worksheet for moral deliberation

8/11/2019 Worksheet for Moral Deliberation

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Worksheet for

MoralDeliberation

MinimumRequirement

of Morality


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In the church, many have told me thatthey grew up in a very paternalisticecclesial environment where they were not

encouraged to think for themselves. Infact, some didnt even know that they weresupposed to think! As one person put it,We were told just to pray, pay, and obey.Bishops and priests were expected to have

all the answers, were sought for answers,and generally gave answers to every practical moral question put to them.Now, people are trying to learn how to livein the church after the Second Vatican

Council, which encouraged them to takeresponsibility for both discovering moral

values and charting the direction of theirlives. - Richard M. Gula, SS, Moral Discernment , New

York: Paulist Press, 1997, 1-2


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Worksheetfor MoralDeliberation

Ident i fy ing and se t t ing u p theEthic al Prob lem

What i s the e th ica l problem? The i s sue it helps to be ableto state or define, succinctly,the ethical issue involved in

the case and to make sure thatthis is not confused with otherelements of the problem. (Per-haps the ethical problem can

be stated in one or two sen-tences very much like a thesisstatement that defines theproblem to be tackled.)


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Wh at are the relev antfac ts?

What immediate facts havethe most bearing on theethical decision that must bemade in this case? Include

any potential economic,social, or political pressures.


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Who are the Stakeholders?

It is important to identify the stake-holders who will be affected by theethical decision to be made. It willalso help to identify the correspond-

ing obligations that one has towardthe various stakeholders.


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What are theavailable options?

It is important to list down at least three. AsAristotle remarks, there are at least two, andthese two often represent the extremes. No-thing is ever either black or white; sometimesone is forced to think in terms of a compro-mise, even if that compromise doesnt exactlyconform to your personal notion of what is theright thing to do. It is at this stage that reasonstruggles to transcend what we feel.


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Evaluating theOptions

What benefits and what harms will each optionproduce, and which alternative will lead to the best

overall consequence? ( Util i tar ianism )What moral rights do the affected parties have, and

which option best respects those rights? ( Kant )Which course of action advances the common

good?Which decision enables me to be and act in waysthat develop my highest potential as a person? ( Virtue )

Which option treats everyone the same, exceptwhere there is a morally justifiable reason not to, anddoes not show favoritism or discrimination? ( Jus t iceand Fairness )


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Determine

the mostappropriateaction On the basis of the evaluation

done on the various options, we

must determine the best course ofaction the moral thing to do.Ethicists claim that this is themost difficult part of the process

of moral decision-making. Itrequires courage especiallywhen reason suggests one wayand what we feel another way.


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Firs t , we must see to it that ourarguments, the position we take areconsistent. Ethics is supposed toprovide us with a guide for moral living,and to do so, it must be rational that is,free of contradictions.

Second , we must also ask if our arguments areboth valid and s o u n d . A valid argument is onewhose premises logically entail its conclusion.An invalid argument on the other hand is one

whose premises do not entail its conclusion.In an invalid argument, one can accept thepremises as true and reject the conclusionwithout any contradiction. A sound argument,on the other hand, has true premises and validreasoning. An unsound argument employsinvalid reasoning or has at least one falsepremise.

Double-checking theDecision


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Double-checking theDecision

Third , perhaps we can ask the followingquestions:

What are the best and worse-casescenarios if I choose this particular option?

Can I honestly live with myself if I make

this decision?Will I be able to defend this decision to thatclaimant who has lost the most or beenharmed the most?

Finally , our decision must be enabl ing ratherthan disabl ing . There are decisions thatprevent us from acting any more fruitfully oreffectively. These decisions cannot be moral!After all, a moral decision or action is one that

liberates us develops our potentialities as aperson. A decision that dis-ables us preventsour growth as persons.


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Ought expresses the objective pole ofmorality. This imperative is what ethicalreflection tries to uncover. Such reflections

yield statements of right and wrong, suchas euthanasia is wrong and keeping promises is right. Can expresses the subjective pole of a

persons capacity to choose right or wrong.. . . There is a limit to what can be done byeach person at each time in order to livetruthfully, compassionately, and respectfullyof self and others. To refuse to accept this isto demand perfect love from imperfectcreatures.We are still on the way to the full floweringof love. (Richard M. Gula, SS, Moral Discernment (New York: PaulistPress, 1997)

Note


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worksheet for moral deliberation

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