Human Excellence - Section 5
Moral Decision-Making Tools 

Creation

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Virtue ethics, as discussed in the previous sections,

is sometimes thought of as a moral theory.

However, it is more akin to the nature of morality and ethics.

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As Aristotle put it many centuries ago

“We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

 

 

The morally good things we do can be developed into habits.

Habits of doing good things, the morally right things,

become what are generally called virtues. 

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The same is true for moral failures, and the bad things we do.

Habits of doing morally bad things, the wrong things,

become what are generally called vices. 

 

The kind of moral decisions you make,

form into a pattern,

become habits,

and create the kind of person you are,

and the kind of moral world we live in.

 

You and I make the world a good or bad place to live

because we create the good and bad in the world.

 

That is the core of the ideas behind virtues

and the notion of the best decision you can make in a specific situation

which is called the Golden Mean.

 

Methods

 

There are many different considerations which go into making moral decisions.

 

As we get older, these different methods often become ingrained in us.

That is, we develop a habitual ways of making moral decisions.

 

In the study of the moral world, the field of ethics,

we break down these methods, categorize and group them.

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In the philosophy sections of this website

I go into each of these decision-making frameworks, or theories, in greater detail,

and present them a little more traditionally. 

 

The purpose of putting them here

is to give you something to help you make moral decisions.

 

As mentioned, you are the decision maker. 

You and I must make our own moral decisions.

 

There is no absolute, objective, right way,

or correct decision-making tool, or rule,

which can be given to you or I to use in every situation.

Often, several methods or tools apply to specific decisions.

 

Each person has their own set of experiences

and each moral decision its own unique circumstances.

 

However, that does not mean

that there is not a best or correct moral decision to be made. 

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There is a best, correct and Golden

moral decision for each and every moral situation you encounter!!!

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Summary:

The first step in moral decision making is to determine

the main principle or approach which applies to your situation.

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Ask yourself, is this a situation which calls for honesty, courage, compassion,

or looking out for others or the greater good of humanity?

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The second step is to consider the extremes of the principle or approach.

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Ask yourself, what would happen

if I was completely dishonest, or brutally honest?

Should I look out only for my own interest

or should I completely sacrifice my own wellbeing for the sake of others?

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The third step is to determine what other principles or approaches apply.

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Ask yourself, will my honesty hurt someone, 

if so, then I need to consider how compassionate I must be.

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Finally, you need to make a decision,

based on the principles or approaches involved

and your specific circumstances.  

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Your decision may fall on the continuum of one virtue,

such as honesty.

It could also be at the nexus of several virtues,

such as honesty, compassion and courage.

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There is a very real right or wrong,

good or bad,

moral or immoral,

ethical or unethical decision

for you,

and every person

in every situation they encounter.

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Just like the principles that determine the physical world,

such as gravity,

moral principles are very real.

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If you step off a tall building without a parachute,

or touch an open electrical wire,

you could possibly be injured or die.

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If you are dishonest, steal and lie,

or injure other people without just cause,

you could possibly be injured or die.

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In either of these scenarios,

it is also possible that you could escape injury,

based on your circumstances. 

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Your situation is always unique to you.

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At the point in life which you must make the moral decision,

you must consider both the universal principles of ethics,

and your circumstances.  

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The Main Approaches To Moral Decision Making

 

Sometimes we think about the consequences of our actions

when we think about right and wrong. 

Other times we consider our intentions or our duty. 

Most moral actions involve a little of both.

 

The categories of moral decision-making approaches, or ethical theories

we will discuss here are as follows:

 

Egoism or self-interest.

Utilitarianism or focusing on the greater good or most happiness for all.

Care for self and others.

Rights or considering the significance of the individual,

and what they are as a human being.

Duty to some greater good, moral principle or idea.

Social Contract or the agreement humans have with each other to live together.

 

Over time these methods of making moral decisions

have been built into complex theories,

Each theory, or proponents of each, in a certain way,

claim to have the theory which explains why we behave the way we do,

or how we should act in moral decision making. 

 

However, you and I, and all of us humans, have a part of each of these ideas

built into our very human and animal nature.

 

You and I address moral situations with each of these approaches

based on what we learn from our life experiences,

including formal education,  

and informal learning

which starts at conception,

and continues until death.

 

As mentioned, I address each of the approaches to moral decision making 

as theories, in the other parts of this website.

Here, we want to look at them as simple decision-making tools.

 

Keep in mind as you read about each approach,

it is not an isolated way to address the moral situation you face.

The different approaches usually overlap with each other.

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Approaching Moral Situations

From the Self-centered Nature of Life

(The Theory of Egoism)

 

In every moral decision, you naturally consider your own survival and wellbeing.

