Man as Moral Agent

• Morality


  Standards an individual or a group has about what is right and wrong, or good or evil
• Moral standards

  Norms + Values = Moral standards
• Moral standards consist of two elements:

  • Moral norms: general rules about our actions (ex. Always tell the truth)
  • Moral values: usually expressed with statements about objects or features of objects that have worth (ex. Injustice is bad)
• Non-moral standards or norms


  Standards by which we judge what is good or bad and right or wrong in a non moral way (ex. Etiquette while eating, standards or arts and music, how to write a good essay)
• Performing moral actions is not sufficient to be a moral person
• Requirements to be a moral person

  • Knowledge of what is moral - ignorance is amoral
  • Will the moral action - no accidental morality
  • Act out of a consistent character - no occasional morality
• Man as a moral agent


  Man has the ability to discern what is right from wrong and be held accountable for his actions. He has the moral responsibility not to cause unjustified harm.
• Key Features of Morality

  • People experience a sense of moral obligation and accountability
  • Moral values and moral absolutes exist
  • Moral Law does exist
  • Moral law is known to Humans
  • Morality is objective
  • Moral judgments must be supported by reasons
• • One “ought to” act or follow some rules, policies, practices, or principles —Nielsen, 1973(secularist)
  • Even atheist Richard Dawkins declares that there are “moral instructions on how we ought to behave” – Dawkins, 2006


  People experience a sense of moral obligation and accountability
• • objective reality of moral values = some actions are really wrong in the same way that some things like love and respect are truly good
  • Moral absolutes = truths that exist and apply to everyone


  Moral values and moral absolutes exist
• Each one knows what is right and wrong


  Moral Law does exist
• • Moral law is also called Law of Nature


  Moral law is known to humans
• it is absolute– there is a real right and real wrong that is universally and undeniably true, independent of whether anyone believes it or not


  Morality is objective
• in the absence of reasons, they are merely arbitrary (James, 1999)


  Moral judgments must be supported by reasons