Moral Truth Research Articles

Moral Certainty instead of Moral Objectivity

This paper argues that although Dworkin’s aim of developing a more practical understanding of moral truth is plausible, his attempt to do that while keeping the concept of moral objectivity remains deeply problematic. Because of its opposition to everything subjective, moral objectivity stands in an inherent conflict with the practical reality that we experience as persons from a first-person perspective; therefore, Dworkin’s attempt to reconceptualize moral objectivity from within a first-person perspective is inherently contradictory. The paper suggests that we should go one step further than Dworkin and give up the concept of moral objectivity altogether. A notion of moral certainty instead of moral objectivity would satisfy Dworkin’s intention of finding a practical conception of moral truth more adequately. A brief preliminary conception of it is developed while invoking the German philosopher Robert Spaemann’s ontology of a person.

KONSEP KEADILAN DALAM PERSPEKTIF EKONOMI ISLAM

Justice is a condition in which ideal moral truth is achieved, both in the context of objects and individuals. Justice becomes a very crucial principle especially in an effort to overcome the economic and social injustices that often arise in the conventional economic system. Islamic economics as a distinct field of study, emerged as a response to the perceived shortcomings of the conventional economic system. The purpose of this study is to analyze the concept of justice in the perspective of Islamic economics. This research uses the literature study method to examine the concept of justice in the perspective of Islamic economics. This method involves collecting and analyzing data from various relevant literature sources such as books, journal articles, and other publications that discuss justice and Islamic economics. The concept of justice in Islamic economics creates balance and equality in various economic transactions. The concept of justice in the perspective of Islamic economics is a crucial element that must be upheld to build trust and harmony in every economic activity, as well as to ensure that every individual can contribute to collective welfare without pursuing personal interests alone

The Subjective Ought and the Accessibility of Moral Truths

Abstract Many philosophers think that descriptive uncertainty is relevant to what we subjectively ought to do. This leads to a further question: is what we subjectively ought to do sensitive to our moral uncertainty as well? Includers say yes—what we subjectively ought to do is sensitive to both descriptive uncertainty and moral uncertainty. Excluders say no—only descriptive uncertainty matters to what we subjectively ought to do (i.e., moral uncertainty is irrelevant). Excluders argue that common motivations for the subjective ought only give us reason to think that descriptive uncertainty matters. This paper focuses on one motivation: accessibility. Excluders argue that accessibility does not motivate the Includers’ view because moral truths are always accessible – unlike descriptive facts which are not always accessible. My goal is to defend the Includers’ view by arguing that moral truths are not always accessible in the relevant sense.

Establishing veritocracy: Society, truth and science.

In the west, truth is being eroded by post-modernist ideas such as alternative facts. Once truth is no longer valued it is a short route through nationalistic populism to fascism. To combat this we need to establish the idea of 'veritocracy' as a form of government. A veritocracy is a democracy in which truth is so highly valued that promising to tell the truth will become a central feature of politicians' election manifestos feeding back the idea of veritocracy deeper into national culture. A proper understanding of the nature of science can support the idea of veritocracy. This proper understanding will not repeat the mythology of post-World War II philosophy and history of science, but will begin with the much more socially cognisant revolution in our understanding of science that began in the 1960s and 1970s. Nevertheless, a 'wave three' of science studies will justify science, not as a certainty-maker for policy, but as the way to bet in developing the best understanding of the observable world. The key is that science depends on moral truth in its attempts to develop correspondence truth. Science, like the law, should be a 'check and balance' in pluralist democracies and an object lesson in how to pursue truth in decision-making.

Перспективы развития комплексной психолого-религиоведческой экспертизы

Broad distribution of pseudo-values in recent decades that contradict true spirituality, morality, cultural and historical traditions has resulted in barring theologians and religious scholars from participation in a comprehensive psychological and theological examination as experts. Thus, the opinion of a great number of professionals is disregarded. Representatives of traditional confessions in our country have a lot to say: they have extensive experience in the issue of translation of spiritual and moral values, evaluation of activities of intra-confessional radical movements, settlement of confl icts and diff erences.

