The Salience of Moral Character essay
I have found that the article “The Salience of Moral Character” by Jon Garthoff is informative and interesting to read and analyze. I agree with many ideas presented by the author in the article. In the article “The Salience of Moral Character”, Jon Garthoff discusses the nature and role of two notions – moral obligation and first personal moral judgment, which refer to morality. I really appreciate the author’s work, his style of writing and language, the structure of the article, and other aspects of his work, which contribute to revealing the significance of the issue discussed by Jon Gathoff. Morality has always been recognized as an important issue to study because moral ideals lie in the basis of human nature. The author of the article suggests that moral rights are understood as “corresponding to rules of moral salience which occasion explicit judgment whenever a morally competent person in a state of nature considers killing someone, invading his person, or taking his things” (Gathoff 20). The major goal of the author is to prove the fact that the rules of moral salience play an important role in human life, as these rules ensure the appropriate action-guidance that is accomplished not by natural moral rules, but by some different type of rights that are suitable for a particular social environment or context.
I agree with Jon Gathoff that the following notions are crucial in understanding morality and moral cognition: “moral rules”, “rules of moral salience”, “maxims of action”, “moral worth”, “moral character”, “conflicting rules” and “social rules”. The author’s statement “The Ten Commandments and other prescriptions drawn from canonized religious texts are treated by many as paradigms of moral content, and guiding oneself by this sort of prescription is treated by many as a paradigm of moral judgment” is true (Garthoff 1). People highly value the Bible and try to use its principles to live honestly. I believe that an individual code of conduct depends on both religious and social rules. Moral thinking helps people to act in a proper way, without committing crimes or demonstrating aggression.
Besides, I agree with the author of the article in his evaluation of moral theory. He writes, “Since rules are commonplace in ordinary moral thinking, a moral theory must illuminate the proper place of rules in moral thought” (Garthoff 1). I believe that morality is based on the established moral rules and principles that should be formulated and observed by all members of our society.
In addition, the author provides much evidence to support his arguments. He uses the writings of the outstanding philosophers, Ross and Kant, whose philosophic thought helps to explain the wrongness of making false promises; committing immoral actions, etc. Moral rules should be produced to direct all domains of human life. Kant’s moral theory has nothing common with Barbara Herman’s rules of moral salience, which allow human beings to be focused on occasion deliberation. I believe that the author’s flow of thought is clear and comprehensive. He gives explanation to some atypical situations, which require atypical decisions. In this case, “routine action may be inappropriate” (Garthoff 4).
In conclusion, I can say that I enjoyed reading this article because it allowed me to ponder over some significant issues our society face today. The article also allowed me to provide critical reflection upon some important points of the research on morality. Jon Gathoff presented many comprehensive points that could help students to be focused on future research more profoundly.
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