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Full Idea
It would be more honest to recognise that the 'should' of moral judgement is sometimes merely an instrument by which we (for our own very good reasons) try to impose a rule of conduct even on the uncaring man?
Gist of Idea
We sometimes just use the word 'should' to impose a rule of conduct on someone
Source
Philippa Foot (Morality and Art [1972], p.18)
Book Ref
Foot,Philippa: 'Moral Dilemmas' [OUP 2002], p.18
A Reaction
This is a good example, I think, of the ordinary language tradition that Foot grew up in. We load a word like 'should' with a mystical power, but the situations in which it is actually used bring us back down to earth.