A Pluralist ("Best Lights") View
of
Ethical Reasoning
W. D. Ross's list of prima facie duties, deriving from:
1.
Duties of fidelity, e.g., promise-keeping, and duties of reparation
2.
Duties of gratitude (deriving from previous acts of others)
3.
Duties of justice (deriving from possibilities of distribution of
pleasure or
happiness)
4.
Teleological duties: maximize the good (Ross calls these "duties of
beneficence")
5.
Duties of self-improvement (not only of moral self-improvement, but in
development as a musician, carpenter, etc.)
6.
Duties to respect the rights of others and to refrain from injuring
them (Ross
says contra J. S. Mill this is needed in addition to #4).
The individual resolves conflicts of
"moral pull"
by weighing duties and acting by her/his "best lights."