Exploring Moral Knowledge and Its Role in Society

Devotional

Day 1: Moral Knowledge as a Practical Guide

Moral knowledge is not an abstract concept but a practical guide for living. It requires us to consider who we are and the world we live in, as these factors shape our moral decisions. This understanding is crucial for meaningful moral discourse. By engaging with the practical aspects of life and our existence, we can better address the question of how we should live, both individually and collectively. This inquiry is deeply intertwined with our understanding of our identity and the nature of the world we inhabit. For instance, when a young person contemplates their future, they must consider their identity, talents, and the life they envision. Similarly, humanity must grapple with questions about our nature and purpose to intelligently discuss morality. [00:28]

"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome." (1 John 5:3, ESV)

Reflection: Consider a decision you are currently facing. How can you apply your understanding of who you are and the world around you to make a morally sound choice today?

Day 2: The Intersection of Morality and Religion

Questions about morality often overlap with religious inquiries about the purpose of life and our nature. Even non-religious perspectives must engage with these fundamental questions to address how we should live. While some may approach these questions from a scientific or naturalistic perspective, they remain fundamentally religious in nature. This intersection highlights the importance of considering both moral and religious dimensions when contemplating how we should live. By doing so, we can gain a deeper understanding of our purpose and the nature of our existence. [03:38]

"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made." (Romans 1:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a moral question you have been pondering. How does your faith or belief system inform your understanding of this question?

Day 3: The Disconnect Between Moral Knowledge and Public Discourse

Many communities possess moral knowledge that guides their way of life. However, this knowledge often fails to influence public institutions and discourse, highlighting a disconnect between private beliefs and public policy. In public discourse, moral questions are often addressed through strategies that avoid relying on comprehensive doctrines. These include consequentialist approaches, which focus on satisfying preferences, and justice-oriented approaches, which emphasize public reason. While these strategies have their uses, they often fail to capture our deepest normative convictions, leading to a discourse that excludes significant moral insights. [05:03]

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2, ESV)

Reflection: Think about a recent public debate or policy issue. How can you bring your moral convictions into this conversation in a way that is both respectful and impactful?

Day 4: Challenges in Public Discourse

Public discourse often relies on strategies that exclude comprehensive moral doctrines, leading to a limited understanding of morality. This exclusion can result in polarizing and destructive discourse. Addressing this situation requires humility and an acknowledgment that we may not have a purely human solution. While removing barriers to moral knowledge in public discourse is a worthwhile endeavor, it may not yield significant results due to deeply ingrained cultural constraints. Instead, a more promising approach is to protect and strengthen communities of moral knowledge, allowing them to serve as a beacon of hope and a source of moral insight for society. [09:03]

"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." (Colossians 4:6, ESV)

Reflection: How can you ensure that your conversations, especially on contentious issues, are gracious and seasoned with wisdom today?

Day 5: Strengthening Communities of Moral Knowledge

Strengthening communities of moral knowledge is vital for maintaining moral insight in society. These communities can serve as a source of hope and guidance, potentially influencing public discourse positively. By nurturing these communities, we can preserve and pass on moral knowledge that guides how we should live. This involves creating spaces where moral insights can be shared and discussed, allowing them to permeate both private and public spheres. In doing so, we can foster a society that is more attuned to moral wisdom and better equipped to address the challenges of our time. [16:22]

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a community or group you are part of. How can you contribute to strengthening its moral foundation and encouraging others in their moral journey today?

Sermon Summary

In our exploration of moral knowledge, we begin by understanding it as a systematic, grounded, and teachable body of beliefs that address the practical question of how we should live, both individually and collectively. This inquiry is not about discovering morality as a separate entity but about engaging with the practical aspects of life and our existence. Our answers to how we should live are deeply intertwined with our understanding of who we are and the nature of the world we inhabit. For instance, a young person contemplating their future must consider their identity, talents, and the life they envision. Similarly, humanity must grapple with questions about our nature and purpose to intelligently discuss morality.

These questions often intersect with religious inquiries, such as the purpose of life and the nature of our existence. While some may approach these questions from a scientific or naturalistic perspective, they remain fundamentally religious in nature. Despite living in morally confused times, many communities still possess moral knowledge—a shared body of beliefs that guide how we should live. However, this knowledge often fails to permeate public institutions and discourse, particularly in law, where moral knowledge is deliberately screened out to maintain secularism.

In public discourse, moral questions are often addressed through strategies that avoid relying on comprehensive doctrines. These include consequentialist approaches, which focus on satisfying preferences, and justice-oriented approaches, which emphasize public reason. While these strategies have their uses, they often fail to capture our deepest normative convictions, leading to a discourse that excludes significant moral insights.

Addressing this situation requires humility and an acknowledgment that we may not have a purely human solution. While removing barriers to moral knowledge in public discourse is a worthwhile endeavor, it may not yield significant results due to deeply ingrained cultural constraints. Instead, a more promising approach is to protect and strengthen communities of moral knowledge, allowing them to serve as a beacon of hope and a source of moral insight for society.

Key Takeaways

1. religious perspectives must engage with these fundamental questions to address how we should live. [03:38]
3. Moral Knowledge in Communities: Many communities possess moral knowledge that guides their way of life. However, this knowledge often fails to influence public institutions and discourse, highlighting a disconnect between private beliefs and public policy.

4. Challenges in Public Discourse: Public discourse often relies on strategies that exclude comprehensive moral doctrines, leading to a limited understanding of morality. This exclusion can result in polarizing and destructive discourse.

5. Preserving Moral Communities: Strengthening communities of moral knowledge is vital for maintaining moral insight in society. These communities can serve as a source of hope and guidance, potentially influencing public discourse positively.

** [03:38]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:10] - Defining Moral Knowledge
[00:28] - Practical Questions of Living
[01:21] - Identity and Life Choices
[02:51] - Humanity's Moral Inquiry
[03:38] - Religious and Moral Questions
[04:32] - Moral Confusion in Society
[05:03] - Communities with Moral Knowledge
[06:09] - Moral Knowledge in Public Discourse
[07:18] - Secularism and Public Justification
[08:01] - Legal Discourse and Morality
[09:03] - Strategies in Public Discourse
[10:21] - Justice and Public Reason
[11:42] - Challenges in Moral Discourse
[13:09] - Prescriptions for Change
[16:22] - Strengthening Moral Communities

Sermon Clips

I take it we're not being too philosophically scrupulous about exactly what counts as knowledge but it seems to me for our purposes hoo-wee I understand it to be something more like some systematic grounded body and teachable body of beliefs that would be responsive to the very practical question how should I live or in that sort of collective version how should we live together. [00:00:03]

I think we necessarily have to acknowledge that our answers are going to depend on what we think we are you know what kind of beings or what we are and also what kind of life or world do we live in I just I think that's sort of unavoidable. [00:01:19]

I don't think we can really intelligently talk about morality how we should live without asking about what kind of beings are we as our life confined to this you know mortal sphere if there's some sort of purpose you know in life is there some larger purpose in the whole thing. [00:02:45]

Is there some purpose in life what kind of beings are we and so forth the kinds of answers that people might give to them aren't necessarily religious answers you know obviously someone might answer those questions by saying you know let's say from a purely like scientific naturalist view. [00:03:36]

In fact there are I think communities that have moral knowledge they have a shared body of beliefs teachable beliefs that are responsive the question about how we should live I suspect that most of us in this room you know are affiliated in some way with a community that probably has you know that kind of moral knowledge. [00:04:48]

A lot of the moral knowledge that we have in our various communities doesn't carry over into our institutions and a lot of it doesn't carry over into law which is my discipline and what I'm supposed to be writing about here so why would there if there's moral knowledge out there why is there not much moral knowledge in our public discourse. [00:06:00]

There have been two main strategies for trying to answer moral questions without relying up on the kind of moral knowledge that that many of us have I think or believe we have won both of them try to find a common denominator so that they won't be sectarian. [00:09:11]

A lot of our normative convictions are just not reducible either - I have a preference for for this or when you come to the public reason part the whole strategy is to exclude our deepest normative convictions so it's a kind of an anti normative normativity you know one in which our moral discourse will be that one that's very self-consciously against bringing in our allowing in for purposes of justification a lot of our deepest normative convictions. [00:10:56]

I think that's a reason why this kind of discourse is is so common but it is polarizing it is destructive and it tends to dissolve or screen out the kind of moral knowledge that we have that I think's our situation today. [00:12:55]

The first is that I'm not confident that we really have that there is really any I'll say purely human answer or strategy for dealing with our situation I was remembering this morning when I was an undergraduate that at Brigham Young University I heard a talk and I was trying to remember and I may have conflated my memories here. [00:13:15]

I think we also need to be sort of humble and realize you know there's we don't have control over a lot of this you know lots beyond our control with that caution you know two other points one is it might seem like the given my diagnosis that the answer would be to try and remove the barriers that are screaming screening moral knowledge out of our public discourse. [00:14:41]

This seems to me like the more promising approach is just to try to do what we can to protect and strengthen the communities of moral knowledge that we have because they're under threat too I think you know from law and culture and in other ways and so you know in the area of law I think like church autonomy doctrine or free exercise exemptions or in one way or another these are ways that you can I think we can try to use to again protect the communities that we have the communities of moral knowledge and belief. [00:16:09]

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