Aren't you a professional ethicist? If I though I had something to say about ethics that you hadn't heard before I'd probably hold out and publish it. :-) But as far as I can tell this is new-for-Less-Wrong.

As for theory-laden observation I was took Eliezer's whole philosophy of science to involve saying: it doesn't have to be this way! We could break from existing theory as soon as the evidence says we should instead of bending the theory again and again until it breaks.