Pricean ignorance

ABSTRACT Richard Price’s moral epistemology provides a distinctive account, not only of the sources of our moral knowledge, but also of its limits – that is, of the moral truths that we do not and even cannot know. According to this moral epistemology, the fundamental moral truths are necessary rather than contingent; if they are knowable at all, they are knowable a priori. In general, fundamental moral truths are akin to mathematical truths. Specifically, these necessary moral truths are grounded in the essences of act-types, which are knowable through ‘intuition’ if knowable at all. However, Price firmly rejects utilitarianism, recognizing several different ‘branches of virtue’, which can conflict with each other. As he argues, we cannot know the truth about act-types that exemplify such conflicting branches of virtue if the competing considerations are too finely balanced. This view of moral epistemology is compared with those of several other philosophers, including W. D. Ross. It is argued that Price has a more unified view than Ross: for Price, all moral knowledge flows from a priori intuition, but this is compatible with our being ignorant of many of the fine details of the fundamental truths of morality.

Dada Bhagwan’s Insight on Intellect

In this paper the attempt has been made to clarify Dada Bhagwan’s concept of Intellect. Further, its difference and relation with the concept of faith, Knowledge, Prajna are also seen critically. The whole approach of Dada Bhagwan is analytical, critical as well as practical. Further, it should be noted that like Swaminarayana or Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Dada Bhagwan also narrated the metaphysical, epistemological or moral truths in very lucid and colloquial language and expressions. The highest noble truths are expressed by him with simple examples of day-to-day like. Thus, it can be said regarding the writings of Dada Bhagwan that an illiterate will find it easy to understand and a scholar will find complex reasoning in his writing. The paper comprises of the narration and clarifications of Dada Bhagwan’s theory of Akrama Vijnana. Here, fate and freedom of soul, emancipation of soul is discussed with reference to the use of intellect. Dada Bhagwan elaborately gives the specific definition of Faith, Fate, Freedom, Intellect, Knowledge, Decisive knowledge, Prajna etc. Further it is expressively seen in Dada Bhagwan’s writings that the whole effort is done not only for intellectual pleasure, but for the purpose of Sadhana or spiritual practices for the attainment of salvation. Firstly, we will see his basic brief concept of Akrama Vijnana according to Dada Bhagwan and then his detailed definitions, concepts and practices will be discussed, with his views on the necessity and limitations of intellect.

The Popes as guardians of human dignity

The text emphasizes the significance of a Christian philosophy of life in guiding a society towards human rights and the dignity of individuals. It underscores the Church’s prophetic role, asserting that followers of Christ are called to uphold justice and oppose oppression. The text also highlights the interconnectedness of eternal salvation and temporal well-being, rooted in core Christian convictions. It explores the Church’s responsibility for the common good and the autonomy of earthly realities, advocating for the respectful stewardship of creation. The text addresses the contemporary challenge of protecting human life at all stages and emphasizes the Church’s historical commitment to the value of every individual. Drawing on Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclicals, it asserts that the Church is inherently charitable and actively engaged in promoting human development, education, and well-being. The text rejects the notion that the Church should merely react to global issues, arguing for a proactive role in shaping the future by emphasizing humanity’s vocation within God’s creation. It critiques ideological pluralism that rejects moral truths, highlighting the emptiness and lack of true hope in a worldview without God. The text asserts that the Church’s antidote to this vision is to focus on the beauty and dignity of the human person, emphasizing the individual’s dual nature of soul and matter. It acknowledges the challenges within a secularized society but stresses the need for human rights to be rooted in an authority beyond human consensus for lasting universality.

