REASON AND

IMPARTIALITY
As requirements for ethics
learning Objectives

01 02 03
Define and Analyze ethical Develop and apply
explain the roles dilemmas using strategies to
of reason and reason, reduce biases and
impartiality in demonstrating ensure impartiality
ethical decision- impartiality by in ethical choices,
making, considering all emphasizing the
illustrating how relevant
they contribute
importance of fair
perspectives and
to fairness and treatment and
avoiding biases.
justice logical reasoning.
You might be wondering, "Why should human beings be moral? Why should I do
what is right?"
Here are some compelling reasons:

*a. It is enlightened self-interest - "I will be better

off"
*b. It is the traditional law - "Because some authority says so"

*c. It is a responsibility - "It is expected of

me"
*d. It is what is fair and equitable - "It is about fairness and justice"l
e. People have shared human needs, goals, desires, and/or objectives; and these are
better met when people treat each other in a manner that promotes what is right and
good.
 is reason a requirement for morality?

A relevant definition of reason to our topic is "the power of the mind to think,
understand, and form judgments by a proces of logis" (Merriam-Webster ©2017).
However, one of the most influential philosophers in the history of Western
philosophy. Immanuel Kant, argued that reason alone is the basis for morality, and
once the person understood this basic requirement for morality, he or she would
see that acting morally is the same as acting rationally (Beck, 1960). In Kant's
view, the definition of morality alone shows that a person must decide what to do.
You, as a person, are able to think and reflect on different actions and then choose
what action to take. That a moral decision means mere desires did not force you to
act in a particular manner. You acted by the power of your will.
 is reason a requirement for morality?

As a student, you are constantly in turmoil on whether to study or

not to study. You know the importance of studying and the
consequence of not studying. However, you also know the
importance of taking a break from the daily grind. So when exams
are coming and you feel so stressed from fulfilling all school
requirements and you feel the need to take a break in Kant's
argument that morality is based on reason, what is the moral
choice?
 Is impartiality a requirement for
morality?
Before discussing how impartiality is related to morality, it is important to
understand what impartiality is. It is a broad concept, but it is also identified as a
core value in professional codes of ethics. Impartiality is commonly understood as
a principle of justice. It denotes that decisions should be "based on objective
criteria rather than on the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring to benefit one
person over another for improper reasons (Jollimore, 2011); impartiality stresses
everyone ought to be given equal importance and not favor one class (people,
animals, or things) in a capricious way. How is impartiality a requirement for
morality? For example, during an exam you saw your friend (who is sitting next to
you) secretly open her notebook to look for an answer on one of the test questions
 Is impartiality a requirement for
morality?
teacher noticed that your classmate was doing something suspicious. He called your
classmate and asked if she was cheating. She surreptitiously closed her notebook and
answered, "No". Your teacher did not trust your classmate's answer so he asked you.
What will you say? According to philosopher and professor Dr. James Rachels, for your
decision to be moral, you should think how your answer will affect your friend, your
teacher, the rest of your classmates, and how it will affect you as a person. An impartial
choice involves basing your decision on how all the persons in the situation will be
affected, and not to the advantage of a particular party that you favor
Thus for the question, "are reason and impartiality a requirement for morality?" Let us go
back to what Di Rachels (2004) said morality at the very least is the effort to guide one's
action based on the most logical choice (num) while greing equal importance to the
interests of such person affected by your decisions
 Moral Reasoning
Model
A key distinguishing festure of a moral dilemma is that it typically arises when
individuals or groups might be harmed, disrespected, or unfairly disadvantaged
(Beall 20171. Most ethical decisions lie in a gray area. Often times you are faced
with a situation where there are no clear-cut or obvious choices, the situation
cannot be determined by sample quautitative analysis of data. Ethical decision-
making requires interpretation of the situation, application of your values, and
estimating the consequences of your action, in real life, our situations do not only
involve between right and wrong, good or bad. Oftentimes, it is about choosing
between good and better or bad and worse.
Knowing this, you would ask, how do you make ethical decisions! Here is a 7-step
model for ethical decision-making. Ethical decision-making is a process of
evaluating and choosing among alternatives in a manner that is consistent with
moral principles (University of California, 2004).
 1. Gather the
facts
Moral Reasoning 2. Identify the
Model stakeholders
3. Articulate the
Making ethical
dilemma
choices requires the 4. List the
ability to make
distinctions
alternatives
5. Compare the alternatives
between competing with the principles
options. Here are
seven steps to help 6. Weigh the
you make better
consequences
7. Make a
decisions.
decision
 Gather the
Facts

Do not jump to conclusions. Ask questions (who, what,

where, when, how and why). There may be instances
when facts are hard to find or are not available
because of the uncertainty that surround ethical
issues. Nevertheless, gather as many facts as you can.
Clarify what assumptions you are making
 Identify the
Stakeholders

all the persons med and will be affected in an ethical

situation. Who are the primary stakeholders? Who are
the secondary stakeholders? Why are they takes the
Get the proper perspective. Try to see the situation
through the ryes of the people affected.
 Articulate the
Dilemma
Once you have gathered the facts and identitled the
stakeholders, it is important that you express the ethical
dilemma. What are the competing values? The purpose of
articulating the dilemma is to make sure that you understand
the situation and the moral conflict you are facing. Awarness
and comprehension are important in making the right
decision, especially when there are lives that will be affected.
 List the
Alternatives

Think creatively about potential actions, as there may

be choices you neglected. This will help ensure that
you have not been pushed back into a corner. For
example, you may already have solution A and
solution B. Try to brainstorm and come up with solution
C that might satisfy the interests of the primary parties
involved.
 Compare the Alternatives with the
Principles

In decision-making, specify the relevant values that you want to uphold in making your
decision. Then compare whether your alternative actions are in line with your values.
Identifying the values and comparing your action with these values are important
because it will help identify if your alternative action is illegal or unethical, thus making
this action easy to discard.
Remember the scenarion we presented early in our discussion where you were a paniot
executive, and you accidentally found our that your officemate was making nomalous
transactions at the expense of your company! (Introduction, Topic 1, When do you say a
situation is a moral experience) You were in a dilemma on whether or not to divulge
what you knew because you found out about the anomaly by illegally logging in to your
officemates computer.
 Compare the Alternatives with the
Principles
Your posible actions were to keep quiet, confront your officemate, or report him to
the administration. In thus situation, what are the values that need to be upheld?
Let us say, the value is honesty. Now, compare the alternatives with the value of
honesty. Does keeping quiet uphold honesty! No. Does confronting your
officemate uphold honesty! No Does reporting your officemate to the
administration leven if you had to admit that you illegally used his computer)
uphold bonesty! Yes. Thus, based on this list, you now know which among the
three possible actions is the moral decision.
Why is it important to have a system in making decisions? In systematically
consulering your set of vahes, the risk of overlooking important principles and
considerations are reduced. Hence, the chance of doing something you will regret
in the future is also reduced.
 Weigh the
Consequences

When considering the effects of your actions, filter

your choices to determine if your options will violate
ethical values. Determine how all the stakeholders will
be affected by your decision.
 Make a
decision

Remember, deliberation cannot go on forever. You must

avoid "paralysis by analysis of the state of over-analyzing (or
over-thinking) a situation so that a decision or action is never
taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome. There is no easy,
painless decision to a moral dilemma
However, it is also important that the decision you make
reflects the value you want to uphold.
Thank you
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