Actions which do not lead to the best outcome for everyone
Actions which need to be punished in order to lead to the best outcome for everyone
(other suggestions welcome)
I have used one taboo word here: “best”. But we’ll assume everyone at least broadly agrees on its definition (least death and pain, most fun etc).
People can then start applying other taboo-able words, which may arbitrarily apply to one of the above concepts, or to a confused mixture of them.
Morality
The right thing
Intending to do the right thing
Should
Ought
So asking whether morality is about “doing the right thing” or “intending to do the right thing” or “oughtness” is just going to lead to confusion—different people comparing one fuzzy macro against another.
The connection to free will as I see it comes from 2 - punishing an agent’s actions won’t achieve anything if the agent lacks sufficient free will. Again, asking what its connection is to morality etc. is probably a question which should be dissolved.
As I see it, there are:
Actions which do not lead to the best outcome for everyone
Actions which need to be punished in order to lead to the best outcome for everyone
(other suggestions welcome)
I have used one taboo word here: “best”. But we’ll assume everyone at least broadly agrees on its definition (least death and pain, most fun etc).
People can then start applying other taboo-able words, which may arbitrarily apply to one of the above concepts, or to a confused mixture of them.
Morality
The right thing
Intending to do the right thing
Should
Ought
So asking whether morality is about “doing the right thing” or “intending to do the right thing” or “oughtness” is just going to lead to confusion—different people comparing one fuzzy macro against another.
The connection to free will as I see it comes from 2 - punishing an agent’s actions won’t achieve anything if the agent lacks sufficient free will. Again, asking what its connection is to morality etc. is probably a question which should be dissolved.