After careful considerations of the various ethical theories/views we discussed, what “personal moral system or code” can you come up with and which you can adopt? Be sure to talk about the values, precepts/ideas, and other elements that should comprise this “personal moral system or code”. Include your conception of freedom and accountability in this given moral system and your view of what it means to be a moral individual.
Of course, even before I have taken this class, I believe I have my own sound personal moral code. Though that time, I do not know which moral theory I was subscribing to. In answering this question, I would like to integrate what I have learned from the class to what I believed before and maybe I can identify changes from my then beliefs.
On the concept of the relativity of morality
Before, I am attached to this principle – that morality is relative and is anchored to a certain culture and that culture alone will be the basis of morality. However, after having took the lessons, I agree with our discussions that morality should not be relative. It should be a standard or a set of beliefs that would evaluate other acts – it should be an standard, but not eternal and subject to constant evaluations.
Religion and Morality
I am an active Roman Catholic and a believer. However, Ii do not reconcile morality and religion. For me, the Roman Catholic Church have become so conservative and they are the least likely of all institutions to welcome change. I mean, I rarely use Catholic doctrines in evaluating if something is moral or not. Though in the end of my evaluation, I always ask what God would have really wanted? Would he wanted otherwise? I consider these questions but always come up with still radical results. For example, on the issue of euthanasia, Church would say that God has the only right to take away one's life and so euthanasia would be immoral. But, would God wanted someone to live on and through a feding tube for years? I bet He does not. And so, I believe euthanasia would be moral...
On Morality: My Personal Code
Personally, I do not subscribe to any theory (or at least I do not know to which my personal morality falls under). For me, morality should be evaluated depending on the situation. On the issues of abortion or the right to die for example. If morality says that killing is innately wrong, then abortion and assisted suicide (e.g. Dr. Death's) would be wrong and immoral. For me, it should not be the case. In our class, what I have learned to be the most important thing in indicating an act's morality is to look on both sides. Morality tells us that killing is bad, but what if not committing abortion would be the same as ending the life of the mother? Or what if not helping others to end their lives (case in point:Dr. Death) would be tantamount to living in excruciating pain? Morality
On Freedom
I believe that yes, we are free. But we chose not to be. We know in ourselves that we are fee, but what we do is we subscribe and submit ourselves to social restraints - which for me is good. If everyone is absolutely free. the world would be chaotic. Freedom for be is always there, but we chose to leave it behind and involve ourselves into a society or a group which has a moral standard. Morality constrains freedom.
On Accountability
WE should always be accountable for our decisions. In a narrow sense, a decision is as simple as Yes or No. And no matter which we prefer, we should stand by it. Accountability lies on the firmness of our decisions.
The Moral Individual
An individual is moral for me, if he or she evaluates a certain situation, looking on both sides and then decides what should be done. I would like to believe that a fundamental element of my personal code is Utilitarianism - for happiness in the greatest number.
Death of someone would be morally permissible if it implies that other people becomes happy - that a mother would live a normal and healthy life (in the case of abortion) or that the parents will be a lot happier to see their son dead rather alive only because of a respirator (euthanasia).
In conclusion, I believe that one should not subscribe exclusively to one theory alone. Morality is not like that. Morality is always thinking out of the box, and not confining yourself into it.