The Roots of Morality

  • The Roots of Morality I: Refuting Relativism (August 31, 2006)
    Moral relativism, the position which states that morality is reducible to opinion and nothing more, is inherently and irreparably self-contradictory and must be rejected, proving that morality is in fact objective.
  • The Roots of Morality II: The Foundation (September 5, 2006)
    Given that morality is objective, we must next figure out what its basis is. This post proposes happiness as the fulcrum upon which all morality must be balanced, and shows how other proposed bases are insufficient to bear that weight.
  • The Roots of Morality III: Universal Utilitarianism (September 7, 2006)
    Universal utilitarianism is the moral system that arises from the recognition of happiness as the supreme good. This essay unpacks some of its implications for human behavior and shows how it avoids the quandaries that bedevil other versions of utilitarian moral theory.
  • The Roots of Morality IV: The Theistic Rubber Stamp (September 12, 2006)
    Divine command ethics, far from providing an objective basis for human moral behavior, merely serves as a rubber stamp for whatever prejudices a believer already holds, and is therefore inferior to the secular principles of universal utilitarianism.