What Are Moral Dilemmas?
Summary
TLDRThis whiteboard discussion delves into the complexities of moral dilemmas, defining them as situations where individuals must choose between conflicting options with no acceptable outcome. It explores the nature of ethical dilemmas, using the example of Lindsay's ectopic pregnancy, and outlines conditions for moral dilemmas as per Karen Allen. The video categorizes moral dilemmas into epistemic and ontological, self-imposed and world-imposed, obligation and prohibition, and single agent and multi-person dilemmas, illustrating each with examples. It concludes by emphasizing the challenge of finding consensus in multi-person moral dilemmas.
Takeaways
- π A moral dilemma is a situation where one must choose between two or more conflicting options, none of which are morally acceptable.
- π The term 'dilemma' applies only when there is a forced choice between options, not merely a difficult situation.
- π€ Ethical or moral dilemmas involve moral agents who face conflicts between options that have no morally perfect resolution.
- π‘ Karen Allen's conditions for moral dilemmas include the obligation to make a decision, multiple conflicting options, and the compromise of moral principles regardless of the choice made.
- π« In moral dilemmas, according to Benjamin Lemma Steen, one is destined to commit a moral wrong due to the inherent conflict of options.
- π Types of moral dilemmas include epistemic and ontological, self-imposed and world-imposed, obligation and prohibition, and single agent and multi-person dilemmas.
- π€ Epistemic dilemmas involve uncertainty about which moral requirement takes precedence, while ontological dilemmas present conflicts with no clear overriding moral requirement.
- π Self-imposed dilemmas arise from personal actions creating a conflict of obligations, whereas world-imposed dilemmas are caused by external events forcing moral conflict.
- π₯ Examples like the military doctor with limited resources illustrate ontological dilemmas, where neither option is morally superior.
- ποΈ The story of Sophie's Choice exemplifies a world-imposed prohibition dilemma, where all options lead to a moral compromise.
- π₯ Multi-person dilemmas add complexity by involving multiple agents with potentially conflicting moral obligations, requiring consensus.
Q & A
What is a dilemma in the context of the script?
-A dilemma is a situation where a person is forced to choose between two or more conflicting options, none of which are acceptable, and all choices have unwanted results.
What is the key characteristic of a moral dilemma?
-A moral dilemma is characterized by the presence of conflicting options that a moral agent must choose between, with neither option resolving the situation in a morally acceptable manner.
Can a problematic situation without forced choices be considered a dilemma?
-No, a situation is only considered a dilemma if there are forced choices between two or more options.
What is the example of a moral dilemma involving Lindsay and her ectopic pregnancy?
-Lindsay faces a moral dilemma where she must choose between aborting the fetus to save her own life, which compromises her moral integrity, or not aborting and risking both her life and the fetus's life.
According to Karen Allen, what are the three conditions for a situation to be a moral dilemma?
-The three conditions are: 1) The moral agent is obliged to make a decision, 2) There must be different courses of action to choose from, and 3) No matter what action is taken, some moral principles are always compromised.
What does Benjamin Lemma Steen suggest about moral dilemmas?
-Benjamin Lemma Steen suggests that in moral dilemmas, the moral agent seems fated to commit something wrong, implying that they are bound to morally fail due to the nature of the conflicting choices.
What are the main categories of moral dilemmas mentioned in the script?
-The main categories are epistemic and ontological dilemmas, self-imposed and world-imposed dilemmas, obligation and prohibition dilemmas, and single agent and multi-person dilemmas.
What is an epistemic moral dilemma?
-An epistemic moral dilemma involves situations where two or more moral requirements conflict, and the moral agent hardly knows which requirement takes precedence, due to a lack of fuller knowledge of the situation.
What is the difference between self-imposed and world-imposed moral dilemmas?
-A self-imposed moral dilemma is caused by the moral agent's own wrongdoings, whereas a world-imposed moral dilemma arises from external events that place the agent in a situation of moral conflict.
Can you provide an example of an obligation dilemma from the script?
-An example of an obligation dilemma is the French student who had to choose between staying in France to care for his mother and leaving to fight with the Free French against the German occupation, as both actions were seen as obligatory.
What is a multi-person dilemma and how does it differ from a single agent dilemma?
