Open AccessRossian Minimalism
Author(s) -
Ned Markosian
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of ethics and social philosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1559-3061
DOI - 10.26556/jesp.v4i1.38
Subject(s) - minimalism (technical communication) , prima facie , epistemology , duty , philosophy , action (physics) , ethical theory , contemporary philosophy , law and economics , sociology , mathematics , physics , statistics , theology , quantum mechanics
The main question addressed in this paper is: What is the most promising ethical theory (specifying necessary and sufficient conditions for any action’s being morally right) that can be formulated in terms of the notion of a prima facie duty? I try to show that the answer to this question involves an ethical theory that, despite never having been discussed, is nevertheless worthy of serious consideration. The theory, Rossian Minimalism, says, roughly, that an act, A, is morally right iff no alternative to A would constitute less of a violation of prima facie duties than A.