Why be moral?
Because God wants me to, because it will make me happy, or simply because it is right?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3384/de-ethica.2001-8819.24824Keywords:
Human dignity, Eudaimonia, Bestowed worth, Basic equality, Why be moral?Abstract
This article critically examines two different answers to the ancient question, why be moral. The first suggests that valid reasons refer to a specific relation between human beings and God. Here, being moral means to treat oneself and others with the respect that is the due of God’s closest friend. The second argues that we have good reasons for being moral when being moral makes us happy (realizes Eudaimonia). The investigation offers two results, one critical and the other constructive. The critical shows how and why both theistic accounts of bestowed human dignity and eudaimonistic accounts offer no relevant reasons for being moral. The constructive result builds on an observation; both accounts presuppose the inherent force of the obligation to act morally right. It shows that the reasons for being moral should be explicated as internal to the very meaning of being moral.
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