Adaptive translation of medieval morality plays for contemporary African audiences: A case study of the morality play Everyman in Sesotho

Morality plays such as Everyman were first produced in England during the latter half of the 15th century. Their fictional nature, however, clothed moral truths in line with Catholic doctrines. The main aim of these plays was to teach audiences lessons in Christian living and salvation. Although these plays initially have a Catholic background, this does not exclude them from providing valuable lessons in Christian teaching to Protestant believers of the 21st century. The major problem with these plays is their interpretation of theological concepts such as “saints”, “Adonia”, and “priests”, making it difficult for Protestant believers, the Sesotho audience, in this case, to understand Everyman translated in Sesotho and written from a Catholic perception of such concepts. This article seeks to address the most important question: How can a better translation of the morality play Everyman be offered to Sesotho-speaking Protestant believers? The answer to this question is that an adaptative translation of the morality play Everyman into Sesotho better addresses the needs of these Protestant believers. In addition, this kind of translation should also be performative. The study uses the research methodologies of translation adaptation, performance criticism, and the functionalist skopos theory within the broader theoretical framework of a complexity approach to translation.

Influences of the Arts and Nurse Ethics.

Art has limitless definitions, meanings, and modes for presentation. It is a pivotal cocreation designed to provoke and stir up artists' personal beliefs, values, and thinking. Art is uniquely received by those persons experiencing it in the moment. The author in this article illuminates the significance of the arts with the enduring ethical truths found in nursing paradigms and theoretical frameworks. The humanbecoming ethos is used to illustrate the importance of the arts in human living and its future implications for the advancement of the discipline of nursing.

Aquinas and Anscombe on Connaturality and Moral Knowledge

AbstractThe idea of ‘connatural knowledge’ is attributed to Aquinas on the basis of passages in which he distinguishes between scientific and affective experiential knowledge of religious and moral truths. In a series of encyclicals beginning with Leo XIII's Aeterni Patris, popes have celebrated and commended Aquinas as the supreme guide in philosophy and theology and in some of these cited his discovery of connatural knowledge. The course and context of his ‘elevation’ are explored before proceeding to a discussion of moral knowledge in which different forms of non-theoretical cognition are identified. This leads to an examination of work by Elizabeth Anscombe on the factuality of ethical judgement and connaturality. Aquinas and Anscombe offer important insights but more work remains to be done. Moral knowledge is a many-faceted thing. More accurately, it is not one thing but many things analogously related both by their modes and by their objects.

THE ROLE AND PROSPECTS OF SUFISM IN INTER-CIVILIZATIONS DIALOGUE: ROGER GARAUDY AS MODEL

Sufism, in its essence, delineates the intricate relationship between humanity and the divine, entailing acts of worship, ethical comportment, and adherence to the divine injunctions. It is, at its core, a spiritual introspective voyage, a quest to unravel metaphysical and moral truths. Islamic Sufismunveils profound prospects within the realm of inter-civilizations dialogue. It stands as a multifaceted dimension of Islamic spirituality and belief, plumbing the depths of monotheism while striving to harmonize human volition with the divine decree. Within the tapestry of Sufism, life, in all its multifarious dimensions, finds convergence within the unity of the Divine. Islamic Sufism furnishes solutions to a panoply of universal human quandaries. Simultaneously, it lays the groundwork for understanding the other, transcending the boundaries of ethnicity, gender, or creed. It constitutes the bedrock upon which robust inter-civilization dialogues can be founded. Within its embrace, individuals liberate themselves from the parochialism of isolation, heralding an era of security, and enabling the edifice of individual and collective human stability, thus facilitating the construction of a holistic global order. Roger Garaudyposits that Sufism emerges as a profound ontological framework, liberating individuals from a gamut of determinative and constraining forces that often impede the individual's trajectory towards God. Through the prism of Sufism, one transcends the confines of idolatry, casting off the shackles of unbridled desires, and in the process, attaining an acute recognition of the omnipotence of God. Sufism amalgamates introspection with praxis, striving to attain equilibrium and concord among diverse peoples and civilizations, all while honoring the distinctiveness and fundamental tenets of each. This fusion ultimately furnishes the scaffolding for a common terrain, one that champions coexistence, intellectual and cultural exchange, whilst rejecting all manifestations of parochialism and violence, and thus serving as the crucible for the dissemination of global peace and security. This odyssey commences with the discerning and enlightened self, one that is endowed with the discernment of truths.

