Ethics Report Junang

FEELING AS MODIFIER
OF MORAL DECISION-
MAKING
2
INTRODUCTION
In lesson 2, we talked about human act and the
modifiers of human act – ignorance, passion, fear,
violence. In this lesson, we will discuss feeling as a
modifier of moral lesson.
ACTIVITY
FEELING IN
DECISION-MAKING
Feeling in general, is an emotional state or reaction, experience of physical sensation,
like feeling of joy, feeling of warmth, love, affection, tenderness, and many more.
How do they affect moral-decision making? Several studies conclude that up to 90
percent of the decision we made are based on our emotion. We use logic to justify our
actions to ourselves and to others. Researchers also show that “ actual emotional states
can influence the process of moral reasoning and determine moral judgement. “
Feelings are instinctive and trained response to moral dilemma. They can be obstacles
to making right decisions but they can also help in making the right decisions.
Are there advantages of emotional decision making? According to recent research, feelings or
emotions have positive effects on decision making as follows;
- A totally emotional decision is very fast comparison toa rational decision. This is a reactive
(and largely subconscious) and can be useful when faced with immediate danger, or in decision
minimal significance.
- Emotions may provide a way for coding and compacting experience, enabling fast response
selection. This may point to why experts “gut” level decision have high accuracy rates.
- Decisions that start with logic may need emotions to enable the final section particularly when
confronted with near equal options.
- Emotion often drive us in directions conflicting with self-interest.
Emotional decision can also come with a number of negatives.
- We make quick decisions without knowing why, and then create rational reasons to justify a
poor emotional decisions.
- Intensity of emotions can override rational decision-making in cases where its clearly needed.
- Immediate and unrelated emotions can create mistakes by distorting and creating bias in
judgements. In some cases this can lead to unexpected and reckless action.
6
MORAL STATEMENTS AS
EXPRESSION OF FEELINGS
7
Are moral statements or values mere expression of feelings or

emotions as claimed by the linguistic philosophers?
According to some linguistic philosophers, called (emotivist)

the statement “stealing is wrong” is not a statement of fact, it
is an expression of desire or emotion. The rule or maxim
“stealing is wrong” “means I desire that you do not steal”.
An emotional statement is not verifiable, can be established
by evidence. But “Pedro’s act of stealing my cat is morally
wrong” is not verifiable. The following explains this theory :
8
EMOTIVISM
- Is the view of moral judgements do not function as statements of fact but rather as
expression of the speaker’s or writer feelings. According to the emotivist, when we say
“You acted wrongly in stealing that money” , we are not stating any fact beyond that
statement by “You stole that money”. It is however, as if we had stated this fact with a
special tone of abhorrence, for in saying that something is wrong, we are expressing our
feelings of disapproval towards it.
Emotivism was expounded by A. J. Ayer in Language, Truth, and Logic (1936) and
developed by Charles Stevenson in Ethics and Language (1945).
The emotivist thus goes further by saying that ethical statements being emotional
expressions are not verifiable, Emotional expressions are assertions of what is true or false.
They are like expressions of taste. There is no dispute or there can be no dispute on matters
of taste. “De gustibus non disputandum est.” One cannot agree with one’s taste emotion.
It maybe said that an analogy between legal and moral 9
statement may be made to show that moral statement may

treated like factual statement in criminal law, the allegation
that “Juan’s act of stealing is wrong” may be established by
evaluating the act in the light of the elements of the crime
stealing under the law. For instance, the law provides that
stealing the property of another without the latter’s consent.
So if there is an evidence that Juan has taken a property,
that the property belongs to someone else, that the taking is
without consent., then it can be decided that a crime of theft
is committed, in other words, the statement has been
verified.
What then would prevent one in applying the same procedure in establishing the
truth or falsehood of a moral statement. For instance, the moral principle or rule
is “stealing is wrong” that is explained by moral or ethics teachers that the
statement is meant to be referring to an act of taking someone else property
without the owner’s consent. May not someone’s act of stealing be verified by
finding out if the actor has indeed taken someone’s property with the latter
consent? An that, therefore, his act may be judged as wrong?
- The emotivist will still argue that such argument only proves that a certain
individual act has characteristics that can be described as stealing. It does not
make the statement “stealing is wrong” as a factual statement, which is correct,
since all maxims or rules are non-factual and only the particular instances
evaluated on the basis of these rules would be considered as factual.
11
MANAGING FEELINGS
Aristotle wrote :
“Anyone can get angry, that is easy but to do this to the
right person, to the right extent, at the right time with the
right motive, and in the right way, that is not for
everyone, nor is it easy. (Book II, Nicomachean Ethics).
In other words your anger should not be displaced. The
moral person manages his/her feelings well.
12
CONCLUSION
• There are certain circumstances that we allow our feelings to
decide, to take action, and to be follow. In this case where
feelings is validated to be modifier as moral decision-
making, we should know that our feelings may be valid but
perhaps we should limit our expectation with the outcome.
Moreover, in the time of dilemmas, we should consider our
surroundings and situation on how to react with our feelings
of emotion and understanding.
THANK YOU

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FEELING AS MODIFIER

Are moral statements or values mere expression of feelings or

According to some linguistic philosophers, called (emotivist)

statement may be made to show that moral statement may

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