and moral judgement9: a) emotions co-occurwithmoral judgements (this
pieceofintrospectivepsychologyhasbeenconfirmnumerouslyinstudiesofwhatdoesonin
thebrain),b)emotionsinfluencemoraljudgements (althoughstillopentodebate,therehave
8JonathanHaidt, TheEmotionalDogand itsRationalTail:A SocialIntuitionistApproach toMoralJudgement,
PsychologicalReview108,(2001),817.9SeeJessePrinz,TheEmotionalBasisofMoralJudgements,Philosophicalexploration9,no2,(March2006).
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been strong evidence in supporting that negative emotions can be sufficient for making
negative moral judgements even when wehave noother reason to thinkthat a situation is
wrong.Inthissense,emotionsaresufficientformoralappraisal.)c) emotionsarenecessaryfor
moral judgements (although itis difficult tohaveempirical test tosupportthisclaim, strong
evidence has been found to support this thesis through the research on psychopaths.
Argumenthasalsobeenbasedonanthropologicalperspective:ifmoraljudgementswerebased
on something other than emotionssomething like reason or observationthen we would
expectmoremoralconvergencecross-culturally).
Whatthen,istheconsequencesshouldweagreetotheargumentthatemotionplaya
strongpartinmoraljudgement?Belowaresomeoutcomesthroughthisunderstanding:
i) Explainingthelinkbetweenemotionandmotivation10-iftheunderstandingoftheroleofemotiononmoraljudgementistrue,thinkingthatanactioniswrongdisposesonetohaving
negative emotions towards it, and negative emotions are inhibitory, they promote
avoidance,ceasing,intervention,withdrawal,andwhenanticipated,preventativemeasures.
Beliefsaboutwrongnesscarrythemotivationalforcethatweexperienceasbeingunderan
obligation.Consequently,moraljudgementsvieforcontrolofthewill.Whentheyoccur,we
aretherebymotivatedtoact.
ii) Aidinthedistinctionbetweenmoralandconventionrule11-Thisisbestexplainedthroughanexample.Howwouldachilddistinguishthatitisoktotalkwithoutraisinghishandwhenateachersaysso,anditisnotoktohitthechildnexttohimevenwhentheteachersaysso?
How can a youngchilddraw a distinctioneven ata youngage? The answer may bethat
moralrulesaredirectlygroundedintheemotions.Whenwethinkabouthitting,itmakesus
feelbad,andwecannotsimplyturnthatfeelingoff.Ontheotherhand,raisingofhands
beforetalking,beingaconventionalrule,donotsummonthesameemotionalreactions.
iii)Indicating theself-evidentofmoral judgement Emotionally grounded moral judgementshaveakindofperception-likeimmediacythatdoesnotseemtorequirefurthersupport.For
example: we can feel that killing is wrong. This is self-justifying because killing elicits the
negative sentiment expressed by that judgement and having the power to elicit suchnegativesentimentisconstitutiveofbeingwrong.
10Ibid.36.
11Ibid.36-37.
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These understanding of emotion being the primal force of moral judgement have indeed
shed new perspective on the understanding of morals. However, it would be a simplistic
attemptforonetojustadheretosolelyonetrainofthoughtandignoretheother.Uponthe
understandingofboththeargumentsbehindtheroleofreasonandemotionbehindmoral
judgements, a wise step forward would probably be to study both aspects side by side,
analyzingboththeirdivergentandconvergentpoints.
ReasonandEmotions
Thecontentionbetweenreasonandemotioninmoraljudgementhasexistedinthe
philosophical and psychological field for centuries. Perhaps the most well known debate
between these fields was that of philosophers David Hume [1711-1776] (who favoured the
emotionapproach)andImmanuelKant[1724-1804](whofavouredthereasonapproach).
Hume made a most radical statement on his position by saying that Reason is, and
oughtonlytobetheslaveofthepassions,andcanneverpretendtoanyotherofficethanto
serveand obey them.12
The thrust of Humes attack on rationalism was that reason alone
cannotaccomplishthefullroleofmoraljudgement;itcanonlybeusedasatoolbythemindto
obtainandprocessinformationabouteventsintheworld,oraboutrelationsamongobjects.
