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    The criterion of 'frequency' misunderstands how foundatio... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→Spiritual messages received through mystical encounters in traditional African religion are insufficient to constitute an adequate basis for a coherent ethical system.

    The criterion of 'frequency' misunderstands how foundational moral frameworks function—Western deontology also derives from sparse originary sources like the categorical imperative.

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    1 reason for
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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.Foundational frameworks derive authority from logical coherence, not empirical prevalence. Kant's categorical imperative is normatively powerful despite limited historical adoption.
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    • 2.Frequency conflates descriptive popularity with normative validity. A moral principle needn't be widespread to be foundational—its systematicity and internal consistency matter more.
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    • 3.Both deontology and non-Western ethics justify themselves through originary principles (duty, harmony, virtue) rather than consensus, making frequency an inappropriate criterion for either.
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    Reasons Against

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    Reason against
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    • 1.The claim equivocates 'sparse sources' with 'sparse adoption.' Kantian deontology emerged from centuries of Christian and Enlightenment thought, not a single moment like some religious frameworks.
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    • 2.If frequency is irrelevant to foundational status, the original critique of non-Western ethics using frequency was mischaracterized—the real disagreement concerns justification methods, not frequency.
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    • 3.Categorical imperative's influence on legal systems and institutions actually demonstrates wider institutional frequency than claimed, undermining the comparison's symmetry.
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    Key Terms

    Foundational moral frameworks(as used in ethics)
    The basic systems or theories that explain what makes actions right or wrong—the bedrock ideas that everything else builds on.
    Sparse originary sources(as used in this philosophical argument)
    A small number of starting points or original ideas that a theory comes from. 'Originary' means 'having to do with the origin or beginning.'
    Western deontology(as used in ethics)
    A way of thinking about right and wrong that focuses on following rules and duties (the Western philosophical tradition). 'Deontology' comes from the Greek word for 'duty.'
    categorical imperative(Groundwork, 4.421, 429)
    The moral law requiring that one will the maxim of an action as a universal law (removing any self-preference) and treat humanity in any person always as an end and never merely as a means
    criterion(as used in philosophy to describe a test for whether an idea works)
    A standard or rule used to decide whether something counts as true or valid.
    derives from(as used in philosophical arguments)
    Comes from or is based on; originates in.
    frequency(as used in linguistics)
    How often something appears or happens; in this context, how commonly a particular way of speaking is used.

    Connections

    2 topics

    Virtue Ethics1 linkedReligious Experience1 linked

    Related

    Both deontology and non-Western ethics justify themselves through originary prin...Categorical imperative's influence on legal systems and institutions actually de...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    Foundational frameworks derive authority from logical coherence, not empirical p...
    Frequency conflates descriptive popularity with normative validity. A moral prin...
    +3 moreShow less
    If frequency is irrelevant to foundational status, the original critique of non-...Spiritual messages received through mystical encounters in traditional African r...The claim equivocates 'sparse sources' with 'sparse adoption.' Kantian deontolog...