Are reason and emotion equally necessary in justifying moral decisions?

... Are reason and emotion equally necessary in justifying moral decisions? Morality is a system of rules that modifies our behavior in social situations. It's about the doing of good instead of harm, and it sets some standard of virtuous conduct.1 However there is no formula for moral decision making. It is not a process which can easily be based on a determinate set of rules. Moreover it is important to see that good moral decision making involves more than just acting on hunches or intuitions. For this reason it can be argued that reason and emotion are both necessary components in justifying moral decisions. Good moral decision making involves, knowing the facts of the situation, and careful consideration of the moral values that are relevant to a given situation. Importantly, it involves compassion to the moral dimensions of everyday situations, and an awareness of the range of interests involved in specific decisions;

want to read more? →