Reasoncanletusinferthataparticularactionwillleadtothedeathofmanyinnocentpeople,
butunlesswecareaboutthosepeople,unlesswehavesomesentimentthatvalueshumanlife,
reason alone cannot advise against taking the action. Hume argued that a person in full
possessionofreasonyetlackingmoralsentimentwouldhavedifficultychoosinganyendsor
goalstopursue,andwouldlooklikewhatwenowcallapsychopath.
Kant,ontheotherhand,cameoutwiththerationalistethicaltheoryasanattemptto
refuteHume.Kantarguedthatalthoughemotionalfactorsoftendoinfluenceourconduct,we
12JonathanHaidt,TheEmotionalDoganditsRationalTail:ASocialIntuitionistApproachtoMoralJudgement,
PsychologicalReview108,(2001),816.
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should nevertheless resist that kind of sway. Instead,truemoral action is motivatedonlyby
reasonwhenitisfreefromemotionsanddesires.13
Beyond philosophy, psychologist such as Lawrence Kohlberg started to use morescientific manner to study the drive of moral judgement. He formulated a model of moral
progressionofapersoninvariousstagesoftheirlives,mainlythroughtheaccountofreason.
Heclaimedthatmoralforceinpersonalityiscognitive.Affectiveforcesareinvolvedinmoral
decisions,butaffectisneithermoralnorimmoral.Whentheaffectivearousalischannelledinto
moral directions, it is moral, when it is not so channelled, it is not. Themoral channelling
mechanismthemselvesarecognitive.14
Although Kohlberg has a huge pool of supporters who followed suit in his research
direction, another group came out questioning the stance of reason. They try to ask the
question:whileitisundeniablethatpeopleengageinmoralreason,doestheevidencereally
show that such reasoning is the cause of moral judgement, or is it just the consequence?
Psychologist such as Jonathan Haidt started field testing peoples moral reactions in
emotionallychargedsituation(eg:eatingofonesdeadpetdog,cleaningonestoiletwiththe
national flag, etc) and he found that affective reactions were in fact good predictors of
judgement.Healsofoundthatparticipantswereoftenmorallydumbfounded,thatis,they
wouldstutter,laughandexpresssurpriseattheirinabilitytofindsupportingreasons,yetthey
would not change their initial judgements of condemnation. It seems that for affectively
charged events, such as incest and other taboo violations, an intuitionist model (emotional
based)maybemoreplausiblethanarationalistmodel(reasonbased).15
13
See Matt McCormick, Immanuel Kant: Metaphysics, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (June 2005),
http://www.iep.utm.edu/kantmeta/(accessedFebruary28,2010).14
LawrenceKohlberg,FromIstoOught:HowtoCommittheNaturalisticFallacyandGetAwayWithItintheStudy
of Moral DevelopmentinCognitiveDevelopment and Epistimology, T Mischel, ed.(New York, Academic Press,
1971),230.15
JonathanHaidt,SKoller&MDias,Affect,Culture,andMorality,orIsItWrongtoEatYourDog?Journalof
PersonalityandSocialPsychology65,(1993),613-628.
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Withhisfindings,Haidtcameoutwithasocialintuitionistmodel,whichexplainsthat
emotionalcapacitiesinvolvingaffectandintuitiondoalmostalloftheworkingeneratingmoral
judgements.Reasonontheotherhandisrelegatedtotheroleofalawyerorpublicrelations
agent,whosejobitistoofferpublicpost-hocjustificationforjudgementsaftertheyhavebeen
made16
.AppendixVIshowsasimplifieddepictionofthismodel.
Eventhoughthecontentionsandargumentsontheroleofreasonandemotionon
moral judgement would probably continue for a long time to come, some new studies are
startingthe attempt infinding a middle ground, ora kind ofsynergizingofthe role ofboth
reasonandemotioninmorality.Somearestartingtostatethatthedebatesurroundingthe
causes of moral judgement may be unnecessary if we acknowledge that each of the
prototypicalmoralsituationsinvolvedifferentprocesses.
In the study of reactions towards moral dilemma, Joshua Greene discovered that
personal moral dilemmas trigger emotion systems, which then play a major causal role in
producingamoraljudgement.However,impersonalmoraldilemmasleavethejudgementto
reasoningsystem.Theroleofreasoninginpersonaldilemmasiseitherdiminishedorentirely
absent.17
Appendix VII is a depiction of Greenes Model of processes underlying moral
judgement.
