I. The aims and methods of descriptive ethics: I. Ideology and discourse: The ideological character of a moral code; The behavioristic approach; Inferred beliefs; The mentalistic approach; The use of "statement" and other terms; Objections; Descriptive ethics and descriptive linguistics | | | |
II. The method of hypothetical reconstruction: Meta-theories: Levels of discourse; Kinds of meta-discourse. Hypotheses in descriptive ethics: Criteria of a good hypothesis; The method of reconstruction. Natural and artificial ethical systems; Theoretical models: Artificial ethical systems as models; Theoretical status of these models. The method of Verstehen | | | |
III. Scrutiny of definitions of "ethics" (I): The problem; Requirements of a satisfactory definition: Explication; Justification and explanation; Justification by explanation. Durkheim on the authority of morality; Sanctions as a criterion of moral facts: The ethical meaning of "sanction"; Other meanings; Consequences anticipated by the agent; Mechanisms of control known mostly to the observer; Arguments against using sanctions as a criterion | | | |
IV. Scrutiny of definitions of "ethics" (II): Moral facts vs. values in general; Approbation as a criterion of moral facts: Moral approval and disapproval; Prescriptive and evaluative aspects of moral judgments; Spectator and agent ethics. Other criteria: The intuitive approach; The identification of ethical discourses in terms of content; The linguistic approach; The criteria offered by Duncan-Jones. Theoretical unsatisfactoriness of all these criteria | | | |
V. The definition in terms of moral prescriptions: Moral discourse in general; Prescriptions: "Oughtness"; Explication of "prescription"; The acceptance of a prescription; The acceptance vs. the fulfillment of a prescription; Linguistic analyses; Prescriptions vs. commands; Objections. The superiority of moral prescriptions: Autonomy; Priority. The legitimacy of moral prescriptions; Clues for the identification of ethical discourse. II. The structure of ethical discourse: VI. Components of a prescription: prescriptive qualities: Logical analyses of prescriptive statements: Imperatives and prescriptions; Kinds of negation; Immediate logical relations. Positive and negative prescriptive qualities: The notion of nonperformance; Differences between injunctions and prohibitions; Directive and constraining qualities. Degrees of stringency: Moral injunctions, counsels, prohibitions, and discounsels; Immediate inferences | | | |
VII. Components of a prescription: prescripta: The factors designating a prescriptum: Agents; Acts; Categorizing acts; Patients; Circumstances. General and particular prescriptions; Moral rules and moral principles | | | |
VIII. The logic of ethical discourse: validation: Validation in general: Validation and justification; Logical form of validation; Schematic ethical syllogism; The notion of "basic prescription". Modes of validation: Extreme particularism; The mode of selection; Finding and making the law; The mode of application; The mode of interpretation; Identifying characteristics of the various modes | | | |
IX. The rhetoric of ethical discourse: justification: Ethical argumentation in general; Description of basic prescriptions: Ground-motives; Classification of basic prescriptions and ground-motives; Philosophical explanations of the ground-motives; Derivation of prescriptions of varying stringency. The vindication of basic prescriptions; Ethical competence: Competence in general; Ethical competence; Criteria of ethical competence; Authoritarianism. III. A systematic reconstruction of Navaho ethics: X. The application of the general theory: The formulation of hypotheses; The thinker and the man of action; Field work with the Navahos: December-January, 1951-52: The Navaho moralist: Bidaga; Other sources. Navaho ethics vs. the ethics of a Navaho; Some practical difficulties in field work | | | |
XI. Navaho ethics in general: Non-literate rationalism; Esoteric knowledge; The Navaho philosophy of life: General existential beliefs; Practical concerns; Navaho materialism and individualism: the concept of property; Property and sex. An hypothesis about Navaho ethics: The identification of moral prescriptions; Contexts in which moral discourse is assumed to appear; Navaho prudentialism. Samples of ethical discourse: Father's teaching; Talks at weddings; Descriptions of the good and bad man | | | |
XII. Beliefs about man and the world: Exoteric beliefs: Friendly and unfriendly powers; Special kinds of beings. Reconstruction of Navaho categories of explanation: Mechanism; Temporal and spatial aspects of causality; The principle of general effects; The principle of many reasons; Some causal laws | | | |
XIII. The data: negative prescriptions: The classification of prescriptions: Navaho ethical expressions; Types of negative prescriptions. Taboos: "That's Bahadzid": Taboos in general; Specific taboos; The theoretical significance of taboos. Social prohibitions: "That will put you into trouble": Social prohibitions in general; Specific social prohibitions. Social interdictions: "People will talk about you and laugh at you": Social interdictions in general; Specific social interdictions; Relationship of social interdictions to other moral prescriptions | | | |
XIV. The data: positive prescriptions: Rectification: "Straightening things out": Restoration and the theory of curing; Specific accounts of "straightening out troubles". Personal prescriptions: "Care for yourself": Specific personal prohibitions; Special personal injunctions. Social injunctions: "Take care of others": Special social injunctions; Moral counsels; Explanation of the varying stringency of prescriptions. Traditional practices: "That's just the way they do that"; General remarks on the data: Prescriptions and actual behavior; Summary of ethical statements; Two methodological problems | | | |
XV. The structure of the reconstructed code: Outline of procedure; Taking the informant's reasons seriously; Nonauthoritarianism: The relation of the Holy People to morality; The appeal to tradition. Ethical competence and Navaho moral psychology: The distribution and conditions of ethical competence; Virtue is knowledge; Character and responsibility. Mode of validation: application | | | |
XVI. The content of the reconstructed code: Hypothetical reconstruction of the basic prescription: Division into two theses; Derivation of ethical statements given as data; Methods of testing hypothesis. The teleological thesis: Evidence which would falsify this thesis; Probing with Western formalistic principles; Justice; Residual categories: possible nonteleological principles. The egoistic thesis: Definition of "atomic egoism"; Specific tests of this thesis; Possible difficulties | | | |
XVII. Moral goals and moral ideals: The goals of morality: Explicit statements of these goals; Reconstructive analysis; Speculations on the negativity of Navaho ethics; Kluckhohn's conception of "harmony". Egoism and altruism: The derivation of altruistic prescriptions; The evaluation of actions. Comparison of the reconstructed code with western egoistic ethics: Epicurus; Hobbes; Spinoza; Basic dissimilarities | | | |
XVIII. Conclusion: Appraisal of the hypothesis: Reliability of the data; The adequacy of the hypothesis; Other possible approaches; Comparison with Brandt's procedures. The function of a moral code: For the individual; For society. Determinants of the content of a moral code; Descriptive relativism: Causal dependence and descriptive relativism; Universals. Normative relativism: The argumentum ex consensu and ex dissensu gentium; The recognition of relativity in normative ethics. Relevance of descriptive ethics to philosophical ethics: Normative ethics; Theoretical ethics. The role of the moralist | | | |