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Moral Paradox Research Paper

795 Words4 Pages

In this paper I will argue the following. People face moral choices. Often these choices are hard, and a person will be torn between two options. Both options seem like they have an overwhelming reason behind them, but a choice is necessary. Some consider this to be a moral paradox. I will then argue that there is never a paradoxical moral choice.

To completely understand the alleged paradox, let us look at a hypothetical example. Pretend that there is a nuclear bomb in the middle of New York City and a terrorist group has threatened to detonate it, killing millions in the process, unless the president of the United States personally kills a baby on live television. While this is outlandish, the extreme nature of the situation emphasizes the …show more content…

It may be a difficult personal choice, but that does not imply there is a moral paradox. The other option is that the two choices are, on-balance, the same level of good or bad. This can also make for a difficult choice, but the moral system dictates that there is no immoral answer. A system of morality which is based solely on balanced judgements is the easiest way to debunk moral paradoxes, but it lacks a consistent set of personal values. It is a framework for individual morality. One person may feel that personally taking a life is worse than passively allowing millions to die, especially if they absolve themselves of blame and attribute those deaths solely to the terrorist group. That person would be wrong (in my opinion), but it does present an inconsistency in applying the system (although inconsistency is not a moral paradox). In the previous scenario where one person judged the choices to be the same level of good and bad, that may be viewed as a paradox. They have considered every possible argument and situation, but still the choices are even. The moral system says that there is no wrong answer, but that does not make it any easier to choose. This is an ethical dilemma, not a moral paradox. There is a logical premise with logical reasoning and the conclusion, while difficult to face, is perfectly

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