文档介绍：UNIT A4
Moral reasoning
In this unit, you will be introduced to a method of moral reasoning that will be used throughout the rest of mentaries in this handbook. This reasoning focuses on key moral principles. The principles are intended to help you identify morally significant features of situations in which choices must be made. They are not intended to dictate the choices you ought to make in those situations. Thus, the principles provide a set of guidelines for making ethical decisions.
Such an approach to reasoning is sometimes called heuristic — using guidelines to aid in decision making; the guidelines themselves are sometimes called heuristics. To understand and appreciate a heuristic approach to moral reasoning, it is useful to contrast it to an algorithmic approach. An algorithm is a formula which, if exactly applied, will always produce the right answer to a question. Algorithms are widely found in mathematics, science, and accounting. For instance, if you know the length of two sides of a right-angled triangle, you can easily determine the length of the third side by using an algorithm or formula. By mechanically applying the correct algorithm (in this case expressed in the form c2 = a2 + b2), you pute a solution that is guaranteed correct.
An algorithmic approach to moral reasoning
Some moral philosophers have thought that an algorithmic (rule-based) approach s