The Idea of a Moral Theory
Posted: Mon, Sep 22, 2025
Traditionally, a complete moral theory is understood to include both a theory of right and a theory of value.
Theory of Right
A theory of right (conduct) investigates the grounds of the deontic status of actions: X is the morally right/wrong thing to do because _______.
Deontic status of actions
| Morally right actions | Obligatory |
|---|---|
| Permissible | |
| Morally wrong actions | Impermissible |
Grounds of deontic status
(1) Metaphysical explanation: What makes an action right/wrong? Or, by virtue of what is an action right/wrong?
- Not an issue of correlation or even necessary/sufficient conditions: A theory of right should give more than a mere thumbs-up/-down and offer a compelling story of the “why?”
- Consider: X is the morally right/wrong thing to do if and only if Ding’s crystal ball says so—not explanatory even if true!
- Consider also: X is the morally right/wrong thing to do if and only if God so commands.
- The Euthyphro problem: Is X is the morally right/wrong thing to do because God so commands, or does God command that we do/not do X because X is the morally right/wrong thing to do?
- Horn 1: God commands that we do/not do X because X is the morally right/wrong thing to do—not explanatory, implying independent moral standards.
- Horn 2: X is the morally right/wrong thing to do because God so commands (divine command theory)—arbitrary, undermining the authority of morality.
(2) Action guidance: How do we figure out in practice if an action is morally right/wrong?
- “Ding’s crystal ball” theory is not very usable: I have only one crystal ball to consult, and it’s often hard to tell what the crystal ball is saying.
Theory of Value (“Axiology”)
Theory of value ≠ value theory (catch-all for ethics, political philosophy, etc.).
- A theory of good (affairs) investigates what makes states of affairs morally good/bad.
- A theory of moral worth investigates what makes agents morally good/not, virtuous/not.