The Minimum Requirement (Elements)

of Morality:
Reason and Impartiality
PRESENTED BY:
LOUELLA MIKKA S. TATTAO, LPT, CHRA, MAGC
The Minimum Requirement (Elements) of Morality:
Reason and Impartiality

The minimum requirement or concept of morality aims

at helping people to be objective in their decisions.
This perspective requires the consideration of the
interests of the people who would be affected by any
decision.
“MINIMUM CONCEPTION OF MORALITY”
By: James Rachels (2003)

Was comprises of :
• REASONS
• IMPARTIALITY
 Reason

It helps us to determine the difference

between right thinking, decisions, and
actions and those that are wrong, hurtful
and/or harmful— to others and to ourselves.
Moral Reasoning is based on and motivated
by facts, values, emotions, beliefs, emotions,
and feelings. Ethical actions are based on
conscientious reasoning of facts based on
moral principles and standards.
 Reason

Importance: One of the

most important functions of
reasoning is in “decision-
making”.
 Reason

Moral reasoning applies

critical analysis to specific
events to determine what is
right or wrong, and what
people ought to do in a
particular situation.
 Reason

Example: For instance, one

could argue that it is okay to
kill one person if it would
save five, because more
people would be saved, but
killing itself is immoral.
 Impartiality

It is a conscientious moral agent.

That means someone who
considers the interests of everyone
affected by what one does or
decides.
 Impartiality

Importance: impartiality is manifesting

objectivity. It is the quality of being
unbiased and objective in creating
moral decisions – underscoring that a
(morally) impartial person makes
moral decisions relative to the welfare
of the majority and not for specific
people alone.
Standards of Moral Valuation
Based on the Self
 Moral Valuation

Moral valuetion are those excellent

values that empower and define
human beings and are obtained from
religion, parents, cultures, traditions,
etc. These values help an individual
behave with good motives and
thoughts that do not harm the other.
 Bulaong Jr. et al. (2018) discuss the three moral
standards based on the self.

1. Subjectivism

2. Psychological Egoism

3. Ethical Egoism
 Subjectivism

The person is the one confronted with the

situation and is burdened with the need to
make decision or judgment. From this point
of view, subjectivism leaps to the more
radical claim that the individual is the sole
determining agent of what is morally good
or bad, right or wrong.
EXAMPLES:

• “No one can tell me what is right and wrong.”

• “No one knows my situation better than
myself.”
• “I am entitled to my own opinion.”
• “It is good, if I say that it is good.”
 Psychological Egoism

- It is a theory that describes the underlying

dynamic behind all human actions.

- As a descriptive theory, it does not direct one

to act in a particular way. Instead, it points out
that by nature, humans are self-interested and
are after their own satisfaction and therefore
in all their undertakings they are ultimately
looking for self-fulfillment and satisfaction,
aware or unaware.
 EXAMPLE

Helping another might seem like a good

act. But for the psychological egoist has
inherent self-interest in expressing an
act of service. In the end, the act no
matter how it appears to be other-
oriented, it is by nature an act that is
self-serving.
 Ethical Egoism

- Ethical Egoism is a position that self-interest and

personal ends are the single overriding concern.
Ethical egoism is totally driven by selfish motive with
no interest or concern for another. Actions are taken
with the sole concern that the ultimate benefit will be
for the self. One considers oneself as the sole priority
and does not allow any other concern benefiting
another. Ethical egoism is totally motivated by self-
satisfaction and nothing more.
 Self Assessment:

Give one situation or personal experiences of the

three moral standards based on the self.

• Subjectivism
• Psychological Egoism
• Ethical Egoism
THE END