‘Legal Theory Lexicon: Normativity, Morality, and Ethics’

“In ordinary English, the words we frequently use words like ‘normative’, ‘moral’, and ‘ethical’ in loose and imprecise ways. Sometimes, these terms are used interchangeably, and so one could say that a ‘normative argument’ is an ‘ethical argument’ and that both of those phrases are equivalent to ‘moral argument’. There is nothing wrong these usages – as long as they are clear. But we may have a need for more precise terminology that allows us to make distinctions between different kinds of reasons for action. In the discussion that follows, I will lay out a proposed set of stipulated technical definitions for these terms …” (more)

[Lawrence Solum, Legal Theory Blog, 15 November]

First posted 2020-11-16 04:09:02

Leave a Reply