-A multi-person dilemma involves a situation where multiple agents each have their own moral obligations that cannot all be fulfilled simultaneously, requiring a consensual decision. It differs from a single agent dilemma, which involves one agent choosing between conflicting moral options.
Outlines
π€ Introduction to Moral Dilemmas
The script begins by defining a dilemma as a situation where one must choose between conflicting options, none of which are acceptable. It distinguishes dilemmas from mere problems by the presence of forced choices leading to undesirable outcomes. The concept of moral dilemmas is introduced as scenarios where moral agents face choices that conflict with moral principles, using the example of Lindsay's ectopic pregnancy to illustrate the conflict between saving her life and upholding her religious beliefs against abortion. The script further explains that moral dilemmas arise when moral principles are compromised no matter the decision made, implying an inevitable moral failure.
π Types of Moral Dilemmas
This paragraph delves into the categorization of moral dilemmas, identifying four main types: epistemic and ontological, self-imposed and world-imposed, obligation, and prohibition dilemmas. Epistemic dilemmas involve uncertainty about which moral requirement takes precedence, while ontological dilemmas present conflicts with no clear moral hierarchy. Self-imposed dilemmas stem from the agent's actions, exemplified by a mayor's promise to protect forests while seeking financial support from a mining corporation. World-imposed dilemmas are external situations that force moral conflict, such as Sophie's Choice, where a mother must choose which child to save from death. The paragraph also briefly touches on obligation and prohibition dilemmas, setting the stage for further exploration of these concepts.
π― Examples and Implications of Moral Dilemmas
The final paragraph provides examples to illustrate the different types of moral dilemmas discussed. It presents the archery student's story to demonstrate an obligation dilemma, where the student must choose between family loyalty and national duty, highlighting the absence of a clear moral code to guide decisions. The Sophie's Choice example is revisited to represent a prohibition dilemma, where all options are morally unacceptable. The paragraph also introduces single-agent and multi-person dilemmas, explaining the unique challenges they present, such as the tension between legal requirements and professional ethics in a doctor's duty to report HIV cases. The script concludes by emphasizing the complexity of moral dilemmas, which often require consensus in multi-person scenarios and the balancing of moral integrity with organizational stability.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Dilemma
π‘Moral Dilemmas
π‘Moral Agents
π‘Ethical Principles
π‘Epistemic Dilemmas
π‘Ontological Dilemmas
π‘Self-Imposed Dilemmas
π‘World-Imposed Dilemmas
π‘Obligation Dilemmas
π‘Prohibition Dilemmas
π‘Single Agent and Multi-Person Dilemmas
Highlights
Moral dilemmas are situations where a person must choose between conflicting options, none of which are morally acceptable.
A dilemma is defined as a situation with choices that all lead to undesired outcomes.
Ethical or moral dilemmas involve moral agents forced to choose between conflicting options without a morally acceptable resolution.
An example of a moral dilemma is Lindsay's ectopic pregnancy, where saving her life may compromise her moral integrity.
According to Karen Allen, moral dilemmas have three conditions: obligation to decide, multiple conflicting options, and inevitable compromise of moral principles.
Benjamin Lemma Steen suggests that in moral dilemmas, moral agents are destined to commit something wrong, implying moral failure.
Moral dilemmas are categorized into epistemic and ontological, self-imposed and world-imposed, obligation and prohibition, and single agent and multi-person dilemmas.
Epistemic moral dilemmas involve uncertainty about which moral requirement takes precedence.
Ontological moral dilemmas occur when conflicting moral requirements are equally strong with no clear override.
Self-imposed moral dilemmas arise from the moral agent's own actions, creating a conflict between obligations.
World-imposed moral dilemmas are caused by external events that force the moral agent into a situation of moral conflict.
Obligation dilemmas present situations where more than one action is obligatory, while prohibition dilemmas involve all actions being forbidden.
The story of the archery student illustrates the limits of moral decision-making based on a defined moral code.
Sophie's Choice is an example of a prohibition dilemma, where all options lead to a tragic outcome.
In single agent dilemmas, the moral agent must choose between equally moral options, unable to fulfill both.
Multi-person dilemmas involve multiple agents with conflicting moral obligations, requiring a consensual decision.
Moral dilemmas require not only choosing what is right but also maintaining the integrity of the decision and preventing disintegration of the group.
