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Cases

The document discusses rational decision making and moral judgments. It provides examples of moral dilemmas where a rational decision is difficult to determine, such as choosing between revealing toxic water or preserving an economy, and deciding whether to tell friends one is aware of an affair. It also discusses the trolley dilemma where pulling a lever would divert a runaway trolley but result in one death instead of five.

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93 views2 pages

Cases

The document discusses rational decision making and moral judgments. It provides examples of moral dilemmas where a rational decision is difficult to determine, such as choosing between revealing toxic water or preserving an economy, and deciding whether to tell friends one is aware of an affair. It also discusses the trolley dilemma where pulling a lever would divert a runaway trolley but result in one death instead of five.

Uploaded by

anni
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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In definition, rational decision is about the idea that individuals make rational, cautious, and

logical decisions. There is a defined steps or process to which a person identify a problem and be
able to make logically sound decisions. Rational decisions rely on objective data and a formal
process of analysis. In terms of moral judgments, there is a need or requirement for backed-up
reasons because without it moral judgments are considerably ignorable. That’s why, to
understand morality means to bear in mind that reasons are essential because truth in ethics must
always be supported or justified with good reasons. Which is why a good moral decision
includes choosing the alternatives that has the power of reason. However, a good rational moral
decision is not always executed. There are other factors that influence how we decide such as
cognitive biases, feelings or emotions, and beliefs in personal relevance. In this paper, I will give
examples of cases which highlights that a good rational moral decision is not always executed
and then I will provide some explanations about the cases.

1. Ibsen wrote a play titled An Enemy of the People, where a town’s most important
industry is a mineral spa. A doctor discovers that the water is actually toxic, and has to
decide whether it is better to alert the public so they no longer visit the spa — destroying
the town’s economy — or be silent, and preserve the well-being of his community while
knowing that customers’ health is actually being hurt by the water.
a. In this case, we can see that the doctor’s options are both conflicting. If he decide
to alert the public and tell them about the toxicity of the water, he will be able to
prevent sickness or diseases related to the water. However if he chose to do that,
the town’s economy will be greatly affected as it is the most important industry of
the place. Lots of problem might also exist in relevance to like inflation or
economic recession which most probably affect the citizens. More so, this case is
an example of a moral dilemma related to honesty. If the doctor chose to be silent,
then he’s being morally not honest and his integrity is at stake. Also, more people
will continually get sick because of the water. So in this sample of situation, we
can see that a good rational moral decision is not always executed because either
way there is something that’s at risk.

2. Michael had several friends including Roger and Daniel. Roger has recently met and
started dating a wonderful lady named Phyllis. He is convinced this is a long term
relationship. Unknown to Roger, Michael observed them at a restaurant several days ago
and realized Phyllis is the wife of his other friend Daniel. Michael is deciding whether to
tell Roger that Phyllis is married when he receives a call from Daniel. Daniel suspects his
wife is having an affair. Since Daniel and his wife share many friends and contacts with
Michael, Daniel asks if Michael has heard anything regarding an affair.
a. This is an example of a moral dilemma related to personal relationships. We can
also see here that a good rational moral decision is not always executed. Say,
Michael decided to tell Daniel that his wife is seeing his other friend Roger. Then
in this instance, Michael is being honest and loyal to his friend Daniel. But he’s
being unfair to Roger, because he could have told it to Roger too because he was
clueless that the woman he’s dating is already married. Roger might feel hurt. But
if Michael did not tell to Daniel what he already knows, then he’s being dishonest
and it could appear that he is tolerating the affair between Roger and Phyllis. In
this circumstance, Michael has to weigh the possible alternatives at the best way
that he can. If the moral truth guides him well and his moral judgment are well-
established he might tell both of his friends about what he knows. He could just
hope that his friends wouldn’t blame him in this situation.

3. Imagine you are standing beside some tram tracks. In the distance, you spot a runaway
trolley hurtling down the tracks towards five workers who cannot hear it coming. Even if
they do spot it, they won’t be able to move out of the way in time. As this disaster looms,
you glance down and see a lever connected to the tracks. You realize that if you pull the
lever, the tram will be diverted down a second set of tracks away from the five
unsuspecting workers. However, down this side track is one lone worker, just as
oblivious as his colleagues. So, would you pull the lever, leading to one death but saving
five?
a. Lastly, this case is an example of life-and-death moral dilemma. This also a very
common one and requires a quick rational moral decision. Logically speaking, the
person might think that pulling the lever is a rational and best way to save the five
workers. However, does doing it and sacrificing one life justifiable? If he doesn’t
do anything five lives will be at risk so will likely pull the lever to save them at
the expense of one life. We can see here that a rational moral decision is not
always executed. Because yes, he saved the five men from dying but it is like he
was a reason why one life has ended. And it was a very challenging decision to
make.

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