The laws of nature are subtle and marvelously complex (though also, in their own way, "simple"), but it is abundantly clear that they do not work in such a way as to determine physical situations in accordance with the moral worth of persons, or in accordance with any moral considerations whatsoever.
How do we balance claims of gender injustice with other moral considerations like freedom of religion and freedom of association? (2) With notable exceptions, too few feminist philosophers have offered specific policy proposals for changes in domestic arrangements, or for policies designed to counteract those arrangements.
This had nothing to do with any moral considerations.
We can ask what we take to be morally salient, whether we appeal to moral principles, and how we deal with conflicting moral considerations.
When a medical researcher who has noted an individual's illness also notes the fact that diverting resources to caring, clinically, for this individual would inhibit the progress of my research, thus harming the long-term health chances of future sufferers of this illness, he or she comes face to face with conflicting moral considerations.
When, for example, are citizens obliged to obey laws that either imperil their own lives or conflict with other important moral considerations?
While moral philosophers debate the standing of patriotism as an instance of the problem of reconciling universal moral considerations with particular attachments and loyalties, political theorists are primarily interested in patriotism as an ethos of the well-ordered polity and an antidote to nationalism.
What's wrong with reserving moral consideration for those able to reciprocate it?
This morality encompasses both rules of obligation (e.g., do not kill or cause suffering for others, tell the truth, keep promises, do not steal, prevent evil or harm from occurring, rescue persons in danger, do not punish the innocent, obey the law, treat all persons with equal moral consideration, etc).
Meanwhile, the nature of our existence demands that moral considerations compete with less celestial concerns.
