Continuation of: Is Morality Preference?

(Disclaimer: Neither Subhan nor Obert represent my own position on morality; rather they represent different sides of the questions I hope to answer.)

Subhan: "What is this 'morality' stuff, if it is not a preference within you?"

Obert: "I know that my mere wants, don't change what is right; but I don't claim to have absolute knowledge of what is right—"

Subhan: "You're not escaping that easily! How does a universe in which murder is wrong, differ from a universe in which murder is right? How can you detect the difference experimentally? If the answer to that is 'No', then how does any human being come to know that murder is wrong?"

Obert: "Am I allowed to say 'I don't know'?"

Subhan: "No. You believe now that murder is wrong. You must believe you already have evidence and you should be able to present it now."

Obert: "That's too strict! It's like saying to a hunter-gatherer, 'Why is the sky blue?' and expecting an immediate answer."

Subhan: "No, it's like saying to a hunter-gatherer: Why do you believe the sky is blue?"

Obert: "Because it seems blue, just as murder seems wrong. Just don't ask me what the sky is, or how I can see it."

Subhan: "But—aren't we discussing the nature of morality?"

Obert: "That, I confess, is not one of my strong points. I specialize in plain old morality. And as a matter of morality, I know that I can't make murder right just by wanting to kill someone."

Subhan: "But if you wanted to kill someone, you would say, 'I know murdering this guy is right, and I couldn't make it wrong just by not wanting to do it.'"

Obert: "Then, if I said that, I would be wrong. That's common moral sense, right?"

Subhan: "Argh! It's difficult to even argue with you, since you won't tell me exactly what you think morality is made of, or where you're getting all these amazing moral truths—"

Obert: "Well, I do regret having to frustrate you. But it's more important that I act morally, than that I come up with amazing new theories of the nature of morality. I don't claim that my strong point is in explaining the fundamental nature of morality. Rather, my strong point is coming up with theories of morality that give normal moral ans...

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