Morality And Moral Decision Making - 2005 Words

Morality and moral decision making add yet another dimension to the already complex nature of warfare. A key tenet of warfare and combat is one human taking another’s life. Bloodshed is the main factor which differentiates warfare from diplomacy. However, warfare is never black and white. Modern day insurgent warfare requires incredibly difficult labeling and differentiating between combatants and civilians, that far surpasses the complexity of traditional warfare, making moral decisions all the more difficult. However even when the enemy wears a uniform and the battleground is not in a neighborhood, killing another human being is hardly ever a morally straightforward task. The graphic novel, Watchmen, written by Alan Moore, explores†¦show more content†¦Watchmen takes place in a similar, but alternate universe set in 1985. During this time, the world is on the absolute brink of total nuclear war as the Cold War is still in full effect and tensions are building. The United States and Russia are both staged for a preemptive nuclear attack. In this world, a group of vigilante superheroes, the Watchmen, attempt to solve the murder of one of their own members. During their search, they discover a much deeper plot orchestrated by one of their own members, Adrian Veidt, or Ozymandias. His plan involves manufacturing a devastatingly deadly alien invasion and launching it on New York City. Optimistically, this catastrophe would unite the United States and Russia under their shared humanity and their new extraterrestrial common enemy. By killing millions in New York, Ozymandias does in fact unite the world superpowers, effectively saving the entire planet from nuclear destruction. Some of the Watchmen agree with his decision, while others refuse to justify the killing of innocents despite the long-term goal. Dr. Manhattan, a god-like being, with true superhuman strength and cognition simply says, â€Å"Without condoning or condemning, I unders tand† (Moore 409). Ozymandias clearly enters the moral grey zone with his decision, and further analysis of his circumstances must be analyzed to determine which end of the moral spectrum he ought to fall. This situation parallels one Truman had to makeShow MoreRelatedAbortion And Assisted Dying And How They Affect Law Making Decisions923 Words   |  4 Pageshaving a moral agenda as it may infer with what needs to be the law. In order to understand whether lawmakers should have a moral agenda it must be understood what the law is and who can make it. Law can defined as ‘a body of rules that a country makes, and it is applied by the state’ , law can be made by two different bodies in the United Kingdom which include the Judicial system and the Parliament. Now that we understand what is the law and how it works morality can be tackled. Morality can be definedRead MoreMoral Development As Defined By Lawrence Kohlberg1018 Words   |  5 PagesMoral development Moral development as defined by Lawrence Kohlberg is a theory that follows moral thinking through a series of three levels and six stages that are sequential and remain consistent. According to Kohlberg level one is entitled Pre-conventional morality (pre-operational). In this level it consists of two stages: Stage One deals with punishment and obedience or how good or bad something may be. Stage two is instrumental purpose and exchange at this stage one is said to conformRead MoreBecoming a Philosphy Scholar Too!1457 Words   |  6 Pagesphilosophers theories about morals and ethics that you will study will seem to come to life through open class discussions on hypothetical scenarios and examples to help you better understand the content, while relating it to realistic situations. 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Therefore, a person’s actions should result in a positive impact on others, and a person should think carefully before doing something to ensure that. Immorality as defined by Kant describes self-centered actions that do not benefit any other human being while Mill’s theoryRead MoreThe Moral Self, Moral Injury, And Moral Emotions1031 Words   |  5 PagesThe Mora l Self, Moral Injury, and Moral Emotions The podcast between John Gavazzi and Nina Strohminger on morality have a few key themes that are discussed, including the moral self, moral injury, and moral emotions. Morality in psychology initially focused on Lawrence Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, which were based on people’s ability to articulate what their moral objectives were. So, a person’s moral stage, or how advanced a person is, was determined by their explanations to the moralRead MoreThe Flaws Of Foots Moral System Essay1519 Words   |  7 PagesShortcomings of Foots Moral System In â€Å"Morality as a System of Hypothetical Imperatives,† Philippa Foot argues that moral judgments are in hypothetical imperatives rather than categorical imperatives. For Kant, categorical imperatives are actions that are good in themselves and do not depend on desires, while, hypothetical imperatives are â€Å"actions that are good to some purpose† (306). According to Foot, hypothetical imperatives alone serve as the basis of moral judgments because categorical imperativesRead MoreThe Theory Of Moral Development By Lawrence Kohlberg1392 Words   |  6 Pagesindividuals brought up in an environment of strict morality and teachings of fairness, kindness and respect to others have good morals. In my opinion, all these factors should be intertwined to enhance moral development in the society as a whole. Teachings should discourage violence, dishonesty and selfishness and encourage a sense of fairness, cooperative tendencies and restraint for other humans. Nevertheless , it is my belief that a strict moral code should be instilled in the individuals throughRead MoreA Decent Job At Separating Religion From Morality1405 Words   |  6 PagesAlthough some may say religion relates to morals, apparently the philosophers we have covered thus far do not believe such a thing. For religious people, morality may be pushed by religion in their regards to the fear of the consequences god will bring if one disobeys his laws. Although this can be related to consequentialism, it is not the same kind of consequentialism Mills and Bentham use. Morals can be dependent of an individual’s preferences depending on the individual’s motives behind their