Rejecting ethical deflationism

Abstract

The article presents a novel response to ethical theories that seek to undermine the importance of ethical questions, such as nihilism and relativism, arguing against both those that hold that no action is better or worse than any other and those that hold that no ethical theory is any better than any other. It claims that, in deciding whether to accept or reject an ethical theory as a basis for action, we must consider both the probabilities of the theories and their disparities—the difference between the value of choosing the best option in the theory and the average value of choosing the other options. It concludes that, while we must reject absolutely deflationary theories regardless of their probabilities, the decision of whether to accept or reject relatively deflationary theories depends on comparing their probabilities and disparities. – AI-generated abstract.