When it comes to the dimension of morality, there is a plethora of interrelated factors to consider. Particularly, within the scope of making a moral judgement, one might struggle which question should they ask themselves: “What should I do?” or “What sort of person should I be?” These questions may seem similar at first approximation, but it is essential to define to which aspect of reality each of them appeals. The former is referred rather to an external environment of the person. The individual relates their possible actions or inactions with consequences that may occur after them. Hence, by asking “What should I do?” I tend to focus on the sequence of events that might take place – or might not. In this case, I am making moral judgement about the future that exists only in my mind and may not happen at all.
In contrast, by asking “What sort of person should I be?” the person pays attention to their internal environment – feelings, thoughts, and intentions. In such a case, I focus on things that I am fully capable of assessing and extrapolating. I relate moral appropriacy of actions or inactions to my personal measures of rightness or goodness. By doing this, I reflect upon its correlation with the essence of morality that involves moral community, moral values, and a moral code (Kenny, 2013). Thus, I establish connection between my internal and external environments, reaching a greater extent of objectivity than by asking “What should I do?” The provided arguments speak in favor of the question “What sort of person should I be?” while making a moral judgement. Such an approach allows me to realize my inner attitude to an action or inaction and relate it to the necessary elements of morality.
Reference
Kenny, A. (2013). The essence of morality. European Review, 21(S1), S123–S126. doi:10.1017/S106279871300015X