Read About The Life Of A Moral Reformer Or Examine It

Read About The Life Of A Moral Reformer Or Examine The Life Of Your Ow

Read about the life of a moral reformer or examine the life of your own moral hero or heroine. Optional: If you need help thinking of a moral reformer, you can find examples on CNN Heroes. This page lists CNN’s hero award recipients from 2019. Respond to the following questions: What motivated the person of your choice to continue, even when the cause seemed hopeless? Was the motivation a sense of duty grounded in reason or sentiment or both? Explain. Does your response to the above question agree with Kant’s claim that morality is grounded in reason alone? Source CNN.com. September 7, 2019. CNN honors 10 men and women for making the world a better place.

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The life of a moral reformer can serve as a powerful illustration of the motivations that drive individuals to pursue noble causes despite facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. Such individuals are often motivated by a combination of deep-seated moral duty and genuine sentiment, which together sustain their efforts in the face of despair. The motivation to persist stems from internal convictions that transcend mere emotional impulses or rational calculations, embodying a complex interplay between reason and sentiment.

An exemplary moral reformer is Mary Calhoun Brown, co-founder of Lily’s Place, a neonatal withdrawal center dedicated to caring for infants suffering from opioid withdrawal. Brown’s motivation to establish this center was rooted in her compassion and professional experience as a nurse, witnessing firsthand the suffering of vulnerable infants. Her unwavering commitment was fueled by a moral sense of duty to alleviate suffering and a heartfelt sentiment of caring deeply for the most vulnerable members of society—newborns afflicted by the opioid crisis. Despite the overwhelming nature of the epidemic and the significant challenges in providing effective care, Brown and her co-founders persevered because they believed that providing specialized support was a moral imperative grounded in both reason and emotion.

From a philosophical perspective, Immanuel Kant’s moral philosophy emphasizes that morality resides in duty and rationality, asserting that actions are morally commendable when undertaken out of duty alone, independent of consequences. Kant argued that moral worth is determined by adherence to universal moral principles, which are accessible through reason. In this context, Brown’s actions can be seen as aligning with Kantian ethics insofar as her sense of duty is rational and universal; she recognized a moral obligation to care for infants suffering from NAS, even when the task appeared daunting and the results uncertain. Her compassion, while emotional in nature, ultimately stems from a rational understanding of moral duty, illustrating that her motivation integrates both sentiment and reason.

In conclusion, the persistence of moral reformers like Mary Calhoun Brown is driven by a harmonious blend of reason and sentiment—reason in recognizing moral duties grounded in compassion, and sentiment in the genuine care and emotional commitment to making a difference. While Kant’s theory emphasizes reason as the sole foundation of morality, Brown’s example suggests that moral motivation often involves a synthesis of rational duty and heartfelt sentiment, challenging a strict dichotomy and illustrating the complexity of human morality.

References

1. Kant, I. (1785). Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Translated by Mary Gregor (2002). Cambridge University Press.
2. CNN. (2019, September 7). CNN honors 10 men and women for making the world a better place. CNN.com. https://www.cnn.com
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6. Aristotle. (340 BC). Nicomachean Ethics. Translated by W. D. Ross.
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