StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Do we have a moral obligation to vote - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The question however, is whether or not we are morally obligated to vote. If we are, does our vote make any difference at all and is the act of voting even rational? The purpose of this essay is to discuss the…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.3% of users find it useful

Extract of sample "Do we have a moral obligation to vote"

Download file to see previous pages

Based on the idea of individual morality, an act can be defined as rational if its expected costs do not exceed its expected benefits as defined by the individual making the decision. The expected costs of voting would include travel expenses as well as time spent researching the candidates and updating a voter’s registration card. It can be deduced then that the expected costs of voting are quite small. The outcome of having voted could result in the winning of either the candidate one has voted for or another candidate altogether.

It is easy to decide not to vote as one single vote is almost irrelevant compared to millions of other votes; but if everyone adopted this viewpoint then no one would vote and we might end up living in a dictatorship form of government where the people have no say at all. So, it can be said that voting may cost an individual (even though the cost is rather miniscule) more then the expected benefit, as the individual can argue that their vote will never make a difference among all the other votes but the cost though small, is certain.

This however, is from an individual’s perspective as opposed to looking at a group of people or the entire country. It may be theoretically irrational for an individual to waste time and money voting as the outcome of the election will not balance on their vote, but the individual votes of a group of people suddenly becomes rational as the cost remains small to each individual but the election outcome in the group’s favor will be beneficial. From a consequentiality’s perspective, the goal is to act in the most moral way to bring about positive consequences for a group as a whole.

This clearly means that voting is certainly the moral thing to do for the majority and outweighs the minimal costs to individuals. Critically speaking however, it can also be said that moral responsibility is attached to individuals and their actions so seeking the best possible outcome should also

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Do we have a moral obligation to vote Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Do we have a moral obligation to vote Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1546392-do-we-have-a-moral-obligation-to-vote
(Do We Have a Moral Obligation to Vote Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
Do We Have a Moral Obligation to Vote Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1546392-do-we-have-a-moral-obligation-to-vote.
“Do We Have a Moral Obligation to Vote Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1546392-do-we-have-a-moral-obligation-to-vote.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Do we have a moral obligation to vote

Kants Moral Obligation

In a revisit of the concept of goodwill, people act because they strongly believe that they have a moral duty or they are morally obliged to perform certain tasks.... This essay “Kant's moral obligation” presents Kant's argument of moral obligation, how Hutcheson would have argued in response to Kant's claim's, and finally evaluating the two authors based on their explanations to see who between them presents a more reasonable argument....
4 Pages (1000 words) Literature review

Describe the importance of voting in the American system

First and foremost, American citizens have a moral and ethical obligation to vote because many of their fellow Americans have died in many wars and in many social movements over the past few centuries to win and preserve that right for them.... Thus, the responsibility to vote is as much a moral obligation as it is a civic responsibility.... hellip; Second, Americans abdicate their right to complain about the direction of their government and society when they fail to vote....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

The Issue of Consent Theory as It Relates to Political Obligation and Political Awareness

Consent theory was expected to offer a concept of political autonomy, such that one can state that their obligation to a state was to some extent consequent from their free action as a personality among politically equal personalities.... In the latter case, it is clear that the person has no obligation to pay for the goods, since he/she does not choose them.... In the present essay I would like to examine the issue of consent theory as it relates to political obligation and political awareness....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Why Do People Vote

The D terms signifies the upshot of one's vote on the welfare of others.... It is fundamental to note that, Muller exhibits an implicit moral dominant claim that paying attention to political debates has an immense likelihood of commanding more attention compared to engaging in economic productivity and other areas of sincere intent.... This aspect considers maximization of utility in everything that is cherished, for instance currency and moral standards....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

The Moral Accountability

Morally, it is a moral obligation or duty to dogood.... Accountability - accountability meant an obligation or could be a liability to another party, be it person or organization to perform a certain task or to deliver certain promise.... Accountability - accountability meant an obligation or could be a liability to another party, be it person or organization to perform a certain task or to deliver certain promise.... oral accountability – moral accountability is the internal motivation to do better in his or her acts or in any responsibilities and duties that may be assigned to him or her....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

The Moral Responsibilities of the Businesses

Some philosophers think that businesses have no moral obligation,while other are of the view that businesses have a moral obligation with regard to the future of human race.... The philosophical question therefore is, although the future human race does not exist and we don't know them, don't business organizations have moral obligation to ensure that that they conduct their businesses in a manner that endanger or ruin the lives of the future generations?... his paper reviews this debate and demonstrates that businesses do indeed have moral obligation towards the future of human race… To find out whether or not business organizations have obligation towards the future human race, we will first of all look at the issue in light of the various theories of ethics that we have studied in class....
19 Pages (4750 words) Essay

Voting and Ethical Issues

It is important to have a moral obligation during a voting process.... Therefore, it is important to have a moral obligation during a voting process.... The present essay entitled "Voting and Ethical Issues" deals with the right to vote and its ethical concerns.... Given the cases of voter fraud, and presentation of the voters ID to allow one to vote, the majority of US citizens believe that they are required to show identification with a photo such as a driving license....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Do We Have an Obligation to Care about Future Generations in a Just Society

So in that case, it becomes our moral obligation to safeguard those rights for the future generations that will eventually come.... The paper "do we have an Obligation to Care about Future Generations in a Just Society" discusses that it is our moral responsibility to see that we provide for our future generations, and ensure, that they receive a fair share of the natural resources, that has in no way been created for one generation only.... In this article, I will examine this argument and many others that defy the theory that we have an obligation to care for the future generations within the realms of a just society....
10 Pages (2500 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us