In The Responsible Self by H. R. Niebuhr, the author develops a moral philosophy based not upon rigid rules or prescriptions but instead a flexible algorithm developed by answering two sequential questions: (1) “What is happening?” and (2) “What should
I do?” Resultantly, proper ethical conduct, says Niebuhr, is described
in terms of responsibility not only to our own values and self but also
to others that we subsequently engage with. In practice, this
responsibility is accountable to others, considers divergent
interpretations of the event a hand, and is molded by the society that
one identifies with. Niebuhr’s philosophy liberates the user from rigid
moral prescriptions (the deontological approach) or a strict
consequentialist model that seeks an appropriate end (the teleological
approach).
A deontological approach, for example, would state that homicide is absolutely
wrong, always, regardless of the circumstances. A teleological approach
would praise homicide in some cases and shun it in others, depending on
the end result—the same act can thus have different ethical
interpretations.
I reflect on Niebuhr’s formulations
because many issues in contemporary society, I think, ought to be
thought of in terms of responsibility and not unyielding moral and/or
ethical parameters.