Moral Courage

Professor X discovered that one of his students, student A plagiarized a part of his paper.
Professor X gave an F mark for the student’s paper. Professor X is also planning to bring the issue to the Committee
on Discipline which would mean suspension or dismissal.
Professor X decided not to bring the issue to the Committee on Discipline. Instead, he asked student A to write a
letter, to be given to professor X personally the following day. The letter’s content is an explanation why professor
X should not report student A to the committee on discipline?
Student A did write a handwritten letter (2 pages yellow pad paper). The gist of which is begging professor X to
give him another chance for the sake of his parents. But what touched professor X in the letter is his mention of
what he was taught in grade school: “when you do something wrong, it is not enough to say I’m sorry, I will not do
it again but also to ask for recompense.”
Moral Courage
Moral Imagination
There are two insights presented in the experience of professor X.
• First, moral imagination which is shown when professor X asked
student A to write a letter of explanation.
• Second, moral courage which is manifested by professor X’s action
of not bringing the issue of student A to the discipline committee
after reading the letter.
Moral Imagination
• “Moral imagination is an ability to imaginatively discern various possibilities for
acting within a given situation and to envision the potential help and harm that
are likely to result from a given action (Mark Johnson, p. 92).”
• Weighing the various possible solutions are very important to achieve the best
outcome. We must have the ability to elaborate and appraise different courses of
action which are only partially determined by the given content of moral rules, in
order to learn what in a particular situation is the morally best thing to do
(Charles Latmore, p. 92).
Moral Imagination
• The concept of moral imagination is reminding us to look back at the
solutions that are lining up and pick up the most suitable one. Although
some situations are requiring urgent decision-making, moral imagination
must remain an essential tool to choose the best solution to any problem.
• In the experience of professor X, he could easily bring the issue to the
office of the discipline, free himself from any moral distress, and let the
discipline committee decides what’s best for student A.
Moral Imagination
• Another easy solution to the problem is to fail the student and never ask
for an explanation, after all plagiarism is plagiarism whatever is the
reason.
• But, what are some of the missing opportunities which might happen
assuming that one of the given solutions would be employed by professor
X?
Moral Imagination
• First, professor X would miss the opportunity to help the student in his
level as the in-charge of the classroom.
• Second, professor X would remain blind with the student’s personal
situation which was a major reason of committing plagiarism.
• Lastly, the student might fail from professor X class despite being sorry
and having desire to recompense from his wrong action.
Moral Imagination
• Professor X’s solution may not assure moral growth and maturity for
student A because the impact of the solution is eschatological in nature.
• The good thing is that professor X critically weighed the situation and
supported his decision with good reasons.
Moral Imagination
• Moreover, moral imagination is necessary but not enough to make a moral
decision.
• One needs courage to act out whatever chosen best solution of the current
problem.
• In the case of a morally problematic situation, one needs moral courage to
execute the appropriate action.
• When a person’s moral principle is tested by temptation which leads to
unethical choices, one needs moral courage to remain faithful to one’s
moral principle.
Moral Courage
• Added to that, moral courage is also manifested when one corrects a
friend or a family member of his/her wrong doings.
• To exercise one’s moral responsibility, one must possess moral courage.
• “Moral courage is the capacity to overcome the fear of shame and
humiliation in order to admit one’s mistake, to confess a wrong, to reject
evil conformity, to renounce injustice, and also to defy immoral or
imprudent orders” (Strom-Gottfried, 2016).
Moral Courage and Moral Action
• Moral courage begets moral action.
• There are four components of moral action:
1) moral sensitivity to others,
2) appeal to principles of reason,
3) committed to do what is ought to be done,
4) respective of the process and laws.
Moral Courage
• These four components must be observed to make one’s action morally
appropriate.
• However, applying these components in our everyday life is not as easy as
enumerating them.
• One may struggle on how to apply these components.
• Some people may challenge your ethical principle and bring you to the
comfort of their unprincipled life.
Moral Courage
• There are conditions in our life that we experience moral complexity.
• This is commonly happening when we cannot exercise what we think is
morally right due to constraints from authority or superior in our
workplace.
• The moral complexity is called moral distress.
Moral Courage
• “Moral distress is an emotion that is expressed when the moral complexity

of a situation is not leading to a resolution, thereby having the potential to
cause harm to the individual… painful feelings associated with mental
anguish as a result of being conscious of a morally appropriate action,
which despite every effort, cannot be performed owing to organizational
or other constraints (Gallagher, p. 7).”
Moral Courage
• One is turn between to promote an ethical/moral act vs what is legally

dictated action.
• We are ought to do what is morally right but the force to shift and follow
what is legal is very strong due to our responsibility as employee of a
certain institution.
• The shifting from what is morally right to what is technically legal is
called ‘moral seduction.’
Moral Courage
• This situation commonly happens in an institution where laws and

principles decide what is right for the people and the company.
• There is what we call seasoned employees in every institution, private and
public.
• Seasoned employees are working as admin staff or front liners. They
understand well the operation of the institution.
Moral Courage
• Front liners are those who are constantly engaged to client services. They
exactly know what the needs of the client are because it’s their work.
Front line employees are trained to provide the best possible service for
the client.
• In this level, the employee and the client establish personal connection
which the higher authorities don’t have.
Moral Courage
• With the years of work experience, front line employee knows how to deliver the service
morally and what is the moral thing to do with the clients.
• But many times, the morally upright way to handle with the client as perceived by the
employee is challenged by the laws directed by the authority, the employers. This is the
moment where moral confusion is experienced.
• When the employee decides to perform the moral action, he/she is morally right, but for
the authority, right action comes from the dictate of the legality.
Moral Courage
• We do not have a problem if the moral action is in accordance with the company’s laws.
• But if they are challenging each other, moral distress cannot be avoided.
• Moral courage is indeed necessary when morality and legality is challenging each other.
• It is a way to resist pressure to obey legitimate authorities whose moral convictions are
confused with the legalities.
• The moral action should prevail over the legal one.
Moral Courage
• Hence, “institution themselves also need to embrace the virtues

of moral courage, wisdom, and integrity. They need to invest in
employers who are role models and take forward an ethical
agenda (Gallagher, p. 11).”
Moral Courage
• As a conclusion, moral courage stands in between moral principle and action.
• Moral principle alone is not enough, so as action without moral principle is pointless.
• To act out one’s moral principle, moral courage is necessary.
• Further, one must not forget to make use of moral imagination to look for the best
solution of the problem.
• After having the best solution, moral courage makes sure that the solution is acted out to
hopefully address the problematic situation.

Moral Courage

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Professor X discovered that one of his students, student A plagiarized a part of his paper.

• “Moral distress is an emotion that is expressed when the moral complexity

• One is turn between to promote an ethical/moral act vs what is legally

• This situation commonly happens in an institution where laws and

• Hence, “institution themselves also need to embrace the virtues

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