 

You are a living being. 

As a living being, you have an instinct for survival. 

You want to survive, just like all living organisms. 

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That you exist is the prime fact of the universe. 

Your existence at this moment in time,

the continuous present moment in time,

is an absolute fact.

 

Your existence includes this mysterious thing called consciousness.

You have a mind, body, and soul.

You are aware of yourself and care about your survival. 

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In this sense, all living things, including humans, are self-centered.

 

You must care about your continued existence.

This notion of care

can be used interchangeably with the notion of the instinct for survival.

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Survival is a core principle of every living thing. 

Another way of expressing this instinct for survival is to call it self-interest,

or to say that a living thing is selfish.

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To be alive means to survive and continue existing,

or to exist in the continuous moment.

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This word care, or the idea of care,

is a core principle of the fact of ‘I am’

or of your existence.

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Tool

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How will the decision you make affect your short and long term survival?

How will it help you flourish? 

 

You must always acknowledge your self-interest.

 

That I care about myself and my survival,

that I am self-centered, self-interested,

is an undeniable fact.

 

This is similar to the knowledge we find in science.

 

That gravity exists is a fact. 

There is a fundamental principle regarding how gravity exists and acts.

Physics studies gravity and its principle and action,

or what this force of the universe is, and how it functions.

 

That you are, or rather, that you are alive, a living thing, is a fact. 

 

That you are self-centered is the fundamental law of your life,

your continued existence,

or to put it more clearly:

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The first universal principle of human morality is that

you care about yourself and your survival.

 

This fact is built into every moral decision you make.

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You need to take this into account, acknowledge it as a starting point,

and then address the question:

How can you balance your self-interest with other considerations?

 

This principle is the foundation for all morality.

In each moral decision, you must consider your own survival.

I must consider my own survival. 

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I must care for myself.

You must care for yourself.

 

In each moral decision, you must take into account your own survival.

 

Being self-centered, egoism, is a virtue, with many different principles.

Concern for self can be put on a continuum.

 

At one end is the notion of not caring for yourself or your own wellbeing.

At the other end is only caring for yourself,

without any concern for anything else.

 

Note on the continuum of moral ideas and principles:

 

As with any theory or idea, there are different approaches.

The idea, or term, for what is at the ends of a continuum can be different.

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The idea in moral decision making is to realize that there are extremes,

related to the decision in question.  

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In the situation you face,

you consider the extreme positions you could take,

and look for something in-between

which you believe is the morally best balance

of concern for yourself

and consideration of the universal moral principles.

 

The very next thing you or I must consider in moral decision making

is that others exist;

others who are exactly like me in the sense of human equality,

with equal self-interest in survival and flourishing.

 

You are

and

without you,

I would not exist.

 

Approaching Moral Situations

From the Other-centered Nature of Life

(The Theory of Utilitarianism)

 

You must care for others, in making moral decisions.

 

One of the fundamental facts of “I am” is:

Every human being exists

exactly like every other human being. 

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The second most certain fact in the universe is that

I need others, for me to exist.

You Are.

There is no I Am without You Are.

 

 

In order to exist, survive, and flourish

every living thing requires other living things

and, in particular,

other living things like themselves.

 

The second most certain fact of morality is that you exist,

or rather, others like me exist,

just as I exist.

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From the fact that others exist like me

comes the second universal principal of morality:

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Care for self extends to others

or

out of self-interest comes other-interest

and

your self-interest and your other-interest are equal.

 

 

Without others you would not exist

nor have any chance of continued existence or flourishing.

It is true of all living things

that other similar livings must exist.

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Tool

 

How will the decision you make affect the short and long term survival of others?

How will it help others flourish? 

 

Every moral decision you make, or I make,

must include care and concern for others.

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This virtue of care for others also has a continuum, similar to care for self.

 

On the one extreme is the total disregard for any other beings,

on the other extreme, is an excessive care for other, to my own harm,

or to the detriment of others, such as being overbearing.    

 

As mentioned, different ideas can be placed at the extremes of this continuum.

 

Another basic universal principle or law of morality

which always needs to be taken into consideration in moral decision making

is that every human being exists equally to every other human being.

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The existence of the universe requires the existence of each and every individual.

 

Every human being is equal to every other human being

and can equally make the statement “I am” and has all that goes with it. 

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Every other moral principle

must be grounded in this fundamental, universal principle of life:

equality

or the fact that the universe exists equally

to each and every individual

in the continuous present moment.

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In every moral decision you or I make

we must consider the fact that

every human being cares for their own survival and continued existence.  

