Q&A: Moral Discussion
Moral Discussion
Question
Is it possible to discuss moral values? (Incest, euthanasia)
And if so, how?
You can’t get from facts to moral conclusions.
Answer
It is logically impossible to ground values in facts. That is the naturalistic fallacy. But facts can cause a person to understand what is morally right and wrong. The way to discuss values is through rhetoric, not logic. You can’t do it by means of a well-constructed logical argument, but rather by pointing to various consequences, understanding the situations, and that can sometimes lead a person to realize they were mistaken and change their values. The fact is that this does happen quite often. Of course, this is not a guaranteed method, and it will not always end in agreement. But that is true of any discussion, not only discussions about values.