moral deliberation Quotes

Those subject to capital punishment are real human beings, with their own backgrounds and narratives. By contrast, those whose lives are or might be saved by virtue of capital punishment are mere 'statistical people.' They are both nameless and faceless, and their deaths are far less likely to be considered in moral deliberations.

Where evil may be done, it is right to ponder; where only suffered, know the shortest pause is much too long.

With intellectuals, moral thought is often less a tonic that quickens ethical action than a narcotic that deadens it.

What's important is that people give the kinds of reasons that can be understood and appraised apart from their particular comprehensive doctrines: for example, that they argue against physician-assisted suicide not just by speculating about God's wrath or the afterlife, but by talking about what they see as assisted suicide's potential injustices.

Many have justice in their hearts, but slowly it is let fly, for it comes not without council to the bow.

To this day I don’t know if he was struggling with the moral implications of gunning down half a dozen civilians, or if he was mentally counting to see if he had that many shells left in the gun.

In the conduct of life we make use of deliberation to justify ourselves in doing what we want to do.

I'm the kind of person who embarks on an endless leapfrog down the great moral issues. I put a position, rebut it, refute the rebuttal and rebut the refutation. Endlessly.