tside of all ethical frameworks by which to judge which framework to choose, since criteria are what constitute frameworks! Therefore any criticism of an ethical system must necessarily be phrased in one's own, which is obviously not very compelling to anyone outside of it, to say the least. Thus, to declare a person or group morally bankrupt is generally unproductive -- it accomplishes little since the reasons given are based on a justificatory principle not shared by all members of the discussion. The offending group has no motivation to alter their actions and no party is convinced who was not already. Without common public criteria for judgment, moral condemnation of another's action seems purely self-serving. It ultimately only reminds alternative moral factions that no one is immune from scrutiny, thus igniting a series of unproductive ethical denunciations that obscure real issues and stall action.The relationship between my two initial questions now becomes clear: when faced with individuals of an alternative moral ideology, difficulties arise in maintaining fruitful discussion without devolving into a stalemate and potentially, bilateral moral condemnation. The problem in much ethical dialogue is that at some point there no longer seems to be any common ground between participants, nothing public on which to base incompatible fine points. For many, the burden of proof in ethical matters rests on the other member: one assumes that one is right and that dissenters should attempt to convince us of their correctness, rather than that we have a responsibility to show justification for our supposed righteousness. This idea, coupled with that of common public principles of justification, leads me to suggest that we shift the focus in ethical discussion from differing motivation for action to the common desire of action. If two individuals of wildly varied ethical dispositions both desire the same outcome in a particular circumstance,...
