DEUTSCHJörg Luy
Transformation through thought experiments and fair deal
In accord with the European Enlightenment we assume that human reason disposes of a sense of morality and justice which enables each responsible citizen to recognise by himself the line between moral and amoral conduct towards sentient beings. The idea hereof has been developed and improved during the passed 250 years. Today we know that we have to «transform» ourselves imaginatively into the animal in question. Scientific findings about the species are of help in the process, but they cannot lead to moral conclusions on their own. Only when such findings are applied to the sense of morality, interacting with one’s own moral concept, the idea of the well-being of a counterpart will originate, and based hereon a reasonable ethical imperative. Examined in this way, the sense of justice should define the limit of use.
