Benefits Of Moral Philosophy

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“Moral Philosophy is the rational study of the meaning and justification of moral claims. A ‘moral claim’ evaluates the rightness or wrongness of an action or a person’s character”, For example, “stealing is wrong” claims that the act of stealing is wrong, while “people should not be dishonest” claims a character trait (i.e. dishonesty) is wrong (Gert and Gert).
“Descriptively, morality refers to certain codes of conduct put forward by a society or a group (such as a religion) or accepted by an individual for his/her own behavior. Normatively, it refers to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons.” (“What Is Moral Philosophy?”).

Moral Philosophy appeals to some of the world’s most astute …show more content…

These benefits include, but are not limited to; an opportunity to develop/improve an individual’s ability to reason, think logically, analyze and solve problems. Also, to critically assess arguments (points of view) and increase one’s ability to speak and write clearly. Furthermore, Philosophy “attempts to determine and distinguish right actions from wrong ones, and good actions from bad ones” (CLASS NOTES). Philosophical ideas enkindle curiosity and evoke questions such as “what makes one action right, and another wrong?” “how should I live and treat others?” and “If I believe that something is morally right or wrong, does it mean that everyone else believes that it’s right or wrong?”. These and numerous other fundamental questions are presented in moral philosophy. It is of great importance to have a clear view of both right and wrong, to determine which actions we should encourage (promote) and which ones we should try to prevent or dissuade. In my opinion, I believe that it would be a wise choice for individuals at all levels to study moral philosophy. Moral philosophy (ethics), helps to re-shape our character without prejudice, expand one’s ability to think rationally and critically, and allows the mind to be exposed to various world views presented in the form of …show more content…

Proponents of this theory do not rely on a set of moral principles to determine how they should think or act. They also argue that; subjective individuals do not have the right to criticize or object to their actions; however, some find it possible to disagree (“Morality and Moral Theories”).
The second theory, Ethical Egoism states that “right and wrong is determined by what is in your self-interest; also, that it is immoral to act contrary to your own self-interest” (“Morality and Moral Theories”). Proponents of this theory supports actions that maximizes self-interest. They claim that everyone is selfish because of human nature, which is a week point for this theory; given that morality encourages people to consider the interest and wellbeing of others. Additionally, true altruism still exists and all humans are not selfish.
Thirdly, certain individuals agree that culture determines what actions are morally right or wrong; and are advocates of Cultural Relativism. Their actions are not guided by a list of moral rules or universal norms. A key flaw in this theory is that, it leaves no place for moral advancement since, individuals of dissimilar cultures are not encouraged to share their view concerning the

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