Moral Progress: Three Feminist Perspectives
In her essay, “The Idea of Moral Progress,” Moody-Adams outlines her conception of moral progress and describes how she believes moral progress comes about. According to Moody-Adams, moral progress occurs “locally"—that is, with respect to a particular moral issue or moral concept—without requiring that we identify an ultimate destination toward which moral progress is headed (256). Moody-Adams then identifies two primary dimensions along which we can gauge moral progress: moral progress in beliefs and moral progress in practices (256-7). Moral progress in beliefs occurs when our understanding of a particular moral concept (or set of concepts) deepens, leading to a newfound appreciation for that concept and greater insight into a given moral issue (Moody-Adams 256). Moral progress in practices, on the other hand, occurs when individual behaviors and social institutions change to reflect this deepened moral conception (Moody-Adams 257).
While moral progress in beliefs involves deepening our understanding of a given moral concept or set of moral concepts, Moody-Adams denies that moral progress in beliefs yields entirely novel moral concepts (257). Instead, Moody-Adams contends that a new moral conception constitutes moral progress only if it reflects a “defensible development in moral thinking"—i.e., only if it can be reasonably expressed in terms of “familiar” moral concepts, such as justice, compassion, and righteousness (257-8). Moral progress in beliefs thus involves a deepened understanding of a pre-existing moral concept rather than the minting of a new moral concept altogether; indeed, Moody-Adams even argues that a new moral insight cannot be assimilated unless it is reducible to such cardinal moral concepts (258). Such moral concepts also distinguish moral progress from social change since social change can take the form of gratuitous violence and extreme coercion (Moody-Adams 264-5).
Moody-Adams argues that engaged moral inquirers are the primary engine behind moral progress (262). According to Moody-Adams, engaged moral inquirers possess four primary characteristics: committed personal engagement to a particular moral issue, assumption of personal risks in advocating for moral change, minimization of risk to others, and willingness to use a variety of methods of moral persuasion that extend beyond traditional moral philosophizing (262). Engaged moral inquirers, however, are not limited solely to nonviolent direct action; they might also use art and their social and political position to express their views and drive moral progress (Moody-Adams 263). But moral progress, on Moody-Adams' view, requires more than just the action of engaged moral enquirers; it also requires individuals, such as policymakers, doctors, and teachers, actively working to reshape social institutions and practices (265).
Despite the efforts of engaged moral inquirers and other moral actors, moral progress can still succumb to a type of self-imposed ignorance of "what can and should already be known” (Moody-Adams 266). This ignorance arises from a failure to scrutinize oneself in relation to some moral concept or social practice; moral progress, on Moody Adams' account, thus requires openness to moral reflection and self-criticism (267). While moral philosophers may engage in such self-scrutiny, Moody-Adams maintains that they are unlikely to be the primary catalyst behind moral progress since they typically possess too limited a notion of the means of rational persuasion (263).
The idea of self-scrutiny and its importance in moral progress also finds expression in the form of moral narratives, which Diana Meyers explores in her essay, “Narrative and Moral Life.” According to Meyers, moral narratives are stories about ourselves, our experiences, and others, both real and imagined (288). This moral narrative is interwoven with the intentional agency of ourselves and others, allowing us to assign responsibility, assess guilt, and manage social relations (Meyers 288). As other narrativity theorists suggest, narratives enable us to piece together our unique identity while providing a natural framework for articulating and assessing moral dilemmas (Meyers 289).
Given the broad characterization above, moral narratives bear significant implications for the possibility and process of moral progress. Meyers addresses one of these implications early on, noting how negative, culturally transmitted narratives can harm members of oppressed groups (289). Latching on to pro-nativist sentiments, Trump became infamous for his heated rhetoric against undocumented Mexican immigrants in the 2016 election, producing this immortal gaffe: “They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” This vicious moral narrative only further disenfranchised undocumented immigrants in the US, serving as a pretext for Trump's even more heartless family separation policy. While such moral narratives can harm marginalized groups, strong counternarratives can repair reputations and restore agency (Meyers 289). Discussing the hardships that many undocumented immigrants face, for example, can aid progress toward a more inclusive, less xenophobic society.
Similarly to much deserved counternarratives, self-narratives can also play a significant role in facilitating moral progress. Self-identified animal lovers, for example, often find themselves at a crossroads when confronted with injustice against the animals they eat. The self-narrative that one cares about animals has led many self-professed animal lovers to reduce or eliminate their animal product consumption altogether, furthering the cause of animal liberation. Self-narratives can also alleviate cases of internalized oppression, wherein members of oppressed groups perpetuate their own oppression by identifying with negative stereotypes, engaging in harmful behavior, or otherwise ceding to coercive demands of the dominant culture (Meyer 297). As Meyers writes, internalized oppression can strip people of their “real abilities” and “rightful ambitions” (297). I recall reading an interesting conversation in which two gay men from the 1950's debated whether they could love each other. Believing their mutual attraction to be unnatural, they wondered what other “unnatural perversions” could manifest were homosexuality to become normalized, or, at the least, accepted—Pedophilia? Incest? Bestiality? Instead of ceding to the rampant homophobia of the time, they could have tried to adopt a more self-affirming self-narrative in which they acknowledged that their feelings were natural, allowing them to more freely pursue their desire to live together. The gradual “naturalization” of gayness, with “love is love" being an oft-uttered statement and many a bumper sporting a yellow-blue equality sticker, is certainly a testament to moral progress.
Self-narratives have a third use in promoting moral progress: allowing us to project an aspirational future where we have improved ourselves and achieved a world consonant with our moral values (Meyers 298). Such projections can provide a compelling vision that inspires us to continue fighting for causes that matter—or at least provide us with momentary relief by imagining that a better world is possible. These forward-looking self narratives can affirm our agency and restore our confidence. But as Meyers notes, it can be eminently useful to join communities that encourage us to consider "unorthodox plot lines” we might not otherwise pursue (298).
For all the importance of moral narratives in fostering or impeding moral progress, Elizabeth Spelman develops a third paradigm with its own implications for moral progress in her essay, “The Household as Repair Shop.” Throughout this work, Spelman defends her conception of the household as a place of respite and repair for our bodies and souls that enables us to continue functioning socially, mentally, and physically (47). After all, the household is where we execute many self-care and self-repair activities, from sleeping, to eating, to socializing with family members (Spelman 47). The repair services available in the household