Ethics in Trouble: A Philosopher’s Role in Moral Social Practice (1st draft, not for citation)

Contributions to moral practice and theory may come from philosophy, any social or empirical science, religious or political group, or any individual. We may call all contributors “ethicists”. However, accepting this linguistic usage, we should be aware that important distinctions may go unrecognized. Psy-chologists, philosophers, theologians, politicians or theorists do not play the same role. They come with different titles and different contributions. Ignor-ing these differences will result in problematic personal and political conse-quences. Philosophers may contribute a lot to moral practice, even when they are not looking for a theory that may be “applied ” to contemporary moral concerns. Showing the background, the underlying and unmentioned prem-ises of arguments brought forward in moral debates, is a recognized philoso-phical competence. The same holds for concept clarification or hermeneutic skills, the knowledge of historical development and the like. These compe