It was and is the hope of many to develop an axiomatic framework for morality as rigorous as anything in mathematics. To create a Moral (or Ethical) Calculus with which one could solve moral (ethical) problems just like one might solve a differential equation. Obviously, we aren't anywhere close to that point yet; perhaps because too few people are working on the problem.

It would be interesting to list various formulations of morality (starting with a definition of the word), examine the axioms they use, and proofs (or even handwavy arguments) built on them.

'''Definition of morality'''

'''Rawlsian morality'''

        * autonomy
        * authenticity
        * rationality (rational plans. more?)
        * dispassion
        * egalitarianism
        * fairness
        * ?

'''Utilitarianism'''

Every person has a Utility Function, a partially ordered set of preferences (even this may not be realistic). In order to resolve conflicts between people's utility functions, Utilitiarianism creates a Global Utility Function. Amartya Sen showed there was no non-arbitrary method of aggregating partially ordered sets of preferences. IOW, constructing a unique global utility function is impossible and Utilitarianism is trivial (makes no meaningful predictions).

''Can you summarize (if you're familiar with it) AmartyaSen's work on choice/opportunity? Is this (as it sounds) "just another utility function", and if so how does that square with his work you refer to above? (A pointer to an accessible treatment of this would be great, if anyone knows of one''

I hardly know anything about it. I found this on the web:

Nonetheless, the problem Sen identified through his research is the common assumption in welfare economics of incomparable interpersonal utilities. His famous 1970 treatise, Collective Choice and Social Welfare, finds that this is indeed the keystone in the famous "ArrowsTheorem". Without it, Sen argued, the theorem can fall; with it, the theorem is vacuous.

''Yes, I'd found something similar to that too. There was some other work about aiming to increase the options and choices available to people, rather than just looking at (say) their wealth and health as indicators of "good things"''

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Discussion (!?) moved to SillyMoralityArgument
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CategoryPhilosophy