Thanks for your response!
First, re the suitability of (b) as a general criterion: if your theory rests on arbitrary principles, then you admit that it's nothing more than a subjective guide... so then what's the point of trying to argue for it? If at the end of the day it all comes down to personal preference, you might as well give up on the discussion, no?
With regards to liberty meeting that criterion, it is at least a fact on which everyone can agree that not everyone agrees on an absolute moral authority. So starting from this fact, we can derive the principle that nothing gives you the right to infringe on other people's liberty. This doesn't exactly presuppose a "fairness" principle - it's sort of like bootstrapping: it just presupposes the absence of a right to harm others. I am not saying that not being violent is right; I am saying that being violent isn't.
Your point on the fact that this theory leaves a lot of moral dilemmas uncovered, you are right. Sadly, I don't have an answer to that. Perhaps I could add a 4th criterion, to do with completeness, but I suspect that no moral theory would meet all of the criteria. But to be clear here - you are not rejecting criterion a as far as I can tell; you are just saying it's not sufficient, right?
As for your personal principle - I cannot say whether it meets criteria a and c because you have not provided enough details, e.g. how do you balance justice vs honesty vs liberty? If what you are saying is "it all comes down to the particular situation", then you are not describing a moral theory but personal judgement.
But I appreciate the critique - my arguing back isn't me blindly rejecting any counter-arguments!
Hey, I appreciate your ability to engage constructively with a critique of your views! Rare gift, that.
if your theory rests on arbitrary principles, then you admit that it's nothing more than a subjective guide
As other people have pointed out, maybe we should consider here what we mean by "arbitrary". In your initial statement you said that non-arbitrary was that which was derived logically from facts on which everyone agrees. So to avoid ambiguity maybe we should just say that criterion (b) is "the principle(s) of the moral system must...
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).