Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Philosophers' discussions of moral dilemmas have been largely dominated by two issues: the question of what a moral dilemma is, and the question of whether there are genuine moral dilemmas. Some philosophers have expressed skepticism about whether it is even possible for there to be a genuine moral dilemma.To morally engaged laypersons, who have some acquaintance with literature, the character of much of the philosophical discussion may seem strange, for the answer to the questions just posed may seem obvious. Whether our attention is directed to the actual experiences of morally serious adults, or to the predicaments of literary figures, there appears to be a wide range of situations in which individuals face insoluble conflicts between equally compelling but directly competing moral requirements, and thus have to violate or fail to satisfy at least one of them. There thus seem to be ample experiential grounds for supposing that human moral agents do, and therefore can, encounter genuine moral dilemmas.But philosophers who question the existence of genuine moral dilemmas do not usually concern themselves with trying to discredit the testimony of actual agents in the real world. Rather, what they are trying to do is challenge the supposition that appeals to people's experiences (and reports about their experiences) could ever be thought to provide sufficient ground for supposing ... log in or subscribe to read full text