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Full Idea
Right action is whatever, once it has been done, has a reasonable justification.
Gist of Idea
Right actions, once done, are those with a reasonable justification
Source
Sextus Empiricus (Against the Professors (six books) [c.180], 7.158)
Book Ref
'The Hellenistic Philosophers:Vol.1 translations', ed/tr. Long,A. /Sedley,D. [CUP 1987], p.451
A Reaction
Why does he add 'once it has been done'? Wouldn't a proposed action be right if it had a reasonable justification? This grows out of the classical and Stoic emphasis on reason in ethics, and leads towards Scanlon's Contractualism.
6032 | Right actions, once done, are those with a reasonable justification [Sext.Empiricus] |
15671 | Move from individual willing of a general law, to willing norms agreed with other people [Habermas] |
20992 | Right and wrong concerns what other people cannot reasonably reject [Scanlon] |
21005 | A human right is not plausible if public scrutiny might reject it [Sen] |