Unit Nature of Morality

Reason and Impartiality as Minimum Requirement for

Module Page |1
Morality & Seven Steps of Moral Reasoning Model
GE8-ETH Ethics Units: 3.0

INFORMATION SHEET MD-7.1.1

REASON AND IMPARTIALITY AS MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR MORALITY
SEVEN STEPS OF MORAL REASONING MODEL

In this lesson, the student on his own and in the long run will be able to:

 Define reason and impartiality;

 Explain the 7-step Moral Reasoning Model; and
 Apply the 7-step Moral Reasoning Model in various setting.
 Appreciate the dynamics of reasoning and impartiality.

Reason and Impartiality Defined

Reason is the basis or motive for an action, decision, or conviction. As a quality, it refers to the
capacity for logical, rational, and analytic thought; for consciously making sense of things, establishing
and verifying facts, applying common sense and logic, and justifying, and if necessary, changing
practices, institutions, and beliefs based on existing or new existing information.

It also spells the difference of moral judgements from mere expressions of personal preference.
In the case of moral judgments, they require backing by reasons. Thus, reason commends what it
commends, regardless of our feelings, attitudes, opinions, and desires.

Impartiality involves the idea that each individual’s interests and point of view are equally
important. It is a principle of justice holding that decisions ought to be based on objective criteria, rather
than on the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the benefit to one person over another for improper
reasons.

Impartiality in morality requires that we give equal and/or adequate consideration to the
interests of all concerned parties. The principle of impartiality assumes that every person, generally
speaking, is equally important; that is, no one is seen intrinsically more significant than anyone else

Is REASON a requirement for morality?

 The power of the mind to think, understand and form judgements by a process of logic.
(Merriam Webster 2017)

But ……. According to Immanuel Kant

 Reason alone is the basis for morality, and once a person understood this basic requirement for
morality, he or she would see that acting morally is the same as acting rationally.

He also view morality as ……..

PREPARED BY: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:
MODULE 1st & 2nd
MIDTERM
7 Meeting MR. DICKSHYL M. KALLOS MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Instructor School Administrator
 Unit Nature of Morality
Reason and Impartiality as Minimum Requirement for
Module Page |2
Morality & Seven Steps of Moral Reasoning Model
GE8-ETH Ethics Units: 3.0

 Morality alone shows that a person must decide what to do.

 You as a person are able to think and reflect on different actions and then choose what action to
take.
 Moral decision means desires did not force you to act in a particular manner. (You acted by the
power of your will)
 It is a broad concept, but it is also identified as a core value in professional code of ethics.
 Commonly understood as a principle of justice.
 It is based on objective criteria (factual information) rather than on the basis of bias, damage or
preferring to benefit one person over another for improper reason (Jollimore, 2011).
 It stresses that everyone is ought to be given equal importance and not favor one class (people,
animals or things) in a capricious way.

Is IMPARTIALITY a requirement for morality?

When do you make ethical decisions?

 When we faced situation where there are no clear cut or obvious choices.
 When situation cannot be determined by simple quantitative analysis of data
 When reason and impartiality is present
 When you need to choose between good and better or bad and worse.

Are reason and impartiality a requirement for morality?

‘’At the very least, it is the effort to guide one’s action based on the moral logical choice (reason) while
giving equal importance to the interest of each person affected by your decisions (impartiality)’’

To sum up…

PREPARED BY: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

MODULE 1st & 2nd
MIDTERM
7 Meeting MR. DICKSHYL M. KALLOS MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Instructor School Administrator
 Unit Nature of Morality
Reason and Impartiality as Minimum Requirement for
Module Page |3
Morality & Seven Steps of Moral Reasoning Model
GE8-ETH Ethics Units: 3.0

The 7-Step Moral Reasoning Model – Scott B. Rae, Ph.D.

Moral reasoning, also known as moral development, is a study in psychology that overlaps with
moral philosophy. Children can make moral decisions about what is right and wrong from a young age;
this makes morality fundamental to the human condition. Moral reasoning, however, is a part of
morality that occurs both within and between individuals. This is a model that will help marketers make
ethical decisions. When making any decision, marketers might think of these aspects as well as the
financial and other aspects involving profits, branding, customer relationship building, and so forth.
Using a system for solving moral dilemmas and considering all impacts of a decision will help avoid
conflicting opinions when business people operate automatically from their own value systems

Scott Rae’s model for moral reasoning presents a 7-step approach to moral analyses and
evaluation. It is oriented towards virtues and principles with consideration of consequences as a
supporting role (Rae 2018). This model is free from cultural, ethnic and religious background and biases,
though it is consistent/uses biblical principles. The 7-step model is as follows:

1. Gather the Facts

 It is essential that in moral decision- making, one has to know the general facts of the moral
situation, before coming up with a moral analysis, more so, a decision or an evaluation.