March Hauser, on the other hand, proposed that humans possess an innate, tacit
capacity for moral judgement that is in many ways parallel to our capacity for language.18
Hauser argues that humans are endowed with an innate moral grammar, as in language
development, this innate moral grammar provides information regarding core principles
commontoallmoralsystems.Inaddition,likethelinguisticfaculty,theinnatemoralfaculty
operatesunconsciously,quicklyandautomatically.Heformulatedamodelofmoraljudgement
16JenniferNado,DanielKellyandStephenStich,MoralJudgement,inRoutledgeCompaniontothePhilosophyof
Psychology,JohnSymons&PacoCalvoed.(LondonandNewYork,RoutledgeTaylor&FrancisGroup,2006),627.17
Ibid.629.18
Ibid.630.
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inwhichfirstly,theperceptionofamorallysignificanteventtriggersananalysisoftheactions
involved. That analysis, though fast and unconscious, is a complex cognitive process. (In a
sense, it is a reasoning process, albeit not a conscious one.) The conventionally known
emotion and reason would then equally happen after the judgement, where emotions
would come to play in controlling our behavioural response to the perceived act, while
consciousreasoningwouldcomeaftertheinitialintuitivejudgementtoprovideunderstanding
andlogicalinterpretation.AppendixVIIIdepictsHausersmodelofmoraljudgement.
BeyondReasonandEmotion
Thusfarthematerialsabovehavepresentedalongseriesofdiscussionontheroleof
reasonandemotiononmoraljudgement.Weseethatevenaftercenturiesofdebatesand
studies,we are still trying tograsp the intricate workingsof moraljudgement.Evenwithout
comingtoadefinitiveconclusion,onethingisverysure:theworkingsofmoraljudgementisa
verycomplicatedaffairandrequiresacriticalandopenmindedattitudeforonetobeableto
fullyappreciateitfromallangles.
Itisnodoubtthatregardlessoftheexactfunctionofreasonandemotion,theydo
playveryimportantrolesinmorals.However,faithperspectiveleadsustobelievethatthese
cannotbethesolefactorsunderlyingthemoralintegrityofaperson.Infact,ourmoralvalues
andjudgements areintricately tiedup to ourrelationship toGodandthereforeare strongly
formedanddevelopedwithinthefaithaspectofourlives.
OurChristianfaithleadsustobelievethatweareformedintheimageofGod(Imago
Dei),andtherefore,ourthoughts,wordsanddeedsshouldbeaclearreflectionofthisgreat
dignityofours.Beyondtherealmofreasonandemotion,corewithinus,drivingourvaluesof
lifeandourmoralperspectives,isalsoourworldviewandintegratedperceptionoflifethrough
ourdeepconnectednesstoGod.
Oneofthecentralaspectsinthisrelationshipwouldbethebuddingofourconscience,
whichisourmoralfaculty,ourinnercorewhenwecometoknowourselvesinconfrontation
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withGodandourfellowman19
.Itwouldbeanaspectboringdeeperbeyondourreasonand
emotionasitbecomespartofouressenceduetoourbondwithGod.Itbecomesthesecond
nature,thenewfacetofaperson.Ourconsciencethenbecomestheguidingpoleofourmoral
judgement.
Stronglyrelatingtothiswouldalsobethegrowthofourvirtueswhichisstronglytiedto
ourrelationshipwithGodandtoourconscience.ThroughtheloveofGod,thereexistaninner
growthandtransformationwhichallowsourcoretoimbibevirtueswhichflowoutwithinour
directnature.Thetheologicalvirtuesoffaith,hopeandloveallowustolivewithinamorality
which serves for the attainment of our ultimate goal of salvation and union with God. The
ethicalvirtuesofdiligence,wisdom,patience,justice,truthfulnessandmanymorefuseswith
ourmoraljudgementandthereforeallowingustoliveinaccordancetothecommongoodand
actanddecideinwaysaligningtothewillofGod.
