THE NORMS OF MORALITY The Meaning of Norms
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THE NORMS OF MORALITY
The Meaning of Norms Is a standard of measurement
The Norms of Morality � Are the criteria of judgement about the sorts of persons we ought to be and the sorts of actions we ought to perform. - Richard Gula Moral norms are the criteria for judging (1) the quality of character, (2) the quality of an act
Basis of Moral Judgement The Eternal • Law refers to the plan of God in creating all creatures. The Natural Law • refers to the operational tendencies of the human nature • --- the chemical, biological, physiological, psychological and rational properties of man. Conscience • The choice of a particular good in a given situation.
Types of Conscience 1. Correct conscience sees the good as good, the evil as evil. 2. Erroneous conscience sees evil as something good. 3. Doubtful conscience is a vacillating conscience, unsure of itself. 4. Scrupulous conscience is overly cautious, meticulous and fearful of committing mistake. 5. Lax conscience is indifferent, unmindful of right or wrong.
Consider the example: � You are a passenger on a ship sailing across the ocean. Suddenly, your ship is overtaken in a powerful storm. You escape to a lifeboat with 25 other passengers. You notice that four of the passengers are badly injured, and unlikely to survive for more than a week. You also know that the lifeboat only has enough food and water to sustain 22 passengers. Some of the other passengers are considering throwing the four injured passengers overboard in order to save the other survivors. If you were a natural law theorist, how would you solve this ethical dilemma?
