What is a general example of the terms “ethically proportionate and disproportionate”?
The meaning of these terms may be illustrated with the general example of maintaining health through diet and exercise. We all have an obligation to maintain bodily health, which may be partially accomplished by taking proper foods and fluids at the right time, in the right manner, in the right amount, by appropriate exercise, and so forth. Such actions are normally appropriate or “proportionate” for the individual and therefore are morally obligated. However, if certain kinds of food are too difficult to obtain, or to prepare, or if engaging in an exercise program is too difficult to maintain or to afford, this approach to maintaining health would be “disproportionate” and therefore morally optional.
