Megan Fernandes

Moral Principles

Moral principles are beliefs that are commonly agreed on and considered to be morally correct

Moral principles form the basis for how we reach value judgments

Justifying and supporting value judgments is how people are expected to morally reason

When we take an action and then appeal to a moral principle, we are trying to show how that action falls under that principle

Comparing fact with principle allows you to make a value judgment regarding the action

Example Moral principle: Lying is wrong.Fact: Peter lied to his mother. Value judgment: What Peter did was wrong.

When we argue about ethical questions, we look at two thingsConsistency

If Peter was wrong to lie to his mother, it must be wrong for Janet and Seth to lie too.

Impartiality: If Peter, Janet, and Seth all lie to their mother, their punishment should all be the same.

FactsSometimes arguments revolve around factual

evidence and not a difference in valuesIf all the facts are agreed upon, different value

judgments can still be made based on differences of opinion

This model is effective if everyone shares the same moral principles

But what if people’s moral principles are different?

How, if at all, can you convince someone that they are wrong?

Are you right in trying to do so?Perhaps our values have no ultimate

justification.

Modern Example: North KoreaObviously, the issue of North Korea is much

deeper than right/wrong, but this is to illustrate the model

Moral principles Locals believe in “juche”: self reliance.Some foreigners believe in helping others.

FactsPeople are starving and in intense poverty.Daily total energy consumption is less than ½ that

of a medium-sized South Korean town. Main exports are weapons and drugs.Country under strict dictatorship.

Value judgmentsNorth Korea is still right in maintaining their strong

traditional beliefs and rejecting globalization.North Korea is wrong in denying aid from foreign

countries.