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A. Dilemma-A Dilemma Is A Situation Where A Person Is Forced To Choose Between Two or

This document discusses moral dilemmas, which are situations where a person is forced to choose between two or more conflicting options that are both morally unacceptable. It provides examples of different types of moral dilemmas: epistemic dilemmas where the right choice is unclear; ontological dilemmas where moral requirements conflict equally; self-imposed dilemmas caused by one's own actions; and world-imposed dilemmas where external events create conflict. Obligation and prohibition dilemmas as well as single-agent and multi-person dilemmas are also outlined.

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Cherymae Andrade
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2K views2 pages

A. Dilemma-A Dilemma Is A Situation Where A Person Is Forced To Choose Between Two or

This document discusses moral dilemmas, which are situations where a person is forced to choose between two or more conflicting options that are both morally unacceptable. It provides examples of different types of moral dilemmas: epistemic dilemmas where the right choice is unclear; ontological dilemmas where moral requirements conflict equally; self-imposed dilemmas caused by one's own actions; and world-imposed dilemmas where external events create conflict. Obligation and prohibition dilemmas as well as single-agent and multi-person dilemmas are also outlined.

Uploaded by

Cherymae Andrade
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1. A.

Dilemma- A dilemma is a situation where a person is forced to choose between two or


more conflicting options, neither of which is acceptable.
B. Moral Dilemma- Moral dilemmas, therefore, are situations where persons, who are
called “moral agents” in ethics, are forced to choose between two or more conflicting
options, neither of which resolves the situation in a morally acceptable manner.
2. Type of Moral Dilemma and Examples

 Epistemic moral dilemmas involve situations wherein two or more moral requirements


conflict with each other and that the moral agent hardly knows which of the conflicting
moral requirements takes precedence over the other. In other words, the moral agent here
does not know which option is morally right or wrong.
 I ought to honor my promise to my daughter to be home early, but on my way home I
saw a sick old lady who needs to be brought to the hospital.
Ontological moral dilemmas, on the other hand, involve situations wherein two or more
moral requirements conflict with each other, yet neither of these conflicting moral
requirements overrides each other. This is not to say that the moral agent does not know
which moral requirement is stronger than the other. The point is that neither of the moral
requirements is stronger than the other; hence, the moral agent can hardly choose between
the conflicting moral requirements.
  A doctor is attending to the needs of the wounded patient in a car accident.
Unfortunately, two person urgently need a blood transfusion. However, only one bag of
blood is available at the moment. 
 A self-imposed moral dilemma is caused by the moral agent’s wrongdoings.
 Joshua is running for the position of the town mayor. During the campaign period, he
promised the indigenous peoples in his community to protect their virgin forest just to
gain their votes, but at the same time, he seeks financial support from a mining
corporation. Fortunately, Joshua won the elections, yet he is faced with the dilemma of
fulfilling his promised to the indigenous peoples and at the same time allows the mining
corporation to destroy their forest. Indeed, through his own actions, Joshua created a
situation in which it is impossible for him to be discharged from both obligation.
A World-imposed moral dilemma, on the other hand, means that certain events in the
world place the agent in a situation of moral conflict.
 Obligation dilemmas are situations in which more than one feasible action is obligatory,
while prohibition dilemmas involve cases in which all feasible actions are forbidden.
 Single agent dilemma, the agent “ought, all things considered, to do A, ought, all things
considered, to do B, and she cannot do both A and B”. In other words, the moral agent
is compelled to act on two or more equally the same moral options but she cannot
choose both.
 A medical doctor found out that his patient has Gonorrhea. For sure, the medical doctor
may experience tension between the legal requirement to report the case and the desire
to respect confidentiality, although the medical code of ethics acknowledges our
obligation to follow legal requirements and to intervene to protect the vulnerable.
The multi-person dilemma occurs in situations that involve several persons like a family,
an organization, or a community who is expected to come up with consensual decision
on a moral issue at hand.
  A family may be torn between choosing to abort the baby or choosing to continued
pregnancy but the mother may be die.

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