Moral rationalism and the spirit of doing

Christopher Donald Cordner (University of Melbourne)

Moral rationalism has various versions. One shared theme of a number of versions is that (in Nomy Arpaly’s words) “what we praise in the morally praiseworthy agent is her responsiveness to moral reasons”. While I won’t assume a shared essence of moral rationalist views, that theme is a starting point for my critically reflecting on some things some moral rationalists say. Those critical reflections will help crystallise the importance of the spirit (by contrast with the letter) of moral responsiveness, in a way that at least marks a challenge for anyone wanting to cleave to some version of moral rationalism.