“How could it be that I had a legal obligation to kill people I did not know, and who did certainly not consent to it, while my father's doctor could not help my father to die when my farther asked for it? My consternation brought me to moral philosophy and a life-long search for an answer to the question when and why we should, and when we shouldn't, kill.” PeopleKnowsShouldLongPhilosophyHelpingDiesFatherAnswersMoralDoctorsObligationConsentLong LifeMoral PhilosophyConsternation Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“I believe that one basic question, what we ought to do, period (the moral question), is a genuine one. There exists a true answer to it, which is independent of our thought and conceptualisation.” BelieveI BelieveAnswersMoralOughtPeriodsIndependentGenuineOur Thoughts Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“It is true (independently of our conceptualisation) that it is wrong to inflict pain on a sentient creature for no reason (she doesn't deserve it, I haven't promised to do it, it is not helpful to this creature or to anyone else if I do it, and so forth). But if this is a truth, existing independently of our conceptualisation, then at least one moral fact (this one) exists and moral realism is true. We have to accept this, I submit, unless we can find strong reasons to think otherwise.” IfsThinkingReasonFactsPainStrongAcceptingMoralHavensCreaturesDeserveNo ReasonHelpfulSubmitRealism Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“We should not accept moral nihilism unless we find strong arguments to do so.” ShouldStrongAcceptingMoralArgumentNihilism Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“Are there any good arguments in defence of moral nihilism? I think not.” ThinkingMoralArgumentDefenceNihilism Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“It is of note that for a long time moral nihilism was a kind of unquestioned default position in analytic moral philosophy.” KindLongPhilosophyMoralPositionLong TimeNotesNihilismDefaultAnalyticsMoral Philosophy Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“I am now a decided non-naturalist realist. And today we may even speak of a trend towards non-naturalist moral realism.” MayTodaySpeakMoralDecidedTrendsRealismRealistNaturalist Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“Being a moral realist I see normative ethics as a search of the truth about our obligations and a search of explanation; the idea is that moral principles can help us to a moral explanation of our particular obligations.” IdeasHelpingMoralPrinciplesParticularEthicsObligationExplanationRealistMoral Principles Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“I look at the most promising putative moral theories. I construct crucial thought experiments in areas where they give conflicting advice. I confront their conflicting advice with my own moral sensitivity, my moral intuition. I take the theory that can best explain the content of my intuitions as gaining inductive support through an inference to the best explanation.” GivingLooksMy OwnMoralSupportAdviceTheoryAreasIntuitionExperimentsExplanationCrucialSensitivityConstructsInference Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“These theories, deontology, the moral rights theory, and utilitarianism, contradict one another. Moreover, they give conflicting (inconsistent) recommendations. It is hence not possible to hold them together, in a pursuit of moral truth.” GivingTogetherMoralRightsTheoryPursuitInconsistentRecommendationsUtilitarianism Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“It is of note that even if utilitarianism has proved to be superior to deontology and the libertarian moral rights theory in the area of killing, we are not allowed to say that it has been finally vindicated; it has to face other challenges in other areas, in particular in situations of distributive justice.” IfsHas BeensFacesChallengesJusticeSituationMoralRightsParticularTheoryAreasNotesKillingLibertarianSuperiorsUtilitarianismVindicated Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“People in different cultures think very differently about abortion. Abortion is not seen as a moral problem for example in Sweden or Russia, but it is seen as a difficult moral problem in China and in the USA.” PeopleThinkingDifferentProblemCultureDifficultMoralExampleChinaRussiaUsaAbortionSwedenDifferent Cultures Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“There are some particular moral truths that I believe we have access to (such as the one not to inflict pain on a sentient being for no reason).” BelieveReasonPainI BelieveMoralParticularAccessNo ReasonSentient Beings Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“Normative ethics, pursued as a free, systematic, and critical attempt to find moral truth, regardless of religious and other authorities, is a rather new adventure. Let's wait and see what will happen!” HappensWaitingReligiousMoralAdventureAuthorityEthicsCriticalPursuedSystematicNew Adventure Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“One way of submitting your moral intuitions in relation to some issue to cognitive therapy is to learn more about how people in other cultures think about it.” PeopleThinkingWayCultureMoralIssuesRelationIntuitionOne WayTherapyCognitiveOther CulturesCognitive Therapy Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
