Brent Meeker wrote:
>
> Stathis Papaioannou wrote:
>>
>> Jef Allbright writes:
<snip>
>>> Further, from this theory of metaethics we can derive
>>> a practical >>> system of social decision-making based
>>> on (1) increasing fine-grained knowledge of shared values,
>>> and (2) application of increasingly effective principles,
>>> selected with regard to models of probable outcomes in
>>> a Rawlsian mode of broad rather than narrow self-interest.
>>
>> This is really quite a good proposal for building better
>> societies, and one that I would go along with, but meta-ethical
>> problems arise if someone simply rejects that shared values
>> are important (eg. believes that the values of the strong
>> outweigh those of the weak),
>
> Historically this problem has been dealt with by those who
> think shared values are important ganging up on those who don't.
>
>> and ethical
>> problems arise when it is time to decide what exactly these
>> shared values are and how they should best be promoted.
>
> Aye, there's the rub.
Because any decision-making is done within a limited context, but the
consequences arise within a necessarily larger (future) context, we can
never be sure of the exact consequences of our decisions. Therefore, we
should strive for decision-making that is increasingly
*right-in-principle*, given our best knowledge of the situation at the
time. Higher-quality principles can be recognized by their greater scope
of applicability and subtlety (more powerful but relatively fewer
side-effects).
With Sthathis' elucidation of the Natural Fallacy in a separate post,
and Brent's comments here (more down-to-earth and easily readable, less
abstract than my own would have been) I have very little to add.
- Jef
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Received on Fri Dec 22 2006 - 15:26:52 PST