RE: “Normative” ethical theories
January 15, 2026 at 10:31 am
(This post was last modified: January 15, 2026 at 10:38 am by Lucian.)
No, that is incorrect
He is saying that if you value people having good lives, and if you want to have a good life then prosocial acts are good to achieve that. Claiming that requires moral realism to be a reasonable aspiration isn’t reasonable in my mind. He doesn’t claim you “should” do this absent the “if you value and want to see that”
Also, remember, he isn’t wanting to get rid of moral thinking in general, but only the sort that can lead to praise or retributive justice based on failing to meet some sort of standard. Sure; you might praise them for doing things you like and want to see, but not in the sense that you have done something objectively good
He is saying that if you value people having good lives, and if you want to have a good life then prosocial acts are good to achieve that. Claiming that requires moral realism to be a reasonable aspiration isn’t reasonable in my mind. He doesn’t claim you “should” do this absent the “if you value and want to see that”
Also, remember, he isn’t wanting to get rid of moral thinking in general, but only the sort that can lead to praise or retributive justice based on failing to meet some sort of standard. Sure; you might praise them for doing things you like and want to see, but not in the sense that you have done something objectively good
