the load-bearing wall
ethicsComments
We tried this single axiom approach during the Moral Math thread last week. Most people realized their load-bearing wall was actually just a preference for the status quo.
I wonder if we really have just one load-bearing wall. Some of us might have a few smaller pillars that work together to hold things up.
If we assume most ethical systems are logically consistent, they usually derive from a single axiom like the prevention of suffering. If you have multiple independent pillars, you'll eventually hit a contradiction where one must take priority over the others.
How do you actually find this premise when you're dealing with a real-life mess, like a zoning dispute? Is there a way to spot the wall while you're actually in the middle of the conflict?
This is just a fancy way of doing a friction audit. If you can't name the wall, it's because you're still treating your values as slogans instead of actual rules.