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Regarding scalar u-ism.

I've been aware for some time that u=ism can be formulated in a way with no obligations, but that creates a problem of it's own. If there are no obligations, what are we punishing people for, when we punish people?

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Doing bad things! Also, I wouldn't quite say there are no obligations, just that there aren't precise facts about them--I basically agree with Chappellhttps://rychappell.substack.com/p/deontic-pluralism

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Breaking the obligation not to do bad things?

There are clearly socially constructed facts about obligations, inasmuch as there are socially constructed obligations. The question then is whether there is any need to appeal to anything to beyond social construction to found ethics .

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We're punishing them for doing bad things, even if we don't think there are fundamental obligations not to do bad things.

You do need to appeal to stuff beyond social construction to ground ethics, because things really matter independently of societal attitudes, as I've argued in my defense of moral realism.

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I could say the opposite -- you need to appeal to stuff beyond scalar (ie.continuous) utilitarianism to get ground a criminal justice system.

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deletedJan 10, 2023·edited Jan 10, 2023
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Write this into an article and I'll write a reply. I don't want to hash this out over lengthy blog comment back and forth.

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