What is empirical data and how is it used. It is the data and concepts that are relevant to moral issues under discussion. The relationship of empirical science to moral thought is shown in the reading. You have to look at how human behavior can be answered and the fact that the way they act, explains their moral thought. Today there is a pattern where people are excused from accountability for their actions because of a relationship with their parents. Blame for some event is also put on the moral faults and not on the agent that doest the act. There are three questions that are needed to be answered when using empirical science. What data and concepts are relevant to the moral issue under discussion? You have to consider what is being included and excluded, and not distorting the data or taking it out of context when using it. The second question is, what interpretation of a field should be accepted, and on what grounds. And the last is how does the moralist deal w!.
ith the value biases of the studies that he uses.
In the case of moral decisions there are different voices. Throughout history the female perspective has been ignored and the male point of view was the only view studied. In looking at it this way "to discover that over half the population essentially has not been studied."(Boulton 172) Women attached moral language to their consideration of the abortion issue. Moral language, are words like "should", "better", "wrong", "ought". In the issue of abortion the public is split into pro choice and pro life. The real question that one should ask her self, is what is the right solution to this question. This is so because "there is no way to separate self and other into a distinct opposition."(Boulton 173) There are two strands of moral tradition in western society, self-interest and self-sacrifice. Self-interest is known as selfish and self-sacrifice is known as self-less.