Wolf defines a moral saint as “
a person whose every action is as morally good as possible, a person, that is, who is as morally worthy as can be
.”
What is the problem with moral saints according to Wolf?
According to Wolf,
a moral saint would not be able to develop a cynical or sarcastic wit
. Wolf claims that, when it comes to admiring people, there seems to be a limit to how much morality we can stand. Wolf denies that moral sainthood requires the denial of the existence of an identifiable, personal self.
What is moral saint?
A moral saint is
someone who is ‘as morally worthy as can be
,’ and such a person, Wolf claims, would be quite unattractive, because sainthood is incompatible with many of the personalities and lifestyles we tend to find desirable (Wolf, 1982, 419).
Why is being a moral saint an undesirable goal for anyone according to Susan Wolf?
7 According to Wolf, these traits make moral saints unattractive or undesirable, because
they lack nonmoral virtues developed through genuine appreciation of nonmoral interests
. However, Wolf does not consider the possibility that nonmoral virtues might also be attainable through moral activities or interests.
Do moral saints exist?
Primer on Moral Saints
In other words, a “moral saint” is
someone who is morally perfect
. There are moral saints found in many moral theories, such as Util- itarianism, Virtue Ethics, and Kantian Ethics, meaning that there are many different types of moral saints.
Can you be too moral?
Morality is subjective.
You cannot be too moral
. However, you can get to where you feel guilty over things that don’t really matter. For example, if you get requests for money from many worthy organizations, you may have to ignore some of them.
What are moral virtues?
Virtues are applied morals –
actions that promote individual and collective well-being
. Examples include generosity, compassion, honesty, solidarity, fortitude, justice and patience. While often embedded in religion, virtues are ultimately a secular concept.
What does morally perfect mean?
People who are morally
.
perfect are all on a moral par
. The following principle asserts this for the case of two people: (T) If two people are morally perfect, then neither is morally better than the other. In contrast to what is required of morally perfect agents, the morally righ-
What is the moral exemplar?
Moral exemplars, like other role models, affect people in three key ways:
They act as behavioral models that provide examples of how one could behave, they show what is possible, and they inspire
(Morgenroth, Ryan, & Peters, 2015. (2015).
Why it is better to be moral than immoral?
Being moral benefits us in many ways. Socially, it allows us
to fit into groups better
and to be in concord with others. Psychologically, acting moral keeps our reputation solid and maintains a clear conscience.
What does Wolf not say about aspiring to moral perfection or saintliness?
Wolf’s argument is that
moral saintliness does not constitute a model of personal well-being for which it would be good or desirable for one to strive towards, but rather unhealthy
. … For example, one too concerned with moral sainthood would not have time to engage in Victorian novels, play tennis, the violin, etc.
What are Susan Wolf’s two versions of moral saints?
Wolf defines a moral saint as “a person whose every action is as morally good as possible.” She claims there are two variants of saints:
the Loving Saint and the Rational Saint
.
What is a meta ethical theory?
Metaethics is
the study of moral thought and moral language
. Rather than addressing questions about what practices are right and wrong, and what our obligations to other people or future generations are – questions of so-called ‘normative’ ethics – metaethics asks what morality actually is.
What do Saints do for us?
Saints are venerated but not worshipped. They are believed to be
able to intercede for salvation and help mankind
either through direct communion with God or by personal intervention.
What is another word for morally?
Some common synonyms of moral are
ethical
, noble, righteous, and virtuous.
What is the basis of morality according to Kant?
Kant believed that
the shared ability of humans to reason should
be the basis of morality, and that it is the ability to reason that makes humans morally significant. He, therefore, believed that all humans should have the right to common dignity and respect.
