Must We Be Perfect?: A Case Against Supererogation

Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 63 (forthcoming)
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Abstract

In this paper we offer an argument against supererogation and in favour of moral perfectionism. We argue three primary points: 1) That the putative moral category is not generated by any of the main normative ethical systems, and it is difficult to find space for it in these systems at all; 2) That the primary support for supererogation is based on intuitions, which can be undercut by various other pieces of evidence; and 3) That there are better reasons to favour perfectionism, including competing intuitions about the good-ought tie-up, and the epistemic preference for theoretical simplicity.

Author Profiles

Calum Miller
University of Oxford
Megan Fritts
University of Arkansas, Little Rock

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