| I do not see reason for much disagreement. I think that the nature of socialization means there is, automatically and as the product of society, a duty to others, but I agree that there is a necessary tension between the needs of the group and of its individual members,and that the individual has to have scope to judge for himself a number of questions. I also think the all values have an admixture of the objective and subjective, insofar as they derive from the attempt to optimize society, including the rearing of children. Thus, a broad injunction against stealing, at least from those within the tribe, will be a common feature of societies. The difference will come in the ranking (in relation to other standards) and the narrowness or breadth of the exceptions. I think that, as society develops, both optimizing itself and reflecting on its practices, there is an increasing trend towards objective validity in its moral foundations, although, of course, there is room for subjective disagreement in application........ |
