What is Moral Consideration?
Moral consideration is the practice of acknowledging and valuing an entity's interests, well-being, or existence when making ethical decisions. It determines who or what counts in our moral deliberations, particularly relating to the standards of good or bad behaviour, fairness, honesty, etc. Essentially, it's about extending ethical concern and determining which beings or things warrant our moral attention and have a stake in our actions.
At its core, moral consideration involves recognizing that certain entities possess qualities that make them deserving of ethical regard. This means their welfare, rights, or intrinsic value should be factored into our judgments about right and wrong. It’s not just about what is legal or socially acceptable, but what is morally permissible and responsible.
Key Aspects of Moral Consideration
- Recipient: Identifying which individuals, groups, or even non-living entities (like ecosystems) are worthy of moral concern.
- Basis: Understanding the reasons why an entity should be considered (e.g., ability to feel pain, consciousness, existence, role in an ecosystem).
- Implication: How extending consideration impacts our actions, policies, and ethical frameworks.
Who/What Receives Moral Consideration?
The scope of moral consideration has evolved throughout history and continues to be a subject of philosophical debate. Historically, it was often limited to adult human males within a certain community. Today, discussions typically include a broader range:
- Humans: All human beings, regardless of race, gender, age, or ability, are widely considered to deserve full moral consideration. This forms the basis of human rights.
- Animals: Many argue that sentient animals, capable of experiencing pleasure and pain, deserve moral consideration. This fuels movements for animal welfare and rights.
- Future Generations: The impact of current actions on those not yet born is a significant area of moral consideration, especially concerning environmental and resource policies.
- Ecosystems/Nature: Some theories propose that entire ecosystems, species, or even the planet itself deserve moral consideration due to their intrinsic value or their vital role in supporting life.
Criteria for Extending Moral Consideration
While there's no universal agreement, common criteria proposed for extending moral consideration include:
- Sentience: The capacity to feel, perceive, or experience subjectively, particularly the ability to feel pleasure and pain. This is a widely accepted criterion for moral consideration, especially regarding animals.
- Consciousness: A broader capacity for awareness, thought, and self-awareness.
- Interests: Having specific desires, needs, or preferences that can be fulfilled or frustrated.
- Capacity for Suffering: The ability to experience pain, distress, or deprivation. This is often linked closely with sentience.
- Intrinsic Value: The idea that something has value in itself, regardless of its usefulness to others.
- Being a Moral Agent or Patient: Moral agents can act morally, while moral patients can be acted upon morally (e.g., they can suffer harm).
Practical Implications and Examples
Understanding moral consideration directly influences how we structure our societies, laws, and personal behaviors.
| Entity Type | Basis for Consideration | Ethical Implications & Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Humans | Sentience, consciousness, autonomy, capacity for suffering, intrinsic value | Human rights laws, medical ethics, criminal justice, social welfare programs. Example: Providing healthcare to all citizens regardless of their ability to pay. |
| Animals | Sentience, capacity for suffering | Animal welfare regulations, vegetarianism/veganism, banning cruel practices. Example: Legislation requiring humane treatment of livestock. |
| Environment | Intrinsic value, interconnectedness, resource for future generations | Conservation efforts, pollution controls, sustainable development policies. Example: Protecting endangered species habitats. |
| Future Generations | Their potential existence and well-being; potential to suffer from current actions | Climate change policies, responsible resource management, nuclear waste disposal. Example: Investing in renewable energy sources to reduce long-term environmental damage. |
Why Moral Consideration Matters
- Ethical Decision-Making: It provides a framework for evaluating the ethical implications of our choices on all affected parties.
- Policy Formulation: Shapes laws and policies related to human rights, environmental protection, and animal welfare.
- Social Justice: Helps identify and address historical and ongoing injustices by extending consideration to marginalized groups.
- Personal Responsibility: Encourages individuals to reflect on their own actions and their impact on others and the world.
- Global Challenges: Essential for addressing complex issues like climate change, poverty, and biodiversity loss, which require broad ethical horizons.
Moral consideration is a dynamic concept, constantly challenged and expanded as our understanding of the world and our place within it evolves. It invites us to consider deeply what truly matters and to broaden the circle of our ethical concern.
