Ethics Voluntariness
Ethics Voluntariness
Ethics Voluntariness
(VOLUNTARINES
S)
VOLUNTARINESS: ITS IMPORTANCE TO
ETHICS
Did he foresee the evil effect of the act (suicide) i.e. the
death of the old man?
Can the person refrain from committing suicide – which
is the cause of the death of the old man?
Is the person morally responsible for the death of the old
man?
A woman is pregnant with her three-month-old
fetus suffers from severe cough due to
tubercolosis. She knows that if she takes
medicine, her fetus may be aborted.
Nevertheless, to free herself from the illness, she
takes a considerable dose of medicines. Is the
woman morally responsible of the death of the
fetus?
Yes, because she foresees the evil effect of her
intake of medicine.
THE MORAL
PRINCIPLE INVOLVED
IN ACTIONS HAVING
TWO EFFECTS
Should a man be restrained from saving his honor
because the reputation of a high government
official will be destroyed from disclosures so he
has to make in his defense?
Was it morally right to drop the atomic bomb
which would shorten the war, but which would
destroy thousands and thousands of innocent
lives?
Is it morally right to do an act which entails bad as
well as good consequences?
A difficult question
sometimes arises as
to whether it would
be morally right to do
certain actions from
which good as well as
bad effects follow.
CONDITIONS
The act itself should be good, or at least
morally indifferent;
The evil effect should not be directly
intended, but morally allowed to happen
as a regrettable side issue;
There should be a reason sufficiently
grave in doing the act; and
That the evil effect should not outweigh
the good effect.
THE ACT ITSELF SHOULD BE GOOD, OR AT
LEAST MORALLY INDIFFERENT
Requires the act to be good in itself
The end does not justify the means.