I would like to use my first post to expand on a framework I introduced in the Welcome thread for evaluating moral theories, and to request your feedback.
This thesis rests on the fact that a moral theory is a tool for helping us make choices. Starting from this premise, I believe that a moral theory needs to meet three criteria for it to be acceptable:
a) Its comprising principles must be non-contradictory. I think this is pretty self evident: if a theory consists of a number of principles that contradict each other, there will be situations where the theory will suggest contradictory actions - hence failing its purpose as a tool to enable choice making.
b) Its comprising principles must be non-arbitrary as far as possible. What I mean by this is that the principles must be derived logically from facts on which everyone agrees. Otherwise, if a moral theory rests on an arbitrary and subjective principle, the theory's advocates will never be able to convince people who do not share that principle of their theory's validity.
c) If the principles of the moral theory are taken to their logical conclusion, they must not lead to a society that the theory's proponents themselves would consider dystopian.
Note that my premise (i.e. that a moral theory is supposed to help us make choices) necessitates that the theory is not vague. So saying that a utilitarian system, using some magical measurement of utility, is a good moral theory is pointless in my view.
However, I want to draw a distinction between morality at the social level and morality at the personal level. The former refers to a moral system whose proponents believe should apply to the whole world; the latter, to the principles by which people live their private lives. The three criteria I listed should only be used to evaluate morality at the social level: if you want to impose your principles over every single human, you'd better make sure they are non-contradictory, acceptable by everyone and won't mess up the world.
Morality at the personal level is different: if you are using your principles to determine your actions only, it's fine if these principles are arbitrary. If lying makes you feel uncomfortable, I think it's fair enough for you to value honesty as a principle, even if you cannot provide a very rational justification.
Finally, one final comment: I believe there are some moral issues which cause disagreement because of the fundamental inability of our language to define certain concepts. For instance, the whole debate on abortion comes down to the definition of life - and since we lack one, I don't think we can ever rationally settle that debate.
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Now I also have a question for whomever is reading this: the only theory I can think of that meets all three criteria is libertarianism:
a) It only has one principle - do not do anything that infringes on other people's liberty - so it's inherently consistent.
b) The fact on which everyone has to agree: we have no proof of some sort of moral authority, hence any moral command is arbitrary. In the absence of such moral authority, no-one has the right to impose their own morality on others.
c) Though libertarianism may lead to meanness - e.g. inability to condemn people for lack of kindness or charity - it's not dystopian by my view.
My question is - are there other theories that would meet all three criteria? (I think total anarchy, including the lack of condemnation of violence, could meet the first two criteria, but I think few would argue it meets the third one).
Thanks for the continuing dialogue!
I am fine to tweak the definition of (b) to be facts-based as you say. And you are right to say that there may be many facts to choose from - I never said libertarianism is definitely the only possible theory to meet all criteria, just the only one I could come up with. So, yes, Douchetarianists, as you call them, could also claim that their theory meets (b), but I'd argue it fails to meet (c).
The problem with your moral theory, as I see it, is that it also fails to meet (c), because there could be many plausible, but horrific in my view, arguments you could make: e.g. that eugenics would improve the species' odds of survival, as would assigning jobs to people based on how good they would be at them vs letting them choose for themselves &c.
I was expecting this response either from you or someone else, but didn't want to make my previous comment too long (a habit of mine) by preempting it. It's a totally valid next question, and I've considered it before.
Criterion (c) is that the principles of my moral system must not lead when taken to their logical extent to a society that I, the proponent of the system, would co... (read more)