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What makes this principle universal

is the fact that care for survival

and “I am” apply to every human being,

as well as every living thing.

 

These are facts in the moral universe. 

They are as real as the scientific facts found in the physical world.

 

Ethics studies human morality,

its principles, and actions, and how humans function.

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The principle of equality of the right to exist is the way the world is,

and any moral principle which diverges from this principle,

is not a true moral principle.

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Approaching Moral Situations

From Care for Life

(The Theory of Care)

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The foundation for the moral principle of equality is that

my care for myself is equal to your care for yourself.

I am selfish and you are selfish.

My care for myself is equal to your care for yourself,

as is every human beings care for self.

Every moral decision you and I make must take this into consideration.

 

All human beings are self-centered.

Every human being cares for themselves and their continued existence.

Every human being's care is equal.

 

Ethics is the study of how I survive and prosper,

and how you survive and prosper.

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To be effective, a principle must be based on the facts, or the way the world is.     

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It is a fact that all living things,

including human beings,

care for their survival and flourishing.

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These two facts, I am and you are,

are the universal, fundamental and foundational facts

of all ethics and morality.

 

I am, you are,

we are each self-centered,

and we need each other to exist, and to continue to exist,

individually and as a species.

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We must care for each other as equals.

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We can learn how to do this through the study of our morality,

and keeping these two principles

at the center of every other moral theory we use,

and include them in every moral decision we make.

 

Ethics is like a course of study in calculus or chemistry.

There are facts and principles which we apply to our lives

in order to survive and flourish.

 

At the center of all moral principles is the notion of care.

Humans are the foundational particles of the universe

and in the world or morality.

Care is the fundamental force of this world of ethics. 

 

 

To become an Excellent Human Being

you need to focus your moral decision making

on

the Self-centered Component or the Outcome for You

and

the Utilitarian Component or the Outcome for Others.

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Some Background on Approaches to Moral Decision Making

Based on Principles and Obligations

 

The discussion above mentions the outcome for you or others as a focal point.

While the outcome is important,

moral decisions must equally be based on moral principles. 

 

Moral principles have been developed in much the same way as scientific principles.

 

In order to survive and flourish,

we have developed principles in the areas of

farming, agriculture, construction, medicine, transportation,

manufacturing, distribution and many more areas. 

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Many of the historical principles of science were based on outcomes,

finding things that were true about the way the world is.

It is as simple as knowing what foods will make a human sick

or that without irrigation

plants may not get the water need. 

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The same is true of moral principles.

It is as simple as knowing that without compassion

a child cannot survive or prosper,

or that if someone physically hurts another person,

that person will suffer, may die or may retaliate.

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It is important in the development of your moral decision-making excellence

that you also acquire an understanding of some of the historical challenges

in moral decision making.

 

Moral theories have historically been classified into 2 groups:

consequential or outcome based, as discussed above, and non-consequential.

 

As the name sounds, the consequential group focuses on the outcome of your decision,

as a measure of whether or not it was a morally right or wrong decision.

 

The non-consequential group focus on the principle or rule applied, or your duty.

Even if the outcome is not good

your intentions or desire to implement a good moral principle,

or why and how you made your decision,

make it a morally good decision.

 

While this is an interesting dichotomy,

it is not necessary,

nor does it match the real nature of the moral world we create and live in.

 

Proper moral decision making must consider

both the universal moral principles in the world,

or the way the world is,

and the consequences of your moral decisions,

or what the world should be.

 

Principles and consequences are inseparable,

because of the fact that we create the moral world we live in.

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We currently believe that the physical world just happened,

as in the scientific theories of creation,

or that some supreme being, or God created it.

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Some day we may understand how matter, energy, 

and the laws of physics came into being.

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However, I am certain that I exist,

just as you are certain that you exist.

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As discussed at length in the opening sections of this course,

individually, and together, we create the good and bad, right and wrong,

or the moral world.

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It is this interaction of outcomes and principles,

and of individual and collective survival and flourishing

that is, or causes, the continuous creation of the moral world.

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You must do your best in each moral situation you face.

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To make a moral decision:

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consider possible outcomes

based on care for self and others,

 

base your decision on some principle or principles,

 

then you evaluate what happened,

review the outcome,

and consider the principles you based your decision upon.

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Then, the next time you are faced with a moral decision,

you try to do better.

 

It is that simple.

 

 

The next sections, on rights and duty, look at some of the principles

or non-consequential approaches to moral decision making.

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Approaching Moral Situations

From Rights innate in being human

(The Theory of Natural Rights)

 

The next two approaches to moral decision making

spring from the care for self and others.

 

The first comes from I am. 

