Moral Principles

I once wrote a dissertation on this subject. Ironically, after a year of writing and reading and learning as much as I could, my brain was exhausted.

It has slightly recovered.

Before, I had gotten so far as to seperate some different kinds of principles from one another. I had Absolute Rules, Pluralistic Rules, ProTanto Duties (Prima Facie rules), Weak and Strong Particularism. All very good. I felt the Absolute end was a bit much, and the Particularist end was a bit weak, and (as many do) quite liked the middle pro tanto bit. I wanted a new theory based upon an algorythm, but didnt know what to say about it.

It was hugely intetesting and I want to rework it, re study it, and finish what I began. I was having a few thoughts earlier which might help.

Principles sound old fashioned and wrong. "I am a man of principle" sounds horribly conservative, dickensian, antiquated and a bit silly. And yet it is aiming at a thing I want to say about how I aproach life.

I both follow rules and aim towards the best reasults in my moral choices. I feel the rules are a way to make decisions which tend toward the best reasults more oftern, and help when time is to short or information is to scarse to judge. I tend to make my own up based upon this kind of method , but doubtless inherit many initial 'buds' of moral rules. My system is basically particularist: I value no rule higher than I value my feel for the situation.

This suprises me, I thought I was a 'Pro Tanto-ist'. You live and learn.

The issue is not what I actually do, but rather what is actually correct. If moral principles exist, what form do they take? This wonder stays a puzzle seperate from everyday concerns about how one lives. Even if moral principles were unknowable (they may be) or 'unworkoutable' it would still matter what they were 'really like' (I am a bit worried what this means. What 'Really' can mean and if its worth talking about?)

Ill think morw and write later. Comments welcome.