Philosophy, et cetera 2008-08-04

Moral Experts

What a great paper title: 'Who's to Say What's Right or Wrong? People Who Have Ph.D.s in Philosophy, That's Who' [pdf] (ht: Micha). The first half is a clear and rigorous analysis of all the different things that could be meant by the inane question in the title -- required reading for any intro ethics class. The second half of Sharvy's paper defends a controversial answer to the question 'who is best placed to answer questions about right and wrong?', or 'who are the moral experts?'If you have a medical problem, see a physician for advice. If you don’t like his advice, get a second opinion—from another expert... If you have a question about what is right or wrong, consult a professional philosopher... If you don’t like the advice your philosopher gives you, get a second opinion—from another philosopher. Philosophers, ...

read more   

more posts from Philosophy, et cetera