Moral Complexity in the Making and Keeping of Promises Essay examples -

The making of a expect involves the voluntary giving of ones word that, if and when a special(prenominal) circumstance or situation comes ab bring out, one will constrict to mould in a manner defined by the impairment of the shout one has devoted. The act of making the promise, in other words, implies a willingness to sustainment it. What is being concord is that, on the basis of something said in the past, ones future actions will, insofar as the future is foreseeable, follow a particular manakin and no other. On the related, but rather different unbelief of the motivation involved in upkeeping a promise, it whitethorn be that the promise-makers acting or deciding in a particular instruction places him in a positioning identical to or in carry out sympathy with the person to whom the promise has been made. Equally, it is, possible that events may turn out in such a way as to suggest that to keep the promise would be libelous to the interest of the person to whom it was made. Should this dilemma arise, whether or not the promise is unbroken must depend upon the particular muckle of the case. Choosing not to keep a promise in such a situation would be not a demonstration of the promisers inability to keep his word, but a pop off indication of his quite proper cognizance that, in deciding what course to take, the promiser has quite properly reason that the interest of others must be placed before his own. This situation is philosophically interesting in dickens immediately apparent ship canal firstly, because of the questions which it raises concerning the ways in which a sit or future obligation baron be argued to exist in coition to a promise given in the past secondly, because it is possible to imagine a society in which the concept of keeping promises does not exist, s... ... that of being possible beneficiaries by my action. They do stand in this relation to me, and this relation is morally significant. But they may also stand to me in the relation of promisee to promiser, of creditor to debtor, of wife to husband, of child to parent, of garter to friend, of clotheshorse countryman to fellow countryman, and the like and each of these relations is the footing of a prima facie duty, which is more or less incumbent on me according to the circumstances of the case. Bibliography Foot, Philippa (ed.) Theories of ethics Oxford University Press, 1990 Honderich, Ted (ed.) The Oxford Companion to Philosophy Oxford University Press, 1995 Mackie, J. L. Ethics Inventing cover and Wrong Penguin, 1977 Norman, Richard The Moral Philosophers Oxford University Press, 1983 Ross, W. D. The proper(ip) and the Good London, 1930. Moral Complexity in the Making and Keeping of Promises seek examples -The making of a promise involves the voluntary giving of ones word that, if and when a particular circumstance or situation comes about, one will undertake to act in a manner defined by the terms of the promise one has given. The act of making the promise, in other words, implies a willingness to keep it. What is being agreed is that, on the basis of something said in the past, ones future actions will, insofar as the future is foreseeable, follow a particular course and no other. On the related, but rather different question of the motivation involved in keeping a promise, it may be that the promise-makers acting or deciding in a particular way places him in a position identical to or in complete sympathy with the person to whom the promise has been made. Equally, it is, possible that events may turn out in such a way as to suggest that to keep the promise would be harmful to the interest of the person to whom it was made. Should this dilemma arise, whether or not the promise is kept must depend upon the particular circumstances of the case. Choosing not to keep a promise in such a situation would be not a demonstration of the promisers inability to keep his word, but a clear indication of h is quite proper awareness that, in deciding what course to take, the promiser has quite properly concluded that the interest of others must be placed before his own. This situation is philosophically interesting in two immediately apparent ways firstly, because of the questions which it raises concerning the ways in which a present or future obligation might be argued to exist in relation to a promise given in the past secondly, because it is possible to imagine a society in which the concept of keeping promises does not exist, s... ... that of being possible beneficiaries by my action. They do stand in this relation to me, and this relation is morally significant. But they may also stand to me in the relation of promisee to promiser, of creditor to debtor, of wife to husband, of child to parent, of friend to friend, of fellow countryman to fellow countryman, and the like and each of these relations is the foundation of a prima facie duty, which is more or less incumbent on me acco rding to the circumstances of the case. Bibliography Foot, Philippa (ed.) Theories of Ethics Oxford University Press, 1990 Honderich, Ted (ed.) The Oxford Companion to Philosophy Oxford University Press, 1995 Mackie, J. L. Ethics Inventing Right and Wrong Penguin, 1977 Norman, Richard The Moral Philosophers Oxford University Press, 1983 Ross, W. D. The Right and the Good London, 1930.