Cookies?
Library Header Image
LSE Research Online LSE Library Services

Respect for persons and the moral force of socially constructed norms

Valentini, Laura (2019) Respect for persons and the moral force of socially constructed norms. Noûs. pp. 1-24. ISSN 0029-4624

[img] Text (Respect for persons and the moral force of socially constructed norms) - Accepted Version
Download (478kB)

Identification Number: 10.1111/nous.12319

Abstract

When and why do socially constructed norms—including the laws of the land, norms of etiquette, and informal customs—generate moral obligations? I argue that the answer lies in the duty to respect others, specifically to give them what I call “agency respect.” This is the kind of respect that people are owed in light of how they exercise their agency. My central thesis is this: To the extent that (i) existing norms are underpinned by people’s commitments as agents and (ii) they do not conflict with morality, they place moral demands on us on agency-respect grounds. This view of the moral force of socially constructed norms, I suggest, is superior to views that deny the moral force of such norms, and it elegantly explains certain instances of wrongdoing that would otherwise remain unaccounted for.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Divisions: Government
Date Deposited: 09 Oct 2019 17:00
Last Modified: 27 Mar 2024 04:15
URI: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/102012

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics