We
will deal with most of the questions in the next two sessions. But
right now, let's try to formulate some additional definitions that we
can use.
To begin with, let's clarify the terms 'moral
or ethical judgments' and 'moral or ethical principles.' I
suggest that we use the following definitions:
- A specific moral judgment applies to a
specific action. For example, we may say "It was morally
wrong for John to kill Harry."
- A principle is broader than a judgment. It
provides a rule that applies to many specific cases. For example,
we may say "It is wrong to lie" or "It is wrong to
kill innocent human beings." Sometimes we refer to principles
as standards or rules. And sometimes one principle is more
fundamental than others in the sense that it is at a higher level
of generality.
We already have a negative definition for
ethical relativism. What about some of the other terms that you have
mentioned? I'm thinking of 'objective,' 'absolute,' 'superior,'
and 'equally valid.'
We need some clarification for these terms. Our definitions
may be tentative, but they can give us something to start with.
Who has thoughts on this? Just some tentative definitions that we
can use in our next session?
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