A moral dilemma occurs when you must choose between options that are ethically questionable.
Knowing the etymological origin of the two words that give shape to the term moral dilemma is the first thing we are going to do:
-Dilemma, first of all, is a word that derives from Greek, exactly from “dilemma”, which is the result of the sum of two differentiated parts: the prefix “dis-”, which means “two”, and the noun “lemma”. ”, which can be translated as “premise” or “theme”.
-Morals, secondly, come from Latin. In his case, it comes from “moralis”.
A dilemma is a situation that forces an individual to choose between two alternatives. Morality , on the other hand, is that which adapts or adjusts to what is considered positive or good, as opposed to what is condemnable or bad.
What is a moral dilemma
The idea of moral dilemma , in this framework, appears when a person must choose between different possibilities that, in one way or another, can produce a situation that is reprehensible from an ethical point of view. Sometimes, the moral dilemma occurs when it is necessary to choose the lesser evil or when it is an ethically punishable means that pursues an altruistic or kind objective.
Moral dilemmas are also known in colloquial language as ethical dilemmas . This is because ethics is the philosophical discipline that is responsible for systematizing the concepts of evil and good, rationally defining which actions are bad and which are good. Morality, for its part, is made up of those norms that govern the behavior of individuals in a specific community. Ethics , in short, concerns general principles, while morality focuses on a specific context, always in relation to good and evil.
Moral dilemmas often generate worry and uncertainty.
An example of a moral dilemma appears when, in a secondary school, a young man decides to set fire to a desk. The directors, upon noticing the situation, inform the students that, if the person responsible for the incident does not appear, all the students will be punished. Thus a moral dilemma arises among the friends of the guilty party, who know what happened: should they betray and inform on their friend to avoid everyone being punished, or should they privilege trust and friendship and allow a massive and unjust punishment?
Classification according to type
There are several types of moral dilemmas that exist. However, there are two that are especially significant: the solution dilemma and the analysis dilemma.
In the first, what is done is to establish the problem that exists and for that, both it and the circumstances that exist around it are exposed without showing any kind of possible solution. From there, the person to whom it is proposed is the one who must decide what action must be carried out because they consider it to be the correct one.
In the analysis dilemma, on the other hand, what happens is that the protagonist of the situation or problem has already made his decision regarding it and that has led him to carry out a certain behavior. All of this is what is presented to another person who must make a value judgment on the position and action that the person has carried out in order to solve the aforementioned problem.