Transcripts
hello Fela notes friends welcome back
for another whiteboard discussion that
is intended to help you in understanding
the key concepts in philosophy in an
incredibly easy way and so today we will
address an important question in ethics
what are moral dilemmas first of all let
us define the term dilemma before we
discuss the nature and dynamics of moral
dilemmas a dilemma is a situation where
a person is forced to choose between two
or more conflicting options neither of
which is acceptable as we can see the
key here is that the person has choices
to make that will all have results she
does not want for example a town mayor
faces a dilemma about how to protect and
preserve a virgin forest and at the same
time allow miners and loggers for
economic development in the town it must
be noted however that if a person is in
a difficult situation but is not forced
to choose between two or more options
then that person is not in a dilemma the
least that we can say is that that
person is just experiencing a
problematic or distressful situation
this is the most logical thing to do for
that person is to look for alternatives
or solutions to address the problem when
dilemmas involve human actions which
have moral implications they are called
ethical or moral dilemmas moral dilemmas
therefore our situations where persons
who are called moral agents and ethics
are forced to choose between two or more
conflicting options but neither of which
resolves the situation in a morally
acceptable manner let's consider this
scenario as an example Lindsay is a
deeply religious person hence she
considers killing humans absolutely
wrong
unfortunately it is found out that
Lindsay is having an ectopic pregnancy
as is well-known an ectopic pregnancy is
a type of pregnancy that occurs outside
the uterus most commonly in the
fallopian tubes in other words in a
topic pregnancy the fetus does not
develop in the uterus now if this
happens the development of the fetus
will definitely endanger the mother thus
if Lindsay continues with her pregnancy
then there is a big possibility that she
will die according to experts the best
way to save Lindsay's life is to abort
the fetus which necessarily implies
killing the fetus if we do not abort the
fetus than Lindsey as well as the fetus
will die in this example of a moral
dilemma
Lindsey is faced with two conflicting
options namely either she resorts to
abortion which will save her life but at
the same time jeopardizes her moral
integrity or does not resort to abortion
but in dangers her life as well as the
fetus indeed Lindsey is faced through
the huge moral dilemma according to
Karen Allen there are three conditions
that must be present for situations to
be considered moral dilemmas first the
person or the agent of a moral action is
obliged to make a decision about which
course of action is best here the moral
agent must choose the best option and
act accordingly in lines' case she may
opt to abort the fetus is the best
course of action second there must be
different courses of action to choose
from hen's has already pointed out there
must be two or more conflicting options
to choose from for moral dilemmas to
occur and third no matter what course of
action is taken some moral principles
are always compromised this means that
according to Allen there is no
perfect solution to the problem and for
this reason according to Benjamin lemma
Steen in moral dilemmas the moral agent
seems fated to commit something wrong
which implies that she is bound to
morally fail because in one way or
another she will fail to do something
which she ought to do in other words by
choosing one of the possible moral
requirements the person also fails on
others now let's proceed to the
different types of moral dilemmas there
are several types of moral dilemmas but
the most common of them are categorized
into the following first epistemic and
ontological dilemmas second self imposed
and world imposed dilemmas third
obligation dilemmas in prohibition
dilemmas and fourth single agent and
multi person dilemmas epistemic moral
dilemmas involve situations where in two
or more moral requirements conflict with
each other and that the moral agent
hardly knows which of the conflicting
moral requirements takes precedence over
the other in other words the moral agent
here does not know which option is
morally right or wrong for instance I
ought to honour my promise to my son to
be home early but in my way home I saw a
sick old man who needs to be brought to
the hospital where does my actual Judy
lie we cannot deny that they are
conflicting Jews here but we need to
note that we want a fuller knowledge of
the situation is an important purpose
being served by me getting home early
how serious is the condition of the sick
old man indeed I could hardly decide
which option is morally right in this
situation however one option must be
better than the other
only it needs fuller knowledge of the
situation that's the term epistemic
moral dilemmas ontological moral
dilemmas on the other hand involve
situations where in two or more moral
requirements conflict with each other
yet neither of these conflicting moral
requirements overrides each other this
is not to say that the moral agent
doesn't know which moral requirement is
stronger than the other the point is
that neither of the moral requirements
is stronger than the other
hence the moral agent can hardly choose
