“The Elements of Moral Philosophy” by James Rachel: Moral Controversies

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Baby Theresa
Conjoined twins Jodie and Mary
A handicapped child
Moral decision
Conclusion
Reference

Introduction

The issue of morality involves how people relate to one another. Morality is concerned with the value of human action. It involves determining whether an action is right or wrong. The definition of morality draws a lot of debate. Various moral philosophers, ranging from Socrates and Aristotle have defined morality differently. One of the greatest recent contributions to this debate is the perspective James Rachels has taken about Morality. To try to explain morality, Rachels uses examples of moral controversies in modern days.

Baby Theresa

The first example of a moral controversy that he uses is the case of baby Theresa. Theresa was an anencephalic infant, whose life was limited. Thus, Theresa’s parents decide to give out her organs before her natural death, which was imminent. The parent saw this as an act of benevolence, but they were stopped by the law (Rachels 4). The moral issue brought out here is whether it is morally right to sacrifice one’s life for the sake of another. From this example, Rachels was illustrating the issues of intention in morality. The intention of donating Theresa’s organs before her natural death was meant to help other individuals that required those organs for survival. Those organs were not important to Theresa since her death was sure due to her terminal illness. Thus her organs could have saved the life of another child that required them.

Conjoined twins Jodie and Mary

The second example is on conjoined twins Jodie and Mary. The twins shared a single heart and a single lung. According to the doctors, those children could not survive like that. The parents were against the operation to separate the twins, but the doctors went ahead with the operation, although Jodie died during the operation, Mary survived (Rachels 8). From this example, Rachels is trying to illustrate the issue of alternatives in the moral decision. In this case, there were two alternatives: fail to operate on the twins leading to the loss of both children, or do the operation and save one. The example also brings about the issue of cultural and religious elements in moral actions.

A handicapped child

The third example is that of a handicapped child, who is killed by her father. Seeing the suffering that Tracy was going through, the father decided to take her life as an act of mercy. In this example, Rachels brings out the issue of discrimination. The father’s action drew debate on discrimination against the handicapped and suffering. Some individuals viewed the action as a form of discrimination, while to others; it was an issue of the moral dilemma of a caring father.

Moral decision

From the three examples, Rachels brings out the element of moral decision. In all the controversial situations, the individual involved had to choose between the available options. Rachels views morality right as an action that is supported by reason. Rachels brings out two major issues in morality: moral reasoning and impartiality. A morally good action is that which is supported by moral reason and that which does not discriminate on individuals involved (Rachels 15). She also brings out the element of moral conscientiousness. A morally conscious agent is someone that can make a sound moral judgment without discriminating the individuals involved.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Rachels’ perspective of morality is that of an effort to base moral actions on reason. Rachels’ arguments bring insight into moral decisions. Thus, judging an action as either morally right or wrong should consider more than one element of the issue in question.

Reference

Rachels, James. The Elements of Moral Philosophy. New York: MacGraw-Hill Inc, 2010.

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