 The simplest way of clarifying an ethical dilemma is to make sure the facts are clear. Ask: Do you
have all the facts that are necessary to make a good decision? What do we know? What do we
need to know? In this light it might become clear that the dilemma is not ethical but about
communication or strategy (Rae, 2018).

2. Determine the ethical issues

 After having identified the facts and overall context of the moral situation, the ethical
issue/involved in the situation, must be clearly stated in order to specify what issue one has to
make a decision to. This section must likewise clearly state the major moral dilemma involved in
the case.

 Ethical interests are stated in terms of legitimate competing interests or goods. The competing
interests are what create the dilemma. Moral values and virtues must support the competing
interests in order for an ethical dilemma to exist. If you cannot identify the underlying
values/virtues then you do not have an ethical dilemma. Often people hold these positions
strongly and with passion because of the value / virtue beneath them (Rae 2018).

3. Determine what virtues / principles have a bearing on the case

PREPARED BY: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

MODULE 1st & 2nd
MIDTERM
7 Meeting MR. DICKSHYL M. KALLOS MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Instructor School Administrator
 Unit Nature of Morality
Reason and Impartiality as Minimum Requirement for
Module Page |4
Morality & Seven Steps of Moral Reasoning Model
GE8-ETH Ethics Units: 3.0

 Applicable ethical values and principles relevant to the case must be identified and briefly
explained in order to justify how such principles could be used in coming up with a decision
concerning the moral dilemma later on. In addition, the sources of these principles must be
acknowledged likewise. These values, principles could come from: (1) established philosophical
ethical principles; (2) socio-cultural norms; (3) socio-political norms and laws; (4) religious
traditions; and others.

 In an ethical dilemma certain values and principles are central to the competing positions.
Identify these. Determine if some should be given more weight than others. Ask what the source
for the principle is - constitution, culture, natural law, religious tradition... These supplement
biblical principles (Rae 2018).

4. List the alternatives

 After having identified relevant values, virtues, and principles involving the moral situation,
possible alternative courses of actions must then be proposed and briefly explained. These
suggested courses of actions must then be evaluated based on its applicability, sensibility,
practicality before selecting one as the course of action or decision to be made regarding the
moral situation.

 Creatively determine possible courses of action for your dilemma. Some will almost immediately
be discarded but generally the more you list the greater potential for coming up with a really
good one. It will also help you come up with a broader selection of ideas (Rae 2018).

5. Compare the alternatives with the virtues / principles

 The initial list of suggested courses of actions must then be evaluated from the vantage point of
the identified ethical values and principles.

 This step eliminates alternatives as they are weighed by the moral principles which have a
bearing on the case. Potentially the issue will be resolved here as all alternatives except one are
eliminated. Here you must satisfy all the relevant virtues and values - so at least some of the
alternatives will be eliminated (even if you still have to go on to step 6). Often here you have to
weight principles and virtues - make sure you have a good reason for each weighting (Rae 2018).

6. Consider the consequences

 If principles have not yielded a clear decision consider the consequences of your alternatives.
Take the alternatives and work out the positive and negative consequences of each. Estimate
how beneficial each positive and negative consequences are – some might have greater weight
than others (Rae 2018).

PREPARED BY: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

MODULE 1st & 2nd
MIDTERM
7 Meeting MR. DICKSHYL M. KALLOS MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Instructor School Administrator
 Unit Nature of Morality
Reason and Impartiality as Minimum Requirement for
Module Page |5
Morality & Seven Steps of Moral Reasoning Model
GE8-ETH Ethics Units: 3.0

7. Make a decision (including one’s justification for the decision)

 After having analyzed the moral dilemma situation (from steps 1 thru 6), one must now make a
decision based on what has been previously discussed and must clearly justify the decision that
has been made.

 Ethical decisions rarely have pain-free solutions - it might be you have to choose the solution
with the least number of problems / painful consequences (Rae 2018).

References:

 Berkowitz, M. & Bier, M. (2006). What works in character education: A research-driven guide for
educators. St. Louis, MO: Center for Character and Citizenship.
 Brown, L. & Gilligan, C. (1992). Meeting at the crossroads: Women’s psychology and girls’
development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
 Elkind, D. & Sweet, F. (2006). How to do character education. Accessed February 1, 2011 at
http://www.goodcharacter.com/Article_4.html.
 Kohlberg, L., Levine, C., & Hewer, A. (1983). Moral stages: A current formulation and a response
to critics. Basel: S. Karger.
 Minow, M., Shweder, R., & Markus, H. (Eds.). (2008). Just schools: Pursuing equality in societies
of difference. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
 Narvaez, D. (2010). Moral complexity: The fatal attraction of truthiness and the importance of
mature moral functioning. Perspectives on psychological science, 5(2), 162–181.
 Taylor, J. & Gilligan, C., & Sullivan, A. (1995). Between voice and silence: Women and girls, race
and relationship. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
 Bulaong Jr., Calano, Lagliva, Mariano and Principe (2018). Ethics Foundations of Moral Valuation.
First edition, Publisher (REX Book Store)

