Worksheet

for Moral
Deliberation
Minimum
Requiremen
t of Morality

In the church, many have told

me that they grew up in a very
paternalistic ecclesial
environment where they were
not encouraged to think for
themselves. In fact, some didnt
even know that they were
supposed 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 live in the church after
the Second Vatican Council,

Worksheet
for Moral
Deliberatio
n

Identifying and setting up

the Ethical Problem
What
is
the
ethical
problem? The issue it
helps to be able to state
or define, succinctly, the
ethical issue involved in
the case and to make sure
that this is not confused
with other elements of
the problem.
(Per-haps
the ethical problem can
be stated in one or two
sen-tencesvery much like
a thesis statement that
defines the problem to be

What are the

relevant facts?
What immediate
facts have the most
bearing on the ethical
decision that must be
made in this case?
Include any potential
economic, social, or
political pressures.

Who are the

is Stakeholders?
important to identify

It
the
stake-holders
who
will
be
affected by the ethical decision
to be made. It will also help to
identify
the
correspond-ing
obligations that one has toward
the various stakeholders.

What are the

available
options?
It is important to list down at least
three. As Aristotle remarks, there are
at least two, and these two often
represent the extremes.
No-thing is
ever either black or white; sometimes
one is forced to think in terms of a
compro-mise, even if that compromise
doesnt
exactly
conform
to
your
personal notion of what is the right
thing to do. It is at this stage that

 What benefits and what harms will each

option produce, and which alternative will
lead to the best overall consequence?
(Utilitarianism)
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
ways that develop my highest potential as a
person? (Virtue)
Which option treats everyone the same,
except where there is a morally justifiable
reason not to, and does not show favoritism
or discrimination? (Justice and Fairness)

Evaluating
the Options

Determine
the most
appropriat
On the basis of the evaluation
e action
done on the various options,
we must determine the best
course of action the moral
thing to do. Ethicists claim that
this is the most difficult part of
the process of moral decisionmaking. It requires courage
especially when reason
suggests one way and what we
feel another way.

Double-checking the
Decision
Second, we must also ask if our
arguments are both valid and sound. A
First, we must see to it that our
valid argument is one whose premises
arguments, the position we take
logically entail its conclusion.
An
are consistent. Ethics is supposed
invalid argument on the other hand is
to provide us with a guide for
one whose premises do not entail its
moral living, and to do so, it must
conclusion.
In an invalid argument,
be rational that is, free of
one can accept the premises as true
contradictions.
and reject the conclusion without any
contradiction. A sound argument, on
the other hand, has true premises and
valid reasoning. An unsound argument
employs invalid reasoning or has at
least one false premise.

Third, our
perhaps
ask the
Finally,
decisionwe
mustcan
be enabling
following
questions:
rather
than
disabling. There are
What are
best and
worse-case
decisions
thatthe
prevent
us from
acting
scenarios
if I choose
this
particular
any
more fruitfully
or effectively.
These
option? cannot be moral! After all, a
decisions
Can
I honestly
withismyself
if I
moral
decision
or live
action
one that
make this decision?
liberates
us

develops
our
Will I be
to defend
this
potentialities
as able
a person.
A decision
decision
to thatus
claimant
who
lost
that
dis-ables
prevents
ourhas
growth
the
most or been harmed the most?
as
persons.

Double-checking the
Decision

Ought expresses the objective

pole of morality. This imperative is
what ethical reflection tries to
uncover.
Such
reflections
yield
statements of right and wrong, such
as 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 by each person at
each time in order to live truthfully,
compassionately, and respectfully of
self and others. To refuse to accept
this is to demand perfect love from
imperfect creatures.
We are still on the way to the full

Note:

Minimum
Morality
(2) Requirement of

Requirement

No matter how
Impartiality.
confused and varied
(Requirement of
the definitions and
justice?) Each
characterizations
of
individual's interests are
ethics
and in i.e.,
the
equallyare,
important,
face
objections
to its
thereof
are
no "privileged"
possibility,
in the end
people.
we must have what
James Rachels calls a
minimum conception
of morality which is a
core that every moral
theory should accept,
at least as a starting
point for moral

of

(1) Moral judgments must

be backed by good reasons:
We must avoid making
judgments on the basis of
feelings alone. "Morality is,
first and foremost, a matter
of consulting reason: the
morally right thing to do is
determined by what there
are the best reasons for
doing." How do we evaluate
arguments then? First, we
should get our facts straight.
Second, moral
theories/principles should be
brought into play. In other
words, these function to