Rational and Moral Action: Core Principles

Foundations of Rational and Moral Action

Rationale and Rational Action

Rationale: The appropriate use of reason applies to our beliefs, motives, and actions.

Rational Action: Action based on good reasons, i.e., involving the formation of rational beliefs and motives, along with behavior that is reasonable.

Features of Rational Action

• Choosing the best option in every circumstance, considering the elements of each situation.
• Justifying the choice based on objective, universal criteria (i.e., criteria that would be chosen by any rational being).

Dimensions of Rational Action

Individual Rational Action

• Definition: The action of a single agent whose reasons for acting are good reasons.
• Awareness of Purposes: For any rational action, the agent must be aware of its aims, its logical coherence, its structure, and its practical feasibility.
• Logical Consistency of Purposes: Practical rationality demands awareness of the logical consistency of our purposes. Rationality requires consciousness, as complete as possible, of the structure of the ends.
• Primacy of Ends Over Means.
• Choosing the Best Means to Achieve Ends.

Collective Rational Action (as a set of individuals)

The goal is to achieve the best result for each member of this group or set.

(e.g., France electing a president; a family deciding to move.)

Collective Rational Action (as a single agent)

A group acting as a single agent to achieve the best result for each member of the collective through rational decision methods.

How is the will of the collective determined? From the order of preferences of individuals:

• Unanimity: Ideal but difficult to achieve.
• Imposition (e.g., Dictatorship): Decision by a single authority or minority.
• Majority:
  • Absolute: Half plus one of the total eligible voters.
  • Simple (or Plurality): The highest number of votes cast for an option, which may not necessarily be more than half.
  • Qualified: Requiring a specific threshold of votes higher than a simple majority (e.g., two-thirds), sometimes stipulated for critical decisions.

Moral Action

Moral Action: Action based on moral reasons (values and norms).

• Morals: A set of moral ideas, beliefs, and values.
• Morality: The practice, system, or code of moral conduct, encompassing moral actions and principles.

Moral Responsibility: This requires the moral agent to fulfill their moral obligations and to be accountable, deserving moral praise or blame for their actions.

Characteristics of Moral Acts

Moral acts are typically characterized by the following:

• Voluntary: Performed with awareness and responsibility for the consequences.
• Social: Significantly affecting other people.
• Normative: Subject to moral norms or standards.

Classifications Based on Moral Conditions

• Amoral: An action is considered amoral when it lacks one or more of the essential conditions of a moral act (i.e., it is not voluntary, not social, or not subject to moral norms).
• Moral: An action is considered moral when it is voluntary, social, and normative (i.e., it aligns with accepted moral standards).
• Immoral: An action is considered immoral when it is voluntary and social, but it violates moral norms or standards.