between the conflicting moral
requirements for instance a military
doctor is attending to the needs of the
wounded soldiers in the middle of the
war unfortunately two soldiers urgently
need a blood transfusion however only
one bag of blood is available at the
moment to whom shall the doctor
administer the blood transfusion for
sure we could not tell whether
administering a blood transfusion to
soldier a is more moral than
administering a blood transfusion to
soldier B and vice versa now let's
proceed to the second category of moral
dilemmas that is self-imposed moral
dilemma and world imposed moral dilemmas
a self-imposed moral dilemma is caused
by the moral agents wrongdoings for
example David is running for the
position of town mayor during the
campaign period he promised the
indigenous peoples in his community to
protect their virgin forests just to
gain their votes but at the same time he
seeks financial support from a mining
corporation fortunately David won the
elections yet he is faced with the
dilemma of fulfilling his promise to the
indigenous peoples and at the same time
allows the mining corporation to destroy
their forests indeed through his own
actions
David created a situation in which
is impossible for him to be discharged
from both obligations a world imposed
moral dilemma on the other hand means
that certain events in the world plays
the agent in a situation of moral
conflict William Styron's famous
Sophie's Choice is a classic example
so feats of its obscure has been asked
to choose which of her two children Ava
or Yan will be sent to the gas chamber
in Auschwitz an SS doctor fritzy Amman
Fon niemand will grant a dispensation to
only one of Sophie's children if she
does not choose which one should live
dr. Fon neimand will send it both to
their death so if he chooses her
daughter Eva to go to the gas chamber
her son Yan is sent to the children's
camp now on the third category of moral
dilemmas we have obligation dilemmas and
prohibition dilemmas obligation dilemmas
are situations in which more than one
feasible action is obligatory while
prohibition dilemmas involved cases in
which all feasible actions are forbidden
the famous archery student is a classic
example of obligation dilemma
it reads Sartre uses the anecdote of a
former students moral dilemma during the
World War two to illustrate both the
limits of making decisions based on a
defined moral code in the erroneous
nosov blaming passions for people's
actions the French students brother was
killed in 1940 by the Germans but his
father nonetheless later abandoned the
family to collaborate with the Germans
the student had to choose between
staying in France with his mother who
found her only comfort in him and
leaving to fight to the Free French
against the German occupation after
realizing he was caught between moral
principles or family and nation for the
obligation to care for his mother and
the obligation to avenge his brother's
death he came to
for advice the philosopher told his
student that there was no correct or
incorrect decision neither moral codes
nor the strength of his affections for
one or the other party can determine
what to do rather the student had to
invent his own solution to the problem
on the other hand the famous Sophie's
Choice mentioned earlier is a classic
example of prohibition dilemmas finally
in single agent dilemma the agent ought
all things considered to do a ought all
things considered to do be and she
cannot do both a and B in other words
the moral agent is compelled to act in
two or more equally the same moral
options but she cannot choose both for
instance a medical doctor found out that
her patient has HIV for sure the medical
doctor may experience tension between
the legal requirement to report the case
and the desire to respect
confidentiality although the medical
code of ethics technologists are
obligation to follow legal requirements
and to intervene to protect the
vulnerable in multi-person dilemma on
the other hand the situation is such
that one agent p1 ought to do a a second
agent p2 ought to do B and though each
agent can do what he ought to do it is
not possible both for p1 to do a and p2
to do B according to Benjamin lemma
Steen the multi-person does not in as
much as agents XY and Z may possibly
have chosen conflicting moral choices
that is person X chooses a instead of B
and C and person Y chooses B instead of
a E and C and so on and so forth the
multi person dilemma occurs in
situations that involve several persons
like a family an organization or a
community who is expected to come up
with consensual decision on a moral
issue attend a family may be torn
between choosing to terminate or prolong
the life of a family member an
organization may have to choose between
complying with a wage law by cutting its
workforce or by retaining its current
workforce by paying them below the
required minimum wage the multi-person
dilemma requires more than choosing what
is right it also entails that the
persons involved reached a general
consensus in such a manner the moral
obligation to do what is right becomes
more complicated in the multi-person
dilemma on the one hand the integrity of
the decision ought to be defended on
moral grounds on the other hand the
decision must also prevent the
organization from breaking apart that
answer
discussion on moral dilemmas and thank
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