조지 엘리엇의 리얼리즘에서 관습과 스테레오타입의 문제

This paper examines the issue of stereotypes and conventions as constitutive elements of the realist form, focusing on chapter 17 of Adam Bede, which is most often cited when discussing the realist aesthetic of 19th-century English writer George Eliot. The emphasis on stereotypes and conventions is centered on Eliot’s observation of the still life. I argue that Eliot’s fiction aims for moral truth rather than mechanical objectivity in its representations in order to elicit reader’s sympathy. As such, Eliot’s realism emphasizes empirical observation while simultaneously embracing idealism. In addressing the often-debated “question of objectivity in the aesthetic representation of reality” in realism, the focus then needs to be on the word “aesthetic” as much as on “objectivity,” and this paper argues that Eliot’s aesthetic achievement is not sufficiently free from the constraints of convention and stereotype.

A Tension in Some Non-Naturalistic Explanations of Moral Truths

Recently, there has been some excitement about the potential explanatory payoffs the newish metaphysical notion of grounding seems to have for metaethical non-naturalism. There has also been a recent upsurge in the debate about whether non-naturalism is implausibly committed to some acts being wrong because of some sui generis piece of ontology. It has, in response, been claimed that once we have a clear enough picture of the grounding role of moral laws on non-naturalism, this is not (objectionably) so. This move, I argue, is inconsistent with certain constraints on what non-naturalist-friendly moral laws must be for them to do the explanatory work non-naturalism requires of them elsewhere. In other words, there is tension between the grounding reply to the supervenience objection and the grounding structure implied by some responses to the normative objection.

Abysmal jurisprudence: On the genesis of John Finnis’s practical guide to statesmen

John Finnis’s central role in Brexit was only the latest intervention in a long life of practical action that recommends a closer examination of the genesis of his distinctive philosophy. He always insisted that it was intended ‘primarily to assist the practical reflections of those concerned to act, whether as judges or as statesmen or as citizens.’ In this article, I argue that Finnis crafted his philosophy as a practical guide for conservative actors in the disenchanted Cold War world of the 1960–70s. My first aim is to excavate the theoretical foundations of his Thomist theory of natural law. While his turn to practical rather than speculative reason is well known, few if any appreciate how Finnis radically refounded Thomist natural law on an implicit theory of history. By accepting that the world was historically contingent and changing, he needed to show how we could know the timeless truth of practical reasonableness and the basic goods. In the final chapter of Natural Law and Natural Rights, Finnis introduced an ‘abysmal’ philosophy of history that explained how a spoudaios (wise man) could reason his way out of the historical contingency of the human world to access the timeless moral truths that transcended it. My second aim is to show how Finnis used his Thomist theory of natural law as a practical guide for action in our contingent world. He followed Eric Voegelin in describing humanity as two ‘hostile camps’ – the ‘transcendental’ Christians and their secular allies versus the ‘immanentist’ liberals, communists, and fascists all committed to ‘consequentialist’ ideologies. In this eternal battle of good versus evil, Finnis saw his philosophy as a practical guide for this ‘creative minority’ of transcendentalists for collective action against the heretical faith of immanentist movements aiming to perfect mankind and build heavens on earth.

