Resolving Moral Dilemmas Using the Philosophical Method
This essay examines five common approaches to resolving moral dilemmas — obtaining objective information, providing definition clarity, adopting a code, using examples and counterexamples, and analyzing arguments — and evaluates how well each embodies the philosophical method. The paper argues that four of the five approaches reflect genuine philosophical reasoning, while adopting a code is the least aligned due to its subjectivity and mutability. Among the remaining four, analyzing arguments is identified as the approach that most completely captures the essence of philosophical inquiry, as it encompasses elements of the other three methods and reflects the core analytical and argumentative nature of philosophy.
- Introduction: Five Ways to Resolve Moral Dilemmas: Introduces five methods; excludes adopting a code
- Why Analyzing Arguments Best Embodies the Philosophical Method: Argues analyzing arguments is the core method
- The Role of Objective Information in Philosophical Reasoning: Objectivity as key to philosophical truth-seeking
- Definition Clarity as a Foundation for Philosophy: Clear definitions prevent dogma and vagueness
- Examples and Counterexamples as Philosophical Refinement: Examples test and refine philosophical consistency
- Conclusion: Four Methods, One Philosophical Framework: Synthesizes four methods into unified philosophical approach
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper builds a cumulative argument, showing how four of the five methods are interconnected rather than treating them as isolated techniques.
- It clearly identifies a hierarchy among the methods — placing analyzing arguments at the center — while acknowledging the supportive role of the other three.
- The dismissal of "adopting a code" is handled concisely and with a clear rationale (subjectivity and mutability), which strengthens the overall thesis by contrast.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper uses a compare-and-synthesize structure: it evaluates each method individually, then shows how they interrelate. This technique — often called analytical synthesis — is a hallmark of philosophical writing, where the goal is not merely to list positions but to demonstrate logical relationships between them.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens by introducing all five methods and narrowing the field to four. It then identifies the strongest candidate (analyzing arguments) and systematically justifies the inclusion of the remaining three by showing they feed into argument analysis. The conclusion ties these threads together, reinforcing the central thesis. The structure mirrors the philosophical method it describes: claim, reasoning, evidence, synthesis.
Introduction: Five Ways to Resolve Moral Dilemmas
All five common ways of resolving moral dilemmas utilize some aspect of the philosophical method. These five ways include obtaining objective information, providing definition clarity, adopting a code, using examples and counterexamples, and analyzing arguments. However, when determining which of those five ways actually embodies the philosophical method most faithfully, one can successfully posit that all of them do except for adopting a code. There is a degree of subjectivity in that approach which makes it considerably less concrete — and more mutable — than the other four.
Why Analyzing Arguments Best Embodies the Philosophical Method
Of those four remaining approaches, the one that best embodies the philosophical method is analyzing arguments. Analyzing arguments reflects the very crux of the philosophical method, which is generally based on analysis and the formulation of arguments to help resolve a moral dilemma. In fact, one can argue that most aspects of the other three methods are subsumed within this approach. Analyzing arguments generally includes some degree of obtaining objective information, providing definition clarity, and utilizing examples and counterexamples. These different methods represent distinct facets of argument analysis, which would be meaningless without objective information, clear definitions, and illustrative examples.
Conversely, one can also posit that the other three ways of resolving a moral dilemma embody the philosophical method because they are instrumental in the forms of analysis and argument formation that are fundamental to philosophy. Each of these supporting methods contributes something indispensable to the overall process of philosophical reasoning.
References
Zafrilla, P. (2016). Are dilemmas really useful for analyzing moral judgement? Practical Ethics. Retrieved from http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2016/01/guest-post-are-dilemmas-really-useful-for-analysing-moral-judgment/
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