LESSON OUTLINE

1. A moral agent is a person who has the ability to discern right from
wrong and to be held accountable for his or her own actions.
Moral agents have a moral responsibility not to cause unjustified
harm.
What is the example of moral agent?
Building on this definition, a moral agent is a being who is
conscious of the concepts of right and wrong. For instance, a 7-
year-old who bites her little brother, then lies about it to escape
punishment, is exhibiting the traits of a moral agent. She knows
what she did is wrong
How do you determine moral agent?
Each individual had the freedom to choose right or wrong, and
that made the basis for morality. The definition of a moral agent
is a person who can understand right from wrong. As a result,
they can make moral decisions. If someone is unable to
understand right or wrong, they are not a moral agent.
What is the difference between a moral agent and a moral
person?
Philosophers distinguish between moral agents, entities whose
actions are eligible for moral consideration, and moral patients,
entities that themselves are eligible for moral consideration. Many
philosophers, such as Kant, view morality as a transaction among
rational parties, i.e., among moral agents.
Why is it important to be a moral agent?
It is suggested that rational thought and deliberation are
prerequisite skills for any agent. In this way, moral agents can
discern between right and wrong and be held accountable for the

2. consequences of their actions. Likewise, moral agents have the
responsibility to anticipate and avoid causing unjust harm.
NOTE: Moral agents are those agents expected to meet the
demands of morality. Not all agents are moral agents. Young
children and animals, being capable of performing actions, may
be agents in the way that stones, plants and cars are not. But
though they are agents they are not automatically considered
moral agents. For a moral agent must also be capable of
conforming to at least some of the demands of morality.
This requirement can be interpreted in different ways. On the
weakest interpretation it will suffice if the agent has the capacity to
conform to some of the external requirements of morality. So if
certain agents can obey moral laws such as ‘Murder is wrong’ or
‘Stealing is wrong’, then they are moral agents, even if they
respond only to prudential reasons such as fear of punishment
and even if they are incapable of acting for the sake of moral
considerations. According to the strong version, the Kantian
version, it is also essential that the agents should have the
capacity to rise above their feelings and passions and act for the
sake of the moral law. There is also a position in between which
claims that it will suffice if the agent can perform the relevant act
out of altruistic impulses. Other suggested conditions of moral
agency are that agents should have: an enduring self with free will
and an inner life; understanding of the relevant facts as well as
moral understanding; and moral sentiments, such as capacity for
remorse and concern for others.
Philosophers often disagree about which of these and other
conditions are vital; the term moral agency is used with different
degrees of stringency depending upon what one regards as its
qualifying conditions. The Kantian sense is the most stringent.
Since there are different senses of moral agency, answers to
questions like ‘Are collectives moral agents?’ depend upon which

3. sense is being used. From the Kantian standpoint, agents such as
psychopaths, rational egoists, collectives and robots are at best
only quasi-moral, for they do not fulfil some of the essential
conditions of moral agency.
MEANING OF CULTURE
What is the difference between ethnocentrism and cultural
relativism? (both are terms that center around culture)
Ethnocentrism revolves around the idea that one's culture is
superior to others with regard to behavior, attitudes, or cultural
practices that are deemed "normal" in comparison to other
cultures. Cultural relativism revolves around the idea that another
culture is best understood by the people who are a part of that
culture, as cultural relativists will understand the fundamental
differences in culture.
What is an example of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism?
An example of ethnocentrism is if someone believes another
culture to be "savage" because they eat specific animal parts or
animals that one may not eat in their own culture. An example of
cultural relativism is if someone appreciates that the other culture
eats specific animal parts or animals because it is something that
is normal in that culture and best understood by the people who
are a part of it. They do not judge this culture for what they eat but
rather understand that there are differences in what they eat and
appreciate those differences.