That is a useful statment, but, dear Glaucon (since you refuse the role, I must assume it. <g>), raises several questions and issues.
One is that it is entirely situational. Thus, using my earlier example, if you are raised in culture in which what is entailed in being a good father is subjecting your daughters to female genital mutilation, that establishes a baseline duty, and not to do it runs afoul of the moral code and, in the expression you started this discussion with many posts ago, makes you a bad person.
You went off of that to say that there are time when you should question the moral code, but your exegisis in this last post doesn't allow any way for that to happen if it's not part of the set of values you internalize. If you are raised Prussian, and one of your internalized values is absolute obedience, you have no chance not to do things that may offend you.
Now when you talk about the "preexisting moral universe into which we were born," dear Glaucon, I need to have you explain that. Are you talking only about the set of societial expectations, or do you think there is some moral universe which pre-exists the creation of human societies, some absolute moral imperative? Or is all morality situational?
There are other interesting questions your post brings up, but those will do for a start. |
