Does Practical Ethics Require Foundationalism?
Some philosophers still write as though it were necessary to choose among consideration of consequences, rights, virtues, and responsibilities, as the focus of ethics and to categorize all ethical considerations under schools of thought such as “consequentialist,” “utilitarian,” or “deontological.” Such thinkers treat accepting rationalist foundationalism as a requirement for discussing practical ethics. This requirement has two consequences. First, it creates a barrier to most people, who usually recognize their experience of secular or religious moral practices and traditions, such as practices of their democracies or their religious traditions, have shaped their moral understanding. Second, this requirement creates the mistaken impression that adopting one or another foundationalist position makes an important difference in one’s responses to moral problems. Whether one believes that moral behavior ultimately comes down to promoting (or seeking to promote) the greatest happiness for
