What Does Julia Annas Mean By The Computer Manual Model Of Moral Decision Making

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For the question on the Spring Term I will be looking at the question: What does Julia Annas mean by the ‘computer manual’ model of moral decision-making? What are the implications for moral theory? The ‘computer manual’ model is what Annas uses to describe our moral decision making. Annas says in regards to this: “The computer manual does the technical work for us and makes clear the theoretical simple grounds of the decisions we need to make when use the computer. The common model of a theory of right action, as we meet it explicitly in many introductions to moral theory, and implicitly in the work of many moral theorists can be called the computer manual model.” This idea of a computer doing the ‘technical’ work can be useful to us, due to living in an age of technology which is something that can be useful to us, as our own brains are our ‘built in computer. It is also crucial in processing our thoughts about each of our own moral decisions of what is right and wrong. I think what Annas means by the ‘computer manual’ model is that we are responsible for our own decisions. Something that I am confident about is that we are …show more content…

What are the implications for moral theory? I think that Julia Annas’ computer manual model of decision making, is our own consciences and the sense of what is right or wrong. Consequently, we have the freedom to choose as to whether or not we comply with what our conscience tells us to do in situations/ as I mentioned earlier in regards to the trolley problem, some people might say ‘it is better to save five people, as it would spare five families the loss of loved ones, and it is one person instead.’, whilst others would say ‘it is better to save one person, as five people with healthy organs to donate is much better.’ Regardless of which one is the best answer, it can be paradoxical as to how a person looks at

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