Chapter 3 - Conflicting Sources of Normativity

Summary

In this chapter, it is argued that reasons stemming from different sources of normativity can be compared and balanced against each other, and that sometimes the all-things-considered verdict about such cases should be a gradualist one. The term extramural gradualism refers to this type of gradualist all-things-considered verdict. Acts that are somewhat normatively right in this extramural sense need not be somewhat morally right. An act can be somewhat right in the extramural sense even if it is morally right simpliciter. It is the conflict between different sources of normativity that triggers a gradualist extramural verdict, not the gradualist properties of the verdict it is based on. However, acts that are somewhat normatively right in the extramural sense may of course be somewhat morally right, or somewhat right with respect to self-interest. It is logically possible to be a gradualist about extramural verdicts but not about other types of verdicts, but considerations that support extramural gradualism also tend to support gradualism about the moral concepts RIGHT and WRONG.