Summary
Highlights
William David Ross, a moral realist, argues for objective moral truths. He differentiates between 'rightness' belonging to an act and 'goodness' belonging to a motive. These concepts are indefinable but can be understood through their physical manifestations. Goodness is not absolute but depends on specific situations.
To discern the rightness of an act and the goodness of its motive, we must consider the non-moral properties or circumstances surrounding the act. An example of a physician administering medicine is used to illustrate how the act's rightness and motive's goodness are determined by intent and correct action.
Ross rejected consequentialism, stating that maximizing good is just one prima facie duty among others. He introduces prima facie duties as conditional duties and actual duties as unconditional, stringent moral obligations. The actual duty is the 'duty proper' that we are morally obligated to fulfill.
When faced with conflicting duties, Ross states we must choose the prima facie duty with a greater balance of rightness over wrongness. An example of Gloria, who has a promise to her son and a duty to help her boss in an emergency, demonstrates how to identify the more stringent, actual duty through intuition.
Ross, considered an intuitionist, believes we can apprehend our actual duty from conflicting prima facie duties through intuition, as it is self-evident. He advises studying the situation extensively to arrive at a sound opinion about which duty is more stringent.
In 'The Right and the Good', Ross lists seven basic prima facie duties that guide moral decisions. These duties are not ranked and must be judged separately. They include fidelity, reparation, gratitude, justice, beneficence, self-improvement, and non-maleficence, each defined by a specific moral obligation.