This is a presentation about moral assumption.

1. MORAL
ASSUMPTIONS
RODILYN C. ANGLIGEN, MSE

2. Moral Assumptions
These are the underlying
beliefs or propositions
that individuals take for
granted in their ethical
reasoning.

3. Research and Theories Supporting Moral
Assumptions
1.Utilitarianism
2.Deontological Ethics
3.Cognitive Dissonance Theory

4. TYPES OF MORAL ASSUMPTION
1.Normative
2.Descriptive
3.Meta-Ethical
4.Cultural
5.Contextual

5. EXAMPLES OF MORAL ASSUMPTIONS
Cultural Ignorance
“Everyone Celebrates Christmas”
Cultural Ignorance is an assumption that mistakenly
universalizes one’s own cultural norms.

6. EXAMPLES OF MORAL ASSUMPTIONS
False Consensus Bias
“Other People Think Like Me”
False Consensus Bias refers to a cognitive bias that causes people
to overestimate the extent to which their beliefs, values,
characteristics, and behaviors are shared by others.

7. EXAMPLES OF MORAL ASSUMPTIONS
Fundamental Attribution Error
“That Person’s just Incompetent”
The Fundamental Attribution Error is a cognitive bias where we
overemphasize personal characteristics and ignore situational
influences when judging others’ behavior.

8. EXAMPLES OF MORAL ASSUMPTIONS
Halo Effect
“She’s Good at This, so she Must be Good at That”
The Halo Effect is a cognitive bias that influences how we
perceive other’s abilities based on our overall impression of
them.

9. EXAMPLES OF MORAL ASSUMPTIONS
Projection
“I don’t trust him because he probably thinks the
same way I do.”
Projection is a psychological defense mechanism
where individuals attribute their own unacceptable
thoughts, feelings, or motives to another person.

10. EXAMPLES OF MORAL ASSUMPTIONS
Self-Handicapping
“I could have done it if I had tried.”
Self-Handicapping is a cognitive strategy where
people create obstacles and excuses to avoid
self-blame when they do poorly.

11. EXAMPLES OF MORAL ASSUMPTIONS
Status Quo Bias
“Things should stay the way they are because
that’s how they’ve always been.”
Status Quo Bias is a psychological preference for the
current state of affairs, resisting change due to
comfort and familiarity with the existing situation.

12. EXAMPLES OF MORAL ASSUMPTIONS
Self-Handicapping
“I could have done it if I had tried.”
Self-Handicapping is a cognitive strategy where
people create obstacles and excuses to avoid
self-blame when they do poorly.

13. EXAMPLES OF MORAL ASSUMPTIONS
Illusion of Control
“I can control or influence this outcome more
than I actually can.”
The Illusion of Control is a psychological mechanism
where a person overestimates their ability to control
events that are largely, if not entirely, made of
chance occurrences.

14. EXAMPLES OF MORAL ASSUMPTIONS
Endowment Effect
“What I own is more valuable just because it’s
mine.”
The Endowment Effect is a psychological bias
that causes individuals to overvalue things
simply because they own them.

15. Conclusion
Not all assumptions are wrong. In fact, oftentimes, our
intuition is correct. And intuition is based on assuming things
without explicit evidence.
Nevertheless, we need to constantly examine all the
underlying assumptions in our thoughts and beliefs. Through
this introspective process, we can improve our thought
processes and lead to better results.
Furthermore, by examining the assumptions of our
opponents during debates, we might be able to find
fallacies and flawed heuristics that can help us
rebut their points and come up with a strong refutation.

16. REFERENCE
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http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5eceec71ae6c485a1ffb3fe4/t/6178265b9e4ac05bd9ea3d73/1635264095273/h
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Audi, R. (2011). Moral Knowledge and Ethical Character. Oxford University Press.
Mill, J.S. (1863). Utilitarianism. Parker, Son, and Bourn.
Chris Drew Journal
Mackie, J.L. (1977). Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong. Penguin Books.
Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford University Press.
Kohlberg, L. (1981). The Philosophy of Moral Development. Harper & Row.