Post by Radrook Admin on Sept 17, 2019 8:32:14 GMT -5
The Basis for Moral Duties
From the standpoint of ethics, we are under the moral duty to behave in certain ways. Such duties have a solid foundation. They are derived from the human condition which is ethically described as:
Duty not to murder. We can perish. So we must be careful not to unnecessarily kill other humans either purposefully or by negligence. A landlord who leaves his property in a mortally dangerous condition is not abiding by that duty. Neither is dictator who punishes all law infractions via executions.
1. Being mortal
Duty not to murder. We can perish. So we must be careful not to unnecessarily kill other humans either purposefully or by negligence. A landlord who leaves his property in a mortally dangerous condition is not abiding by that duty. Neither is dictator who punishes all law infractions via executions.
2 Human ability to suffer physically and mentally:
Duty: Do not inflict unnecessary pain and to alleviate suffering. Torturing someone via unnecessary surgery or via cruelty or lack of empathy is a negligence of such a duty. Some dentists seem oblivious to this obligation.
3. The Human social need to enhance survival.
Duty: Cooperation by abiding by the rules. Being anti-social or disruptive via refusal to follow just laws causes a decrease in a society's ability to survive. That's why such individuals are removed from general social contact via incarceration and/or execution or else banishment. Notice that it refers to just laws not ones that violate human rights or foment injustices
4. Human Ability to reason :
Duty: Honesty This makes for order and predictability so human reasoning can be based on reality. For example, imagine that we could not rely on a red light indicating a stop. Imagine the deaths that would occur when red lights become meaningless and are eventually ignored. Imagine the frustration as we realize that promised appointments can't be counted on to be kept. Of course pandemonium would ensue. So obviously, truthfulness, or honesty, is essential to the smooth- functioning of society.
But it isn't as simple as it might seem. Why? Well, because issues aren't always black and white. You see, duties sometimes clash, and we need to weigh one against the other in order to determine which one should be given priority.
For example, the human right to be informed can conflict with our duty not to inflict harm. Does the person need to know the information that will cause him a heart attack? Are we to respect his right know the truth or do we refrain from harming him physically by exposing him to it and possibly provoking a heart attack? So honesty is not always the best policy, and we must determine when an exception must be made.
So the mindless deontological or inflexible rule-reasoning, where rules are followed blindly is not recommended.