Are reason and emotional equally necessary in justifying moral decisions? essay

Are reason and emotional equally necessary in justifying moral decisions? Human beings are facing moral decisions in everyday life. The decision or opinions of persons are justified and influenced by several ways of knowing especially emotion and reasoning. Every Human being is emotional, and our emotions influence our decision making.

A Sad person might decide differently then a happy person. Reason is influenced by the way how people percept and observe they surroundings. Deductive and Inductive Logic is used to find the truth. Both Reason and Emotional are contradictory towards each other as both are totally different.

This becomes clear by investigating Moral issues and the influence of Reason and emotional in 2 criticized and often re-discussed topics. Once the scientific research of cloning and second the discussion about Death Penalty. Both those subjects, one in the Science, the other in the Politics can give us evidence which way of knowing is more necessary for justifying moral decisions or if both are equal. Cloning is the process of cloning Genes by replicating the DNA of a Organism. This DNA then is implanted in a stem cell, which will then will use this DNA and replicate itself until an exact copy is created.

First Experiments on Animals where done 1996. Very famous is the Sheep Dolly which was used to investigate Cloning and the effect on living organism A. Scientist try to understand cloning even better and started to experiment on human cells. This throws up many Moral concerns. If cloning becomes successful, their would be a revolution in Science.

Organs could be cultured and the system of Organ transplant could transform in a better, more efficient system which safes more lives. The Contra idea of cloning: Stem cells have to be used in the process of cloning. A normal Human being has no stem cells anymore, but embryo? s, just some weeks old, are fully made up of stem cells. One stem cell is enough to culture 8 other stem cells B. Therefore often Human Embryo? s are killed so scientist can use the stem cells.

„ Can Human decide about life and death? “ Even when also the Umbilical cord can be used, embryo? s are still killed because many stem cells are needed in the scientific investigations. Because their are the different opinions and every single individual is justifying their opinion and moral decisions by reason and emotion. People which use only reason might say that cloning is good because it brings far more advantages then disadvantages. By killing 50 Embryos over 3000 people which all think and live can be rescued. People using reason might think of the great benefits when the medicine is developing by cloning. Those people might think it is unmoral to be against cloning, as they belief in the ethic of utilitarism c.

Contradictory to that people using reason are the people who are using emotion. They might say and think that it is unmoral to use the embryo as it has to be killed so the stem cells can be used. They might feel sad or angry that an innocent living organism is killed for common welfare. They also might believe in Golden Rule which means they want to treat people like they wish to be treated, and this is also not to be killed.

Emotional justifying people also might think cloning is against they religious belief as killing is punished by most religions. They might ask themselves the question if humans are allowed to decide about life and death. In Christianity killing is punished with hell, people might be scared of hell and therefore decide against Cloning. Other ways of knowing might influence the emotion like faith or instinct not to kill the fetus C. We clearly see that both Ways of justification can be influenced by other ways of knowing.

We can clearly say that emotions influence our way of perception and therefore our decision making. The so called emotion coloring like „ love is blind“ makes us aware of he fact how reality can change from one person to another. Emotions can influence the decision making because it prevents the persons being open minded to other ideas, because they are so caught up with they personal belief. Still emotion can be influenced positively by processes like introspection which allows the individual to analytical choose and decide best.

Reason in contrast is more rational then emotions and therefore allow an objective decision making. Reason tries not to be influenced by other sources but to stay objective C. The Death Penalty is abolished in 135 Countries and becomes in more and more countries illegal D. Again because Human lives are discussed about emotional and reason justifications play central roles in the discussion if the Death Penalty should be abolished or not.

The Benefits of the Death Penalty are mostly economic advantages. The lower costs of an execution in relationship with a life-time prisoner are one main pro point of the Death Penalty. Further more as lesser prisoners are in Prisons, the Prisons are not overfilled with people. The Disadvantage of the Death Penalty is that it is an irreversible action. Once you kill a person you cannot undo that. It is possible that the accuses person is innocent, but the truth is found out far to late and the person has been executed already.

Now the Government has killed somebody innocent. People using Reason might conclude that their are several benefits by killing murders, starting with lower costs and ending with more space in Prisons. Emotional thinkers might also belief that the Death Penalty is good. Families from Victims of Murder might feel revenge and therefore want to see the Murder dead. On the other hand reason and emotion can also justify that the Death Penalty should be abolished. It would be reasonable that a country abolishes the Death Penalty as most countries have already abolished the executions of prisoners.

Also emotional this moral decision can be justified as questions like: „ Who kills the murder of the murder“ and the general belief of murder is morally wrong. Families of innocent victims of the death penalty might also belief that the Death Penalty is wrong, as it is irreversible. Therefore both Reason and Emotion justify the moral decisions equally. Because Reason and Emotional justification are mostly contradictory with they moral decision, the topics like cloning or the abolishment of the death penalty are widely discussed. People cannot decide fully for- or against the subjects like cloning. They moral decision is based on both, reason and emotion, as human beings are emotional beings, but also beings which are capable of reason and logic.

Therefore this fight between the only correct moral decision will last for ever as both, reason and emotion are used equally. Another interesting discovery is how reason and emotion are in contrast between each other and how they effect our daily decision making. Sources: A Mansfield, B. K.

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