Question

what role does emotion play in making a moral decision? use examples

Answer 1

Emotions that is to say feelings and intuitions play a major role in most of the ethical decisions people make. Most people do not realize how much their emotions direct their moral choices. But experts think it is impossible to make any important moral judgments without emotions. Inner-directed negative emotions like guilt, embarrassment, and shame often motivate people to act ethically. Outer-directed negative emotions, on the other hand, aim to discipline or punish. For example, people often direct anger, disgust, or contempt at those who have acted unethically. This discourages others from behaving the same way. Positive emotions like gratitude and admiration, which people may feel when they see another acting with compassion or kindness, can prompt people to help others. Emotions evoked by suffering, such as sympathy and empathy, often lead people to act ethically toward others. Indeed, empathy is the central moral emotion that most commonly motivates pro social activity such as altruism, cooperation, and generosity. Emotions are created when the brain interprets what's going on around us through our memories, thoughts, and beliefs. This triggers how we feel, and behave. All our decisions are influenced by this process in some way. For example, if you're feeling happy, you might decide to walk home via a sunny park. But if you’d been chased by a dog as a child, that same sunny park might trigger feelings of fear, and you’d take the bus instead. There may be logical arguments to be made either way, but in the moment, the decision is driven by your emotional state. Different emotions effect decisions in different ways. If you’re feeling sad, you might be more willing to settle for things that aren’t in your favor, such as not putting yourself forward for promotion, or remaining in an unhealthy relationship. But sadness can also make you more generous research shows that unhappy people are more likely to be in favor of increasing benefits to welfare recipients than angry people, who are lacking in empathy. Emotions can effect not just the nature of the decision, but the speed at which you make it. Anger can lead to impatience, and rash decision-making. If you’re excited, you might make quick decisions without considering the implications, as you surf the wave of confidence, and optimism about the future. While if you feel afraid, your decisions may be clouded by uncertainty, and caution, and it might take you longer to choose.