Moral Reasoning - the Important Role of Individual Perception

Today, bioethical dilemmata are relevant for doctors as well as for managers - and everybody who is interested in descision making processes. This book describes a cross-cultural research project on different versions of the trolley dilemma explored in Germany and India. Within the study, subjects had the hypothetical choice to re-direct an out-of-control train and kill one person in order to save five persons lives, or to refrain from acting, which would lead to the death of these five people. This book examines if people from India follow the guidelines of consequentialism in contrasat to Germans. Furthermore, it shows that the status of a person is an important factor in the process of moral decision making in India, but not in Germany. The methods and results integrate two distinctive perspectives into moral reasoning. In contrast to approaches underlining a universal morality these findings provide evidence for inter-cultural differences concerning moral decisions based on perception. Besides that even a social psychological approach that integrates different dimensions of moral reasoning will be discussed. Thus this book is dedicated to every decision maker.