Moral Synthesis: Building Your Framework

To build a synthesis, we must recall our tools. Utilitarianism focuses on the consequences, aiming to maximize total happiness: $U = \sum_{i=1}^n u_i$. Deontology focuses on duty and universal rules, regardless of the outcome. Finally, Virtue Ethics focuses on the character of the actor, asking what a 'good' person would do to achieve Eudaimonia (human flourishing). While each theory is powerful, they often conflict. A Moral Synthesis doesn't pick one; it creates a hierarchy or a 'pluralistic' approach to use the right tool for the right job.

In advanced ethics, we rarely use just one theory. Moral Pluralism suggests that there are several values which may be equally correct but in conflict. To resolve this, philosophers use Reflective Equilibrium. This is the process of 'back-and-forth' reasoning between your intuition about a specific case and the general rules you hold. If your rule says 'never kill' but your intuition says 'save the many,' you must adjust either the rule or the intuition until they reach a state of balance or $Balance = Rules \leftrightarrow Intuitions$.

Creating a personal code requires lexical priority—deciding which values 'outrank' others when they clash. For example, you might decide that Non-maleficence (doing no harm) always outranks Utility (doing the most good). This prevents the 'Tyranny of the Majority' where the many benefit from the suffering of the few. Your framework acts as a heuristic, a mental shortcut that helps you navigate the 'gray areas' of life without starting from scratch every time.