Are Reason and Emotion Equally in Justifying Moral Decisions?
ARE REASON AND EMOTION EQUALLY IN JUSTIFYING MORAL DECISIONS?
This essay will deal with the topic of how reason and emotion justify the moral decisions. Therefore, in this case it is assumed that moral decisions can be justified. Justify itself means to give explanation for or to give reason for something. It is assumed also that reason and emotion are the two tools of ways of knowing used to justify moral decisions. Thus, these both will have explanation of how they can justify moral decisions and whether these both have the same role in the justification or not.
Firstly, moral decision is the thing which is decided to be a right thing. In this case, it is assumed that moral is not anything that is good, but it is anything right. What is right does not mean it is good. For the example, people will know that killing actions are bad. However, killing dangerous bacteria for health is not a sin; even it is the right thing to do. Therefore, it is not an immoral action to kill the bacteria. The different between to decide the decisions using bad and good sides or to decide the decisions using right or wrong sides can be seen from that example. Thus, to know whether the decision is a moral or immoral decision is to decide whether the thing is right or wrong.
Secondly, emotion can justify moral decisions. Emotion is people’s unconscious direct reaction of something happen. It decides moral decision by how the person reacts of something. For the example, I just noticed that my little sister just lost my favorite dress. The first things which came out of my mind were sad, angry and mad with her. I wanted to punch her but actually the thing I did was just by scolding her. I could not punch her that I just could not. At that time, I put a pity on her when I wanted to punch her. In this case, my emotion at that time decided to do the right thing, which was not to punch her and by only scolding her was the right thing.
Another example, I know it is a sin to cheat on
This essay will deal with the topic of how reason and emotion justify the moral decisions. Therefore, in this case it is assumed that moral decisions can be justified. Justify itself means to give explanation for or to give reason for something. It is assumed also that reason and emotion are the two tools of ways of knowing used to justify moral decisions. Thus, these both will have explanation of how they can justify moral decisions and whether these both have the same role in the justification or not.
Firstly, moral decision is the thing which is decided to be a right thing. In this case, it is assumed that moral is not anything that is good, but it is anything right. What is right does not mean it is good. For the example, people will know that killing actions are bad. However, killing dangerous bacteria for health is not a sin; even it is the right thing to do. Therefore, it is not an immoral action to kill the bacteria. The different between to decide the decisions using bad and good sides or to decide the decisions using right or wrong sides can be seen from that example. Thus, to know whether the decision is a moral or immoral decision is to decide whether the thing is right or wrong.
Secondly, emotion can justify moral decisions. Emotion is people’s unconscious direct reaction of something happen. It decides moral decision by how the person reacts of something. For the example, I just noticed that my little sister just lost my favorite dress. The first things which came out of my mind were sad, angry and mad with her. I wanted to punch her but actually the thing I did was just by scolding her. I could not punch her that I just could not. At that time, I put a pity on her when I wanted to punch her. In this case, my emotion at that time decided to do the right thing, which was not to punch her and by only scolding her was the right thing.
Another example, I know it is a sin to cheat on