Well said. As intriguing and worthwhile as all our
ethical discussions are, I believe that morality will always come down to
feelings. Although our understanding can
be enhanced by moral philosophy, in the moment when immediate action is
required, feeling and emotion is what keeps us from being frozen by
indecision. Our seemingly limitless
capacity for sympathy, empathy, and compassion (or in a word, Love) is our most
powerful asset.
As you pointed out, moral action is often just as
important for the agent as it is for the patient. Perhaps, as Bermond argues, it is the case that many animals display
emotional/pain behavior without actually having an emotional/pain experience. Even so, it still makes sense to act as if their suffering is real. At the very least it cultivates the ability
to act appropriately when faced with genuine suffering. It would be difficult to argue that ignoring
or suppressing our most powerful sentiments could have a positive effect.
Admittedly feelings and emotions are murky and
subjective, and therefore hardly a solid foundation for a philosophical
argument. However I do think that
morality is as much an awareness to be cultivated within the self, as it is an
objective truth to be discussed with others.
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