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Moral Demands, Moral Pragmatics, and Being Good

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  • SMILANSKY, SAUL

Abstract

I point out an odd consequence of the role that broadly pragmatic considerations regularly (and reasonably) play in determining moral demands. As a result of the way in which moral demands are formed, it turns out that people will frequently become morally good in a strange and rather dubious way. Because human beings are not very good, we will lower our moral demands and, as a result, most people will turn out, in an important sense, to be morally good. Our relative badness, by giving us good reasons to limit moral demands, makes us morally good.

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  • Smilansky, Saul, 2010. "Moral Demands, Moral Pragmatics, and Being Good," Utilitas, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(3), pages 303-308, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:utilit:v:22:y:2010:i:03:p:303-308_00
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