How Much Moral Psychology Does Anyone Need? Tolstoy's Examples of Character Development and Their Impact on Readers

AbstractNothing was more important to Tolstoy than character development. For him, the purpose of life is to grow morally. The purpose of literature — as all art — is to aid that growth. Abstract philosophy and pedantic scholarship are therefore redundant. Indeed, even the psychological novel is a distraction. Moral truths are self‐evident. They are always simple. They are expressed by the humble. They are known by the meek. To become good, all we need to do is peel back the layers of hypocrisy and deceit that have overwrought us. Moral truths are known all over the world, but they are forgotten or covered up. There is nothing like a folktale, a pithy aphorism, or the words of a farm laborer or child to point this out. We may be surprised by what we already know and how deceived we were. All Tolstoy's varied endeavors, his literature, pedagogic theory and philosophy, center on moral conversion and its only legitimate motivation: love. Tolstoy's affront on modern civilization, documented vehemently in his later works sought to teach this lesson. This was a view of character development that had wide ranging impact all over the world, influencing many of the most famous thinkers, educators, and activists of the twentieth century. Tolstoy's stories continue to enthrall and inspire moral transformation. In this article Daniel Moulin explains why.

Ethical Subjectivism: A Lost Cause

Individual relativism, also known as ethical subjectivism, is an attractive theory about morality. It argues that morality is a matter relative to the individual in a way akin to personal taste. For example, subjectivists regard the ethical judgment ‘Stealing is wrong’ as comparable with the judgment of taste ‘I dislike Brussels sprouts’. Yet, subjectivism is not nihilism. While nihilism denies the existence of moral value, duties, principles and truths, subjectivism claims that they exist, but they are subjective like taste. In this paper, I argue that ethical subjectivism ought to be rejected as it is an incoherent, undefendable, and a pernicious position.

Non-ideal Critical Realism Analysis on the Ethical Positions of Secular Doctors Towards Human Genome Editing

Human genome editing could be used to improve human intelligence, appearance, and physical strength. The ethical issues posed by the technology are causing public concern. Secularism views efforts to find moral truth do not depend on supernatural authority. The existence of a secular minority in Indonesia is considered an anomaly in public discourse and is left behind in the morally critical policy-making deliberations on genome editing regulations. The research explored Indonesian secular doctor’s view of human genome editing. This qualitative research used a non-ideal critical realism approach through in-depth interviews and literature review. Secular doctors say that human genomic editing has no different weight from other artificial selection. After conducting a risk-benefit analysis through moral calculus, secular doctors generally have positions and attitudes that support the research and implementation of human genomic editing technology.

The truth of reenactments: reliving, reconstructing, and contesting history in documentaries on genocide

ABSTRACT This article seeks to renegotiate the relationship between reenactment, truth, history, and the archive in documentaries on genocide. It moves away from the common binaries surrounding the supposed creativity and fictionality of reenactments as opposed to the evidentiary and static archive, and instead reads reenactments as facilitating access to truth. Through four case studies of Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah (1985), Laurence Rees’s Auschwitz: The Nazis and the ‘Final Solution’ (2005), Rithy Panh’s The Missing Picture (2013), and Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing (2012), it contends that reenactments in documentaries on genocide problematize the associations of an image’s supposed indexical link to a past event with truth. Instead, reenactments confront us with the constructed nature of historical narrative and enable us to see affective, factual, and ethical truths of the past unavailable through the archive.

Explanationism versus Modalism in Debunking (and Theory Choice)

Abstract At the core of the recent debate over moral debunking arguments is a disagreement between explanationist and modalist approaches. Explanationists think that the lack of an explanatory connection between our moral beliefs and the moral truths, given a non-naturalist realist conception of morality, is a reason to reject non-naturalism. Modalists disagree. They say that, given non-naturalism, our beliefs have the appropriate modal features with respect to truth – in particular they are safe and sensitive – so there is no problem. There is a stand-off here. I argue, though, that by looking at the role explanatory and modal factors have to play in theory choice more generally, and, in particular, by considering the practice of theory choice in science, we can see that the explanationist is right. The lack of an explanatory connection between our moral beliefs and the moral truths is a reason to reject non-naturalist realism about morality.