PREPARED BY: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

MODULE 1st & 2nd
MIDTERM
7 Meeting MR. DICKSHYL M. KALLOS MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Instructor School Administrator
 Unit Nature of Morality
Reason and Impartiality as Minimum Requirement for
Module Page |6
Morality & Seven Steps of Moral Reasoning Model
GE8-ETH Ethics Units: 3.0

SELF-CHECK MD-7.1.1

Direction: Identify the correct answer.

1. Reason
It refers to the capacity for logical, rational, and analytic thought; for consciously making sense
of things, establishing and verifying facts, applying common sense and logic, and justifying, and
if necessary, changing practices, institutions, and beliefs based on existing or new existing
information.
2. Impartiality
It is a principle of justice holding that decisions ought to be based on objective criteria, rather
than on the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the benefit to one person over another for
improper reasons.

3. Moral reasoning or moral development

It is a study in psychology that overlaps with moral philosophy.

4. Gather the facts

It is essential that in moral decision- making, one has to know the general facts of the moral
situation, before coming up with a moral analysis, more so, a decision or an evaluation.
5. Make a decision (including one’s justification for the decision)
The Ethical decisions rarely have pain-free solutions - it might be you have to choose the
solution with the least number of problems / painful consequences

PREPARED BY: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

MODULE 1st & 2nd
MIDTERM
7 Meeting MR. DICKSHYL M. KALLOS MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Instructor School Administrator
 Unit Nature of Morality
Reason and Impartiality as Minimum Requirement for
Module Page |7
Morality & Seven Steps of Moral Reasoning Model
GE8-ETH Ethics Units: 3.0

SELF-CHECK ANSWER KEY MD-7.1.1

STUDENT NAME: __________________________________ SECTION: __________________

PERFORMANCE TASK MD-7.1.1

PERFORMANCE TASK TITLE: Writing Critical Essay

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE: At the end of this activity, the student on his own and in the long
run will be able to demonstrate understanding and appreciation
on Reason and Impartiality as Minimum Requirement for
Morality & Seven Steps of Moral Reasoning Model.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS: Pen and paper

EQUIPMENT: None
ESTIMATED COST: None

Directions: Discuss the question in paragraph form.

PROCESS/PROCEDURE: A.
1. Why reason and impartiality are considered as a
minimum requirement for morality?
2. Why is impartiality a requirement of morality?
3. How can we make reasoned and impartial decisions?
4. Why is reason not enough in carrying out moral
decisions?
B.
1. Write a letter to a fictional friend who is struggling with
making a difficult decision and has reached out to you for
assistance. Provide her with the tools she needs to think
through her dilemma well. This should include an
explanation of the seven-step model and a word of
encouragement about the messy nature of ethical
dilemmas.

PRECAUTIONS: None
ASSESSMENT METHOD: Performance task rubric checklist

PREPARED BY: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

MODULE 1st & 2nd
MIDTERM
7 Meeting MR. DICKSHYL M. KALLOS MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Instructor School Administrator
 Unit Nature of Morality
Reason and Impartiality as Minimum Requirement for
Module Page |8
Morality & Seven Steps of Moral Reasoning Model
GE8-ETH Ethics Units: 3.0

STUDENT NAME: __________________________________ SECTION: __________________

PERFORMANCE TASK RUBRIC CHECK LIST MD-7.1.1

RUBRIC SCORING
1 2 3 4 5
1. CONTENT – Contents are extensively presented. Establish connection
with one other in a detailed way.
2. RELEVANCE – Significantly related to the theme. The essay is focused
on topic at hand and a lot of attention is given to details.
3. ORGANIZATION – The order developed and sustained within and
across paragraphs using transitional devices and including introduction
and conclusion.
4. LANGUAGE – Use words appropriately and creatively. Demonstrate the
ability to use grammatical signals.
5. CAPACITY to PERSUADE – Capture and engage the interest of the
audience for the entire essay.
TEACHER’S REMARKS:  QUIZ RECITATION PROJECT

GRADE:

5 - Excellently Performed
4 - Very Satisfactorily Performed
3 - Satisfactorily Performed
2 - Fairly Performed
1 - Poorly Performed

MR. DICKSHYL M. KALLOS

TEACHER

Date: __________________

PREPARED BY: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

MODULE 1st & 2nd
MIDTERM
7 Meeting MR. DICKSHYL M. KALLOS MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Instructor School Administrator