Are reason and emotion equally necessary in justifying moral decision? Moral decision is the principle of concerning right and wrong or good or bad behavior. “Morality is one of those basic aspects of humanity, like sexuality and easting, that cant fit into one or two academic fields” (Jonathan Haidt) How do we justify moral decisions? There are many forms of justifying moral decisions such through the epistemologies of reasons and emotions. However, even though both reasons and emotions are important, they are not equally necessary in justifying moral decision. Reason is a cause or an explanation for something that has happened or that somebody has done. It is also a fact that validates a particular action. Moreover, through reasons, it is also the power of the mind to think in a logical way, and to understand and have opinions. On the other hand, emotion is a strong feeling such as love, fear, or anger that is the part of a person’s character that consists of feelings, magnifying certainty on a personal stance. As a result, in this essay, I shall explain how reason is more necessary in justifying moral decisions rather than through emotion, even though emotions are added with reason that will result in a strong justification of moral decision. Reason is a strong way of justifying moral decision as it is supported through logical rationale that deduces uncertainty of truth. Thus as this falls into logical thinking, it will form a judgment about moral situation by considering the facts, resulting in a more important way to justify moral decision. As the explanation of truth is true in accordance
Join now!
with fact and reality, by using reason which includes facts, it will lead us closer to truth. One example is from an ethical issue of moral relativism in the “Tragedy in Santa Monica” which underlies the debate of cultural imperialism- the invasion of a certain culture on another. Fumiko Kimura implemented the traditional Japanese practice of oyako-shinju – parent-child suicide- in American grounds when she “walked slowly across the beach in Santa Monica, [while clutching] her two young children to her” (A Tragedy in Santa Monica) and drowned them in an attempt of the parent-child suicide. Federal laws are puzzled ...

This is a preview of the whole essay