Alltheseaspects,alongwiththedefinitiveguidingprinciplescomingfromscriptureand
ourchurchtradition,willultimatelyformtheunderlyingfoundationofourmorality.Eachwill
playtheirrole,nurturingthesoil,providingwater,sunshineandtheoptimumconditions,for
thegrowthofmoralswithinaperson.Itisthroughtheappreciationandintegrationofallthese
aspects into ones moral life (either conscious orunconsciousness) could one beseen tobe
personwhofullylivedtheirdignityaschildrenofGodwhomtheFatherultimatelycalltobein
unionwithhim.
ReflectionandConclusion
Core within our human life is our interactions with the people and the environment
surroundingus. And within these interactions, wecannot avoidthe constantneed for usto
makechoicesbetweengoodandbad,rightandwrong.Thesechoicesandjudgements,imbibed
19BarnardHaring.ChristianRenewalinaChangingWorld.(NewYork:TheMercierPress,1966).92.
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withinapartofourhumanessencewhichwecometotermasmorality,isacrucial,necessary
anddefinitepartofusasbeinghumanandbeingchildrenofGod.
Therearemanyfactorsaffectingtheformationandgrowthofapersonsmorality.FromaChristianperspective,weseethehandsofGodandtheeffectsoftherelationshipwithGod
within our lives as deterministic factors of moral formation. However, more fundamental to
that,thereexistthephilosophicalandpsychologicalaspectsofmoralformationwhichismore
easilyidentifiableamongpersonsofallracesandreligionsintheworld.
Withinthisrealm,manysub-factorscanalsobedeterminedintheformationofmorals;
however,verybasictoallistheunderstandingofmoralformationthroughonesreason.This
view seems logical as it is through our cognitive capacity that we learnt and grow in most
aspectsofourlives.Philosophers,psychologistandtheologiansalikehadtriedtounderstand
the role of reason in moral judgement through various methods, and came out with many
models and structures explaining how the mind come to address a moral issue through a
systematicanalysisofsituationleadingtoadecision.Thankstotheunderstandingofreason,
we are provided with sets of criteria to judge good or bad act, and to find ways in solving
complicatedmoralissuesthroughmethodicalapproach.
However, beyond reason, we also see that emotion do play a part in ones moral
judgement.Somestudieshaveindicatedthatemotionisinfacttheprimaryfactorinamoral
judgement,evenbefore reason come toplayin making senseof the situation.The intuitive,
sensingdriveofemotionwhichleadstoadirectjudgementduringmoralassessmenthasled
researcherstoconcludethatitisavaluableandnecessarypartofonesmoralformation. Itis
an innate drive within oneself which ultimately helpsone todifferentiate rightfrom wrong,
good from bad, and help in the a gradual formation of ones motivation and nature, thus
reactingsystematicallytotheperceivedgoodandbadintheoutsideworld.
Regardlessofhowwelltheargumentsfrombothperspectivesare,wewouldultimately
realize that reason and emotion mutually share their unique and specific roles in a moral
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judgement.Theargumentscangoonbutcoretothepointisthatmoraljudgementisindeed
complexandisconsistingofmanyfactors,evenbeyondthatofreasonandemotion.
Drawing from these aspects, a most important point to keep in mind always is thecomplexityandthemulti-dimensionalfacetsofmoraljudgements.Weshouldnotsimplistically
lookatmoralityassomethingthatcanbeeasilyformedorcontrolled.Itdrivesfromalmostall
aspectsoflifeandthereforeaffectsallaspectsoflife.
Thatbeingsaid,theappreciationofthisunderstandingdoesprovideabetterroadmap
foronetogrowandnurtureonesmorality.Beingpeopleoffaith,webelievethatthecomplex
realmofmoralityincludestheimportantaspectsoffaith,suchasconscienceandtheformation
ofourChristianvalues.Withintheseunderstanding,ourappreciationoftheroleof reasonand
emotion in moral judgement would also aid in our internalization of conscience and values.
Howdowedothat?
Reasoncouldhelponeinclarifyingandsystematizingtheunderstandingofconscience
anditsinterplaywithinoneself.ItwouldalsoaidapersoninappreciatingthevariousChristian
valuesandbemoreawareoftheminreallifesituations.Emotionsontheotherhand,could
help in imprinting these conscience and values deeper within our hearts through positivereinforcementsandformationofonesmotivation.
