Trying to Be Moral, Morally

Abstract Often, we’re unsure what morality requires, and there’s a debate about whether our moral uncertainty and moral beliefs matter to what we should do. I argue that (1) our moral-epistemic circumstances (our beliefs, credences, and evidence about morality) matter to what we morally ought to do; (2) many objections to this are only problems if we assume all moral norms are sensitive to moral-epistemic circumstances; and (3) we should avoid this with an account incorporating procedural norms that are sensitive to our moral-epistemic circumstances (analogous to legal due process norms) and substantive norms that aren’t (analogous to substantive justice norms).

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Publication Details

Journal
Canadian Journal of Philosophy
Published
2026-09-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/can.2026.10067
Primary Topic
Philosophical Ethics and Theory
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Trying to Be Moral, Morally

Chelsea Rosenthal
Canadian Journal of Philosophy
Philosophical Ethics and Theory
article

Trying to Be Moral, Morally

Chelsea Rosenthal
article en

Abstract

Abstract Often, we’re unsure what morality requires, and there’s a debate about whether our moral uncertainty and moral beliefs matter to what we should do. I argue that (1) our moral-epistemic circumstances (our beliefs, credences, and evidence about morality) matter to what we morally ought to do; (2) many objections to this are only problems if we assume all moral norms are sensitive to moral-epistemic circumstances; and (3) we should avoid this with an account incorporating procedural norms that are sensitive to our moral-epistemic circumstances (analogous to legal due process norms) and substantive norms that aren’t (analogous to substantive justice norms).

Canadian Journal of Philosophy
Simon Fraser University (CA)
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, New York University, Simon Fraser University
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Philosophical Ethics and Theory
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