ETHC 445N Week 2 Discussion; Religion and Ethics

Required Resources Read/review the following resources for this activity: • extbook: Chapters 3,4 • Lesson • Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to thetextbook) Initial Post Instructions St. Augustine in the 5th Century held that we are free to make choices in life. This is the idea of free will. It may seem at first glance odd for a religious thinker to say that we have free will. After all, if God exists, then God created all things. God knows already what we will do. God can cause anything to occur. If we cause things to occur, that seems to be a limitation on the power of God and not make God all-powerful. There are also religion traditions that say that we have no free will. There are some theologians in Islam who seem to suggest that is true. In order for this line of reasoning to hold true, one would need to believe free will is an illusion and that we have no control over how we live our lives, but rather that we are puppets moving and acting due to God's will and the powers of destiny and fate.And if this then in the case, how can we possibly be responsible for ouractions? The considerations above show us to what degree our religious beliefs can shape us. For instance, someone who believes in free will may experience way more guilt than someone who believes we don't have free will and thus aren't responsible for the choices (and consequences) of the actions we take. Personal struggles with religion and ethics occur in many places, including in the healthcare arena. Consider the following: You are a nurse in a hospital. A 12 year-old was brought to the hospital by an ambulance. The parents have just arrived at the hospital. This 12 year-old has lost a large amount of blood and requires a transfusion. The parents happen to be members of a religion that believes that blood transfusions are immoral. They want to remove the child from the hospital and prevent the transfusion even if it means the death of the child. You have to decide whether or not you will participate in an action that violates the will of the parents and aid in providing blood for the child. If you choose to participate, and even if you are able to legally justify it, you have to think about the distress you are creating for the parents. If you refuse to aid here, you may be subject to retaliation from the hospital. What is the moral thing for the nurse to do here? Initial Post Instructions For the initial post, address the following questions: 1. What would a divine command ethicist say is the moral thing to do here?Why would they say that? Do you agree with the divine command ethics? Why or whynot? 2. Evaluate what a natural law ethicist would say is right to do. Do you agreewith them? Why or whynot? 3. Given what you said are the right things to do, what would an emotivist sayabout your positions and judgments? What role does subjectivity play here in determining what isethical? 1. What would a divine command ethicist say is the moral thing to do here?Why would they say that? Do you agree with the divine command ethics? Why or whynot? A divine command ethicist would say, God, decides what is right and wrong. According to the textbook, God has given us free will to do as we please if we believe it is adhering to his commands. (Rachels 2019) Everyone has their own beliefs and those beliefs are right in my eyes no matter the religion. Though as a nurse, it is morally right to save the child's life but to do as the parents say is not right when his life could be saved. I agree all lives are worth saving which is morally right to me no matter the consequences. 2. Evaluate what a natural law ethicist would say is right to do. Do you agreewith them? Why or whynot? A natural law ethicist would say to give the child the blood transfusion. Blood transfusions have a purpose and it is to save the child's life. I agree with this because the child's life will be saved and he also has his purpose. 3. Given what you said are the right things to do, what would an emotivist sayabout your positions and judgments? What role does subjectivity play here in determining what isethical? The right thing to do is save the child's life, even the hospital would agree to that. Emotivism teaches that moral statements do nothing more than expressthe speaker's feelings about the issue. The parents may feel this is wrong but to most, it is right because the most important thing is to save the boy's life. The role subjectivity plays is that as a nurse it is moral to save the child, the nurses emotions would make a moral conclusion to do what she believes is right regardless of what the parents say. References Rachels, S., & Rachels, J. (2019). The elements of moral philosophy (9th ed.). Mcgraw- Hill Education. van Roojen, M. (2018, June 28). Moral Cognitivism vs. Non-Cognitivism. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.