In conclusion, weseethatbothreason andemotion playapart in moraljudgement.
Howitisspecificallymightstillbeaquestiontobeanswered,buttheappreciationofitwould
helponeunderstandbetterthecomplexityofmorality.Withitwecouldalsoutilizebothreason
and emotion to aid in the formation of morality through other perspective, especially that
comingfromourfaith.
WithdeeploveofGod,agreatsenseofsurrenderingtothemovementofthespirit,an
opennessto growth,andfinally couplingwith theappreciationandutilization of reason and
emotion,oneisdefinitelyonherwaytowardsgreatermoralstanding.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Aquinas, Thomas. The Summa Theologica of St Thomas Aquinas. Translated by Fathers of the English
DominicanProvince.Vol.II.NewYork:BenzigerBrothers,1948.
Haidt,Jonathan.TheEmotionalDoganditsRationalTail:ASocialIntuitionistApproachtoMoralJudgment.PsychologicalReview,no.108(2001):814-834.
Haidt,Jonathan,SKoller,andMDias.Affect,Culture,andMorality,orIsItWrongtoEatYourDog?Journal
ofPersonalityandSocialPsychology65(1993):613-628.
Haring,Bernard.ChristianRenewalinaChangingWorld.NewYork:TheMercierPress,1966.
.FreeandFaithfulinChrist:MoralTheologyforPriestandLaity. Vol.I.QuezonCity:ClaretiansPublications,
1987.
Kohlberg,Lawrence.FromIstoOught:HowtoCommittheNaturalisticFallacyandGetAwayWithItinthe
StudyofMoralDevelopment.InCognitiveDevelopmentandEpistemology,editedbyTMischel,230-
231.NewYork:AcademicPress,1971.
Maguire,DanielC.TheMoralChoice.NewYork:Doubleday&CompanyInc,1978.
Maguire, Daniel C, and A Nicholas Fargnoli. On Moral Grounds: The Art/Schience of Ethics. New York:
Crossroad,1991.
McCormick, Matt. Immanuel Kant: Metaphysics. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 30 June, 2005.
http://www.iep.utm.edu/kantmeta/(accessed28February,2010).
McCormick,RichardA,andPaulRamsey,. DoingEviltoAchieveGood:MoralChoicesinConflictSituations.
London:LoyolaUniversityPress,1985.
McIntyre, Alison. Doctrine of Double Effect. Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 29 June, 2009.http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/double-effect(accessed23February,2010).
Monin,Benot.ReasonandEmotioninMoralJudgment:DifferentPrototypesLeadtoDifferentTheories.In
DoEmotionshelporhurtdecisionmaking?:Ahedgefoxianperspective,byKDVohs,RFBaumeister
andGBaumeister.NewYork:RusselSageFoundation,2004.
Monin, Benoit, David A Pizarro, and Beer S Jennifer. deciding Versus reacting: Conceptions of Moral
JudgementandtheReason-Affectdebate. ReviewofGenreralPsychology11,no.2(2007):99-111.
Nado, Jennifer, Daniel Kelly, and Stephen Stich. Moral Judgement. In Routledge Companion to the
Philosophyof Psychology, edited by John Symons and Paco Calvo, 621-633. London & New York:
RoutledgeTaylorandFrancisGroup,2006.
Prinz,Jesse.TheEmotionalBasisofMoralJudgements. Philosophicalexplorations 9,no.1(March2006):
29-43.
William,B.Rationalism.Vol.7&8,inTheEncyclopediaofPhilosophy,editedbyPEdwards,69-75.NewYork:
Macmillan,1967.
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AppendixI:TheManyFacetsthatAffectMoralTheology
AppendixII:TheHubofMoralReality
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AppendixIII:
BriefgraphicalinterpretationofEthics/MoralPhilosophyaccordingtoSummaTheologica
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AppendixIV:
SummaryListofLogicSystem
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AppendixV:
CircumstancesthatChangetheSpeciesoftheObject
AppendixVI:
HaidtsSocialIntuitionistModel
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AppendixVII:
GreenesModeloftheProcessesUnderlyingMoralJudgement
AppendixVIII:
HausersModelofMoralJudgement
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