THE FUNDAMENTAL NORMATIVE NOTION

When we argue with other people about what to do, very often we appeal to principles. Certainly when philosophers offer moral theories, and argue that we should be moral, they appeal to principles. And even when we, or they, offer reasons in place of principles, it is reasonable to think of such arguments as shorthand for appeals to principles. For no one would advocate an action simply because there was some reason in its favor, if it were clear that there were compelling reasons against performing it. Thus when reasons are cited in arguments, there is some idea that all the relevant reasons, taken together, support the action. This implies that there is some principle in the background that produces overall verdicts based on all those reasons: perhaps it is the simple principle ‘perform the action supported by the most reasons’, or perhaps it is some more complicated principle. One cites particular reasons in order to suggest that those reasons are sufficient to determine the outcome of the application of such a principle. The very plausible idea that two actions to which the same reasons are relevant must have the same rational status also suggests that reason-based arguments are backed by a unique principle: a principle that takes those reasons as input and yields the status of the action as output.