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Full Idea
While one can determine from the concept of morality that there is an objection to murder one cannot determine completely what will count as murder.
Gist of Idea
Morality shows murder is wrong, but not what counts as a murder
Source
Philippa Foot (Morality and Art [1972], p.7)
Book Ref
Foot,Philippa: 'Moral Dilemmas' [OUP 2002], p.7
A Reaction
She then refers to abortion, but there are military and criminal problem cases, and killings by neglect or side effect.
Related Idea
Idea 22446 In the case of something lacking independence, calling it a human being is a matter of choice [Foot]
| 2141 | I suggest that we forget about trying to define goodness itself for the time being [Plato] |
| 19582 | Morality and philosophy are mutually dependent [Novalis] |
| 14784 | Ethics is the science of aims [Peirce] |
| 7136 | Morality is a system of values which accompanies a being's life [Nietzsche] |
| 8039 | Moore tries to show that 'good' is indefinable, but doesn't understand what a definition is [MacIntyre on Moore,GE] |
| 2943 | Ethics cannot be put into words [Wittgenstein] |
| 6968 | Some people think there are ethical facts, but of a 'queer' sort [Ayer] |
| 6972 | A right attitude is just an attitude one is prepared to stand by [Ayer] |
| 22445 | Morality shows murder is wrong, but not what counts as a murder [Foot] |
| 7419 | Ethics is the conscious practice of freedom [Foucault] |
| 5319 | Avoid punishment, then get rewards, avoid rejection, avoid guilt, accept contracts, follow conscience [Kohlberg, by Wilson,EO] |
| 4003 | Selfhood and moral values are inextricably intertwined [Taylor,C] |
| 20289 | Ethics is universalisable - it must involve an impartial and universal view of things [Singer] |
| 18665 | Moral problems are responsibility conflicts, needing contextual and narrative attention to relationships [Gilligan] |
| 21788 | The moral will is self-determining, but the ethical will is met in society [Houlgate] |