A moral dilemma is a choice between two bad options; a moral obligation, a duty; ethical principles, guiding rules; morality, ideas of right and wrong.
Naming an ethical conflict
Not "She met a moral dilemma over the secret." — say "She faced a moral dilemma over the secret.". Use face with dilemma: faced a dilemma, not met a dilemma.
Try it: Ira: Why is Mateo so quiet today? Lars: He ___ a moral dilemma: keep a promise or warn a friend. Choose the words for the blank. (meets / faces / gets) Answer: faces — The usual verb with dilemma is face, as in face a moral dilemma.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
face a moral dilemma
/feɪs ə ˈmɔrəl dɪˈlɛmə/
Doctors often face a moral dilemma when a treatment might save one patient but harm another.
moral obligation
/ˈmɔrəl ˌɑblɪˈɡeɪʃən/
She felt she had a moral obligation to report what she had seen.
ethical principles
/ˈɛθɪkəl ˈprɪnsəpəlz/
Journalists are expected to follow ethical principles even under pressure.
morality
/məˈrælədi/
Her first novel explores morality in a small fishing town.
Universal rules and the greatest number
Universal means true for everyone, inherent means built in, the greatest number means as many people as possible, which utilitarian thinking aims to help.
Not "The plan should help the greatest amount possible." — say "The plan should help the greatest number possible.". People are countable, so use number, not amount.
Try it: Mei: What is this school lunch scheme meant to do? Hiroshi: To feed as many pupils as possible: ___ of pupils. Choose the words for the blank. (the greatest amount / the greatest number / the most amount) Answer: the greatest number — Pupils are countable, so the standard phrase is the greatest number, not the greatest amount.
Try it: Farid: What does inherent mean? Sofia: An inherent quality of a person ___. Choose the words for the blank. (is something most people happen to share these days / is built in from the start, not added later / is given only by the law of one country) Answer: is built in from the start, not added later — Inherent means built in, so an inherent quality belongs to a person from the start.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
universal
/ˌjunɪˈvɜrsəl/
Some philosophers believe honesty is a universal moral law, binding on everyone.
the greatest number
/ðə ˈɡreɪtəst ˈnʌmbər/
Utilitarians want the policy that brings the greatest good to the greatest number.
inherent
/ɪnˈhɪrənt/
Many argue that every person has an inherent dignity that cannot be taken away.
utilitarian
/juˌtɪləˈtɛriən/
From a utilitarian point of view, the new clinic should open where most people live.
Building and judging an argument
A premise is an argument's starting claim, rational means based on reason, validity is whether it holds, and justify means to give reasons for it.
Not "It was a rationale decision." — say "It was a rational decision.". Rational is the adjective; rationale is a noun meaning the reasons behind a choice.
Try it: Hiroshi: The council spent twice its budget on the festival. Amina: They'll have to ___ that to the voters. Choose the word for the blank. (justify / notify / testify) Answer: justify — Justify means to give good reasons for a choice, such as spending twice the budget.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
premise
/ˈprɛməs/
The whole plan rests on one premise: that prices will stay low.
rational
/ˈræʃənəl/
Try to make a rational choice, not one driven by fear.
validity
/vəˈlɪdədi/
Several experts doubt whether the survey has any validity.
justify
/ˈdʒʌstəˌfaɪ/
Can you justify spending so much on one event?
What are the common mistakes?
Incorrect
Correct
Why
She met a moral dilemma over the secret.
She faced a moral dilemma over the secret.
Use face with dilemma: faced a dilemma, not met a dilemma.
The plan should help the greatest amount possible.
The plan should help the greatest number possible.
People are countable, so use number, not amount.
It was a rationale decision.
It was a rational decision.
Rational is the adjective; rationale is a noun meaning the reasons behind a choice.