Training Moral Deliberation​

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About the Method

What is Moral Deliberation?

Moral deliberation is a form of structured moral dialogue in which participants, under supervision, jointly examine ethical dilemmas and morally challenging situations in order to arrive at a well-considered choice. This method has been successfully applied in the Netherlands for decades, for example within the context of healthcare, banking, government, education and science.

The process focuses on carefully identifying different arguments, making moral considerations explicit, and jointly arriving at a well-considered judgment, advice or decision. Moral deliberation helps organisations make complex decisions where moral, legal and social considerations come together. It contributes to explainable decisions by making underlying dilemmas and arguments clear.

This method is also increasingly used within universities and research institutes. At TU Delft several moral deliberation chambers (a series of moral deliberations on one theme) were organized on issues of knowledge security and cooperation with external parties. The strength of this approach is that it is not based on the individual judgement of an expert or a top-down proclamation, but on a collective, broadly supported consideration within a relevant group of professionals. Such a bottom-up approach allows for wider support within an organization and provides the opportunity for shared, moral learning as an individual as well as organization, leading to less moral stress and more responsible decision-making.

What can you expect from the training course?

Participants in the training will delve into the theory and methodology of moral deliberation. The first session (half day) of the training will consist of an introduction to the theory and methodology. The training will not remain abstract, however. During the second session (half day) a deliberation will be held on at least one case/dilemma introduced by one of the participants. After the training, the participants will have the language and capacity to participate in moral deliberations.

Permanent Moral Deliberation Chamber

The TU Delft is setting up a Permanent Moral Deliberation Chamber to structurally use moral deliberation to navigate complex (moral) issues facing our community and the university.

Each session of the chamber will be conducted under the guidance of an experienced moderator. Participants will be pooled from different faculties and departments, carefully selected to ensure diversity in terms of expertise and function. The chamber carefully weighs relevant arguments, providing the university with a thorough and reliable basis for decision-making.

If you successfully completed a moral deliberation training, you may later be invited to join the member pool of the permanent moral deliberation chamber. Once established, you can then be called upon for moral deliberation sessions of the permanent moral deliberation chamber.