Moral Agent PDF

The Moral Agent  Morality the standards that an individual or a group has about what is right and wrong, or good and evil. Morality descriptive refer to certain codes of conduct put forward by a society or a group (such as religion), or accepted by an indivi...

The Moral Agent  Morality the standards that an individual or a group has about what is right and wrong, or good and evil. Morality descriptive refer to certain codes of conduct put forward by a society or a group (such as religion), or accepted by an individual for his/her own behavior, or normative refer to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons. Key features of morality 1. People experience a sense of moral obligation and accountability. 2. Moral values and moral absolutes exist. 3. Moral law does exist. 4. Moral law is known to humans. 5. Moral is objective. 6. Moral judgements must be supported by reasons. Man as a moral agent is a being that is “capable of acting with reference to the right and wrong.” can be responsible for behavior or decisions. must have self-consciousness, memory, moral principles, other values and reasoning. Aristotle and Moral Responsibility Aristotle stated that it is sometimes appropriate to respond to an agent with praise or blame on the basis of his/her actions and/or dispositional traits of character. He discusses that “only a certain kind of agent qualifies as moral agent and is thus properly subject to ascriptions of responsibility, namely, one who possesses a capacity for decision”. Standards and Dilemmas MORAL NON-MORAL refers to the norms which we refers to the rules that are have about the types of unrelated to moral or ethical actions which we believe to considerations. Either these be morally acceptable and standards are not necessarily morally unacceptable. linked to morality or by nature lack ethical sense.  Moral Standards Non-moral Standards  Moral Standards Force others to act accordingly.  Moral Standards Moral values and moral principles  Moral Standards Normally promote “the good"  Moral Standards Norms and values that individual or group have about the kind of actions  Moral Standards Affect other people  Non-moral Standards We have no rights to impose on others.  Non-moral Standards Do not affect other people  Non-moral Standards Refers to rules that affect the choice of a person  Non-moral Standards Rules that are unrelated to moral or ethical considerations  Non-moral Standards These are not necessarily linked to morality or by nature lack of ethical sense.  Non-moral Standards Examples of these include etiquette, fashion standards, rules in games and house rules. How are moral standards formed? Characteristics of Moral Standards 1. Moral standards involve serious wrongs or significant benefits. 2. Moral standards ought to be preferred to other values. 3. Moral standards are not established by authority figures. 4. Moral standards have the trait of universalizability. 5. Moral standards are based on impartial considerations. 6. Moral standards are associated with special emotions and vocabulary. Moral Dilemmas It is a conflict in which you have to choose between two or more actions and have moral reasons for choosing each action. In each case, an agent regards herself as having moral reasons to do each of two actions, but the agent cannot do both or all of the actions. A moral dilemma is a situation where: 1. You are presented with two or more actions, all of which you have the ability to perform. 2. There are moral reasons for you to choose each of the actions. 3. You cannot perform all of the actions and have to choose which action, or actions when there are three or more choices, to perform. Moral dilemmas in the organizations Here are some common missteps: Senior leaders fail to “walk the talk”- they are guily of modeling inappropriate behavior. Leaders oft, feeling “en have irrational sense of entitlement feeling, “I should be allowed to do this,” or “I deserve this” Moral dilemmas in the organizations Here are some common missteps: Individuals may begin cutting corners Individuals may feel the need to obey to the authority, even when they are asked to do something they feel is wrong. Individuals also have the need for closure, which can lead to conflict avoidance. Defensive logic; “everyon is doing it, so why not me?” Thank you for listening!