What makes an action truly moral? We all make countless decisions each day, but how do we know which ones are good? It can often feel very confusing.
A study published in the Journal of Consumer Behaviour shows that when faced with ethical consumer decisions, we often experience anxiety, stress, confusion and ‘analysis paralysis’.
Philosophers, theologians and politicians have debated ethical decision-making for centuries, and unlike other disciplines such as physics or cosmology, widespread consensus never seems to materialise. And yet, there is one simple idea that most moral frameworks quietly agree on:
Morality concerns how conscious beings are affected by our decisions.
If an action has no impact—direct or indirect—upon a conscious being, is it even a moral act at all? Suppose I were to pick up a stone and throw it. The stone itself is merely an inanimate object, and in isolation, the action would have no moral component. But if that same stone harms, benefits, or even inconveniences another conscious being, it takes on moral weight, especially when taking into account my intentions at the time of throwing.
That’s the qualitative significance of consciousness. For example, if there’s something it is like to be a bat, as philosopher Thomas Nagel once posed, then the bat matters. Unlike the stone, it feels, it senses, it experiences—we can attempt to put ourselves in the bat’s position and imagine life through its eyes (or ears!), no matter how alien. And it’s this very capacity to experience, that is the currency of morality.
If an entity can experience, then it is conscious. And if it is conscious, then it deserves consideration. And it follows that most of us see consciousness as the most valuable, precious substance in the universe—human or otherwise.
So, the next time you find yourself questioning what the right thing thing to do is, start here:
Will this action help or harm a conscious being?
Even in complex situations with no perfect answer, this question is a great starting point. It cuts through the confusion of dogma, politics or tradition, to anchor us in clarity.
We don’t need to be perfect. And we often don’t have all the facts to hand. But we can pause and ask the question. As human beings, making this effort is the least we can do. And if we don’t know the answer—maybe it’s time to find out.
Oh, and if making the ethically right decision also happens to make us good about ourselves—that’s a win-win! Happiness is, after all, what we’re aiming for.
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