You came into existence

just as the universe came into existence.

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You exist and the universe exists.  Those are facts.

Another way of saying that is that you have a right to exist,

just as the universe has a right to exist.    

 

That is the very nature and essence of existence.

 

You have the right

to exist,

to continue your existence,

and to flourish.

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I have exactly the same right as you

to exist,

to continue my existence

and to flourish.

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This right is often called a natural right.

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Every human being comes into existence at conception,

in exactly the same way as every other human being.

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Every human being exists and has the exact same right to this existence.

Individual existence is as significant as the existence of the universe itself.

 

The individual right to existence is grounded in the existence of the universe.

Just as the universe itself exists,

so does every individual human being.

It is more than simply a right a person is conceived with,

it is the very nature of existence itself.  

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A person can no more say that the universe does not have the right to existence,

than they can say any individual does not have the right to existence. 

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Every human being equally has the right

to exist,

to continue their existence,

and to flourish.

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You know for certain that you exist,

and with almost equal certainty that others like you exist.

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You have some ideas about how you came into existence,

just as collectively we have some ideas about how the universe came into existence,

but there is uncertainty regarding this 'how'.

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Just at the universe encompasses all, everything in existence, throughout all time,

so too, you constitute all of the known existence, in the continuous moment,

as do I, and every other human who was, is and will be.

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You are aware that there are things and events beyond your experience,

that there are things unknown to you,

but it is you who are aware of these things, within your consciousness.

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It is the individual experience of the universe

that is the foundation of the rights of a human being.

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Tools

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There are many rights

which stem from this basic, natural right to existence and flourishing.

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In making a moral decision, you need to always start from the fact

that you and I and every other person has this basic right to exist,

and that it is equal across all human beings.

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Springing from this basic right of existence

are the rights of food, water, clothing and shelter,

around which moral decision making should be fairly simple.

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However, when dealing with rights,

even these basic human moral rights,

moral decision making can be challenging.

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There are times when there are limited resources,

and my rights and your rights to basic resources are in conflict.

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Moral decision making can become complicated

when dealing with your or my right to flourish.  

We may define flourishing differently,

or consider different things as necessary for flourishing.

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Dealing with rights beyond those basic for existence,

can be very challenging.

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The key to this challenge is to always stay focused on the basics.

Your moral decisions can be simplified by always returning to the core facts,

that you have a right to exist and flourish

and I have a right to exist and flourish. 

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Your right of existence and flourishing is primary and is yours alone.

You can give it to another person, dedicate your life to another,

or even sacrifice your life for another. 

It is yours.

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Next in significance and importance in moral decision making is that

every other human has that right of existence and flourishing equally.

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My right of existence and flourishing is primary and is mine alone.

I can give it to another person, dedicate my life to another,

or even sacrifice my life for another.  It is mine.

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Approaching Moral Situations

From an inherent obligation to myself and others

(The Theory of Duty)

​

You have an obligation, or duty,

to always consider your right to existence and flourishing

as well as my rights, and the rights of all other human beings.

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It is from this foundation that the many different theories of moral duty spring.

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One such theory states that you should always act as if your moral decision,

based on whatever principles and circumstances you evaluated,

would become a universal moral law which all must obey.

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A version of this is often called the Golden Rule,

to do unto others as you wish them to do unto you.

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An even stronger version of the Golden Rule goes even farther,

making it an obligation, or moral duty,

stating that you must base your moral decision and action

on the belief that everyone should always act that way,

in the situation you are in.

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​Another way of phrasing this stronger version of the Golden Rule

is that you have a duty to do unto others

as you would have them do unto anyone and everyone

in the circumstances you are in.

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This Golden way of treating everyone,

applies to how you would like others to treat

your family, friends, loved ones,

as well as those you don't know or care about,

and even those you do not like,

or who you might considered an enemy.

 

This strong Golden Rule is a good framework for every moral decision.

That is, you must make a moral decision,

that you believe is the true way a human should act,

that corresponds with the true way the moral world is,

and that your decision

is a truly good, right and moral decision or action.

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This duty to make the right decision,

that everyone must follow given the same circumstances,

brings to light one of the most difficult aspects 

of moral decision making, or rather,

judging the moral decisions of others.

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It is not possible to know all the circumstances surrounding another's decision.

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It is difficult enough to understand yourself, 

and to make a good moral decision,

in your own life,

let alone comprehend the circumstances of another.

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However, the duty you have to me and I have to you,

and we have to others

is real and is important.

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In moral decision making you need to take into proper account

your, my, and every other human beings right to exist and to flourish,

try to treat everyone equally,

take into account the fact that there are real and true principles,

which you need to try to apply properly,

(many of which were built on the Golden Rule)

and also consider the best outcome for all.

 

The Golden Rule has many variants,

such as to act of out of an equal love for self and others,

or to act in such a way so that you could make

a universal law, rule or principle out of your action,

which would apply to you and all people,

or to try to remove all of your own biases, so that you make a decision

which would be good for the survival and flourishing

of any human in any similar situation.

 

The final theory to discuss is an expansion

of this stronger version of the Golden Rule,

and contains elements of how it came about.

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Approaching Moral Situations

As creators of the moral world

(The Theory of the Social Contract)

 

We create the moral world

and the social world.

​

The laws which govern a group of people,

within a country or other organization,

are an example of human creations,

both moral and social. 

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The agreement to treat each other equally

is sometimes considered a social contract.

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Tool

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What is important in this approach to moral decision making

is a helpful decision-making thought exercise

called the reverse blindfold.

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As you ponder your moral decision,

try to imagine it then becoming a moral principle or rule

which everyone must follow,

as discussed in the strong version of the Golden Rule.

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Now also imagine that

you do not know who you will be in the world where you,

and everyone must follow this moral principle.

You do not know if you will be rich or poor, male or female,

what race you will be, or into what situation you will be born.

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This thought exercise is designed to help you try your best

to make a decision which will be fair to everyone.

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Another way to think of the Golden Rule,

and trying to address the wellbeing of all humanity,

is often referred to as making your decision

for the greater good of humanity. 

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The Greater Good

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Complications arise in moral decision making

because there are a lot of people,

and there many challenges in harmonizing

your and my right to existence and flourishing

with the rights of the many other people on the planet.

​

Challenges also arise from understanding the notion of flourishing,

and knowing how to balance the many different moral principles.

 

The Greater Good is a phrase used to help you make a moral decision

which will affect many people.

It is also useful in instances where there is no clear, simple decision,

or when what you must decide between

your own good and the good of others,

or among conflicting principles.

 

To make a moral decision or take a moral action

based on the greater good,

is to act in the best interest of all humanity, 

yourself included.

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The Greater Good is something which promotes the existence

and flourishing 

of all humanity,

and can be extended to all living things.

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Tools

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The first step in addressing a moral decision which will influence many people,

is to always keep in mind that there are only groups of individuals,

there is no ‘collective being’

or group that is made up of identical individuals.

 

Every individual is unique and exists equally to you and every other individual.

 

However, it is necessary to make moral decisions regarding large groups of individuals.

Economic, judicial, governmental, medical,

and many other types of moral decisions

affecting many people must be made.

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Often, we try to apply notions of the greater good

to these large-scale decisions. 

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One way of deciding for the greater good

is to determine which decision

will being the greatest happiness, or flourishing,

to the most people. 

​

Another method

is to look for decisions which are designed 

to result in something good for all human beings,

no matter their situation,

such as the basics of food, clothing and shelter,

along with things like freedom and opportunity. 

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The greater good can also be thought of as

a moral duty to some principle,

the duty being something which is good for all the people,

or something all people should aspire to uphold.

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Moral Decision Making

A Combined Approach

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There are several simple guiding factors,

as discussed in general above,

none of which should be used in isolation in making a moral decision.

 

You should approach moral decisions the same way,

whether you are dealing with something which affects just you,

or the people around you,

or your organization or nation

or in some way everyone on the planet.

​

To the best of your ability, think through your decision options,

considering how each possible decision will affect your survival and flourishing,

as well as considering those who will be touched by your words or actions,

and their right, equal to yours, of survival and flourishing.

 

What is important is that you look at your moral decision

from as many different approaches as possible,

given your circumstances and the time constraints you are under.

 

Once you have made your decision,

you then need to reflect on it,

and try to do better the next time.

​

Each moral situation you face and decision you make

is a form of practice to help you make the next moral decision you face

the best possibly moral decision.

 

Try to do better each time you must make a moral decision.

 

Never give up,

keep searching for moral tools,

and most importantly,

remember that moral decision making is a god-like power.

 

Each time you make a moral decision,

you create the good and bad in the world,

you create what is right and wrong,

for yourself and every other human being.

 

 

It is an incredible power which you have as a human being.

 

Trying to do better each time you need to make a moral decision

makes you an Excellent Human Being.

​

You have the natural ability to make good moral decisions,

and the ability to do it well, to improve each time you make a decision,

and create a morally good world

where everyone, yourself included

can survive and flourish.

 

You can become an Excellent Human Being, a Virtuoso Person.

 

Please join me in the final section of this course

as we discuss how to put it all together. 

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