Emotions

and Feelings
as Sources of
Morality
Module 2: The Moral Agent
and Sources of Morality
Lesson Outline

I. Feelings and Emotion

II. Feelings as an Instinctive Response
III. Pros and Cons of Relying on Feelings for our Moral Action
Feelings and Emotion

Our moral actions makes sense because of feelings

† Feelings give meaning to our moral action
† Ayer, a positivist, argues that good or evil are
expressions of our feelings of approval or disapproval.
† Ethical Emotivism – morally right or wrong
depends on how you feel about it.

- Alfred Jules Ayer

David Hume
English Empiricist

Content of the Mind  Impressions and Ideas

Impression – original (senses, pains and pleasures)
- secondary (reactions or responses to ideas)
Feelings as Instinctive Response
Feelings and emotions should not be suppressed; they
are man’s natural instincts.
† Reason alone cannot be a motive to the will, but
rather it is the “slave of passions”
† Moral distinctions are not derived from reason
† Moral distinctions are derived from moral
sentiments.
† While some virtues and vices are natural, others are
artificial
Hume asserts that reason is not enough to determine
whether our actions are "bad" or "good." You need some
experiences to really learn what is wrong or right. For
example, you cannot fully understand that "stealing is bad"
because your parents or someone else tells you so. The
rule "do not steal" only makes sense to you once someone
steals something important. Let's say a thief stole your
smartphone. You cannot deny that the thief did something
absolutely wrong because you feel sad, angry, or irritated.
The sadness, anger, or irritation occurs because you
cannot do your usual routine after losing your smartphone
confirms it.
Direct Passions Indirect Passions

Caused directly by the sensation Caused by the sensation of pain or

of pain or pleasure. pleasure derived from some other
idea or impressions.
Examples: Examples:
Desire, Fear, Grief, Joy, sadness, Humility, Ambition, Vanity, Love,
etc. Hatred, Generosity, etc.
 Strata of Feelings

1. Sensual Feelings Bodily pleasures or pain

2. Vital Feelings Life Functions e.g. health,

sickness

3. Psychic Feelings Aesthetics, Justice, Scientific

knowledge

4. Spiritual Feelings Divine Experience

Strata of Feelings
Sensual feelings
Are those that directly provide bodily pleasure and pain. For
example, you feel good while someone massages your back. You
feel hurt if a dog bites you.

Vital feelings
Are those sensations that affect you as a living being. For
example, you feel energized after taking a power nap. After a long
day in school, you feel tired that you want to sleep.
Psychic feelings
Are those some abstract concepts of feeling. For example,
you climb a mountain, and you see an incredible landscape.
That feeling of awe you felt is a psychic feeling after
meeting something beautiful. Another is when you hear the
news that a serial got caught after several years of hiding.
You can say, "Yes! Justice is served".
Spiritual feelings
Are something of divine value—for example, the calm
atmosphere during meditation and prayer. For Scheler,
spiritual feelings are most important because this is the
only feeling that is intentional
Pros and Cons of Relying on Feelings for our
Moral Action
Pros Cons
• It makes us aware of the • Emotions show partiality
emotive element of moral • Emotions draw our perspective
judgment that encourages a away.
human act to others.
• Emotions are capricious
• It develops sense of empathy.
• It encourages sensitivity in us.
• It helps us learn from our
mistakes.
Thank You!