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    Moral Arguments

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    1. Moral reasoning is a systematic way of assessing moral judgments and principles using logical reasoning. It involves evaluating arguments and determining whether their conclusions are supported by strong evidence. 2. A good moral argument provides strong reasons to accept its moral conclusion, such as that an action is right or wrong. It uses valid deductive or strong inductive reasoning. A weak argument fails to sufficiently support its moral claim. 3. When evaluating moral arguments, it is important to examine the sources and evidence used to support claims, identify conflicts with other well-supported statements, and ensure reason rather than emotion guides the assessment. Relying on logic and evidence helps determine which moral positions are most well-founded.

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    Moral Arguments

    Uploaded by

    Mia
    13 views10 pages
    1. Moral reasoning is a systematic way of assessing moral judgments and principles using logical reasoning. It involves evaluating arguments and determining whether their conclusions are supported by strong evidence. 2. A good moral argument provides strong reasons to accept its moral conclusion, such as that an action is right or wrong. It uses valid deductive or strong inductive reasoning. A weak argument fails to sufficiently support its moral claim. 3. When evaluating moral arguments, it is important to examine the sources and evidence used to support claims, identify conflicts with other well-supported statements, and ensure reason rather than emotion guides the assessment. Relying on logic and evidence helps determine which moral positions are most well-founded.

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    1. Moral reasoning is a systematic way of assessing moral judgments and principles using logical reasoning. It involves evaluating arguments and determining whether their conclusions are supported by strong evidence. 2. A good moral argument provides strong reasons to accept its moral conclusion, such as that an action is right or wrong. It uses valid deductive or strong inductive reasoning. A weak argument fails to sufficiently support its moral claim. 3. When evaluating moral arguments, it is important to examine the sources and evidence used to support claims, identify conflicts with other well-supported statements, and ensure reason rather than emotion guides the assessment. Relying on logic and evidence helps determine which moral positions are most well-founded.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    13 views10 pages

    Moral Arguments

    Uploaded by

    Mia
    1. Moral reasoning is a systematic way of assessing moral judgments and principles using logical reasoning. It involves evaluating arguments and determining whether their conclusions are supported by strong evidence. 2. A good moral argument provides strong reasons to accept its moral conclusion, such as that an action is right or wrong. It uses valid deductive or strong inductive reasoning. A weak argument fails to sufficiently support its moral claim. 3. When evaluating moral arguments, it is important to examine the sources and evidence used to support claims, identify conflicts with other well-supported statements, and ensure reason rather than emotion guides the assessment. Relying on logic and evidence helps determine which moral positions are most well-founded.

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    Moral Arguments

    What is moral reasoning


    • It is a systematic way of assessing moral judgments, evaluate moral
    principles, and deducing a sound, valid and strong arguments by the
    use of reason.
    • Moral reasoning make use of critical reasoning
    • Critical reasoning (or critical thinking) is the careful, systematic
    evaluation of statements or claims. We use critical reasoning every
    day to determine whether a statement is worthy of acceptance—that
    is, whether it is true.
    Claims and Arguments
    ❖ The structure of the argument
    1. Premise
    A premise is astatement that makes a claim
    2. Conclusion
    Is an inference drawn from the premise(s) of an argument(s).
    Ex. All men are mortal. (premise 1)
    Socrates is man. (premise 2)
    Therefore, Socrates is mortal. (conclusion)
    Arguments, therefore, are the sets of statements (premises and
    conlusion) that follows the methods of logical inference, say, deductive
    or inductive reasoning such as syllogism.

    Note: A fundamental principle of critical reasoning is that we should


    not accept a statement as true without good reasons. If a statement is
    supported by good reasons, we are entitled to believe it. The better the
    reasons supporting a statement, the more likely it is to be true. Our
    acceptance of a statement, then, can vary in strength. If a statement is
    supported by strong reasons, we are entitled to believe it strongly. If it
    is supported by weaker reasons, our belief should likewise be weaker
    Good and Bad Arguments
    • A good argument shows that its conclusion is worthy of belief or
    acceptance; a bad argument fails to show this. A good argument gives
    you good reasons to accept a claim; a bad argument proves nothing.
    So the crucial question is, How can you tell which is which?

    • Deductive vs. Inductive reasoning


    Deductive arguments are supposed to give logically conclusive support
    to their conclusions. Inductive arguments, on the other hand, are
    supposed to offer only probable support for their conclusions.
    • Deductive reasoning is either valid or invalid. If valid it is considered
    to be sound.
    • Inductive reasoning is either strong or weak. If strong it is considered
    cogent.

    Note: Good arguments provide you with good reasons for believing
    their conclusions. To evaluate an argument is to determine whether it
    is good or not, and establishing this requires you to check the
    argument’s form and the truth of its premises.
    Moral Statements and Arguments
    • Moral arguments are the vehicles that move ethical thinking and discourse
    along. What makes an argument a moral argument is that its conclusion is
    always a moral statement. A moral statement is a statement affirming that an
    action is right or wrong or that a person (or one’s motive or character) is good
    or bad.
    • Moral Statement vs. Nonmoral statement
    While moral statements categorically state the moral claims of the argument
    such as right or wrong, nonmoral statements are very different. They do not
    affirm that an action is right or wrong or that a person is good or bad. They
    assert that a state of affairs is actual (true or false) but do not assign a moral
    value to it. Most of the statements that we encounter every day are nonmoral.
    • Example of moral and nonmoral statements
    Moral statements
    1. Capital punishment is wrong.
    2. Cruelty to animals is immoral.

    Nonmoral statements
    1. Many people think that capital punishment is wrong.
    2. Animals are treated cruelly.
    Assessing Moral Arguments
    • To evaluate moral arguments it is necessary to take a critical look on its claims and
    pressuppositions. In order to do so, the following are some guides to help us spot the
    flaws and deficiency of our moral claims and theories.

    1. Use reliable sources. If you have reason to doubt the accuracy of a source, do not use it.
    Doubt it if it produces statements you know to be false, ignores reliable data (such as the
    latest scientific research), or has a track record of presenting inaccurate information or
    dubious arguments. Make sure that any experts you rely on are in fact experts in their
    chosen field. In general, true experts have the requisite education and training, the
    relevant experience in making reliable judgments, and a good reputation among peers.
    Double-check any information you get from them with sources you know are reliable and
    see if this information is supported by scientific studies, expert opinion, or other evidence.
    2. Beware when evidence conflicts. You have good reason to doubt a
    statement if it conflicts with other statements you think are well
    supported. If your nonmoral premise is inconsistent with another claim
    you believe is true, you cannot simply choose the one you like best. To
    resolve the conflict, you must evaluate them both by weighing the
    evidence for each one
    3. Let reason rule. Deliberating on moral issues is serious business,
    often involving the questioning of cherished views and the stirring of
    strong feelings. Many times the temptation to dispense with reason
    and blindly embrace a favorite outlook is enormous. However, being
    carried away by strong emotions may overlooked the important
    matters that have more cogent and sound arguments to confer clarity
    to the moral issue at hand. While emotions do matter in moral
    decisions, it must be backed by reason.

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