Morten Sestoft

Introducing Polethics Morten Sestoft 1. utgave

Political and moral philosophy traditionally go together under the general discipline of practical philosophy which both is meaningful and has served philosophers well throughout history. Ethics, too, has bound the two together, but misunderstandings occur when moral philosophy, morality and ethics are confused - or not, since ethics and morals often are used interchangeably. To distinguish these notions, the concept of polethics is therefore needed, in part because it can replace or supplement the general discipline of practical philosophy, but also because it incorporates the distinct ideas into one heading. The premise of this whole enterprise is both metaethical and practical; metaethical because the position is non-cognitivist, and practical because the three fundamental moral theories (deontology, consequentialism, and virtue ethics) all have their practical application in a polethical scheme.

This essay investigates the philosophical and the political views on our peculiar and miraculous prosocial cooperative faculties. To sustain this miracle and make it long-lasting in tumultuous times like the present hyper-modernity where phenomena like alternative facts, deepfakes, and disinformation abound, we might need some proposals to narrow down the wide variety of beliefs that eventually polarize and divide to the point where cooperation and the closely connected necessary common view of the world collapses. Beliefs and world views in such fluid times are bound to differ, sometimes to be misunderstood or mistaken, thus diminishing personal opportunities of real choices - i.e. autonomous decision-making.

To save democracy, we need a competent citizenry that understands why a strong state in a pluralistic society must provide and protect equal political and personal rights and liberties for all.

DISCLAIMER: due to deep felt principles, this essay has not been neither written nor translated by using generative artificial intelligence, albeit some readers might have preferred that it was.