[lit-ideas] Re: Inner Moral Law
- From: Robert Paul <robert.paul@xxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 01 Aug 2005 16:48:02 -0700
Just two points, and then I'm out of here.
The 'Ten Commandments' are a poor guide to any sort of 'universal
morality,' if there is such a thing. They presuppose a society of a
certain kind: one in which there is the institution of marriage; the
institution of private property (and hence of ownership); and they were
in fact addressed only to adult Israelite males. I grant that they are
now often taken as a foundation for morality in general, but if we're
concerned about framer's (or Framer's) intent, we might want to think
twice about engraving them on granite tables at every freeway entrance.
It's my understanding that they make up part of the covenant between God
and the people of Israel, in which there are rights and obligations on
both sides: in return for their keeping the law, God would make the
Israelites his chosen people. Both parties accused the other of
reneging, non-performance, etc., as a reading of the 'Old Testament'
will show.
This might suggest that these paradigms of moral instruction were
followed for prudential reasons, not because those to whom they were
addressed sought moral improvement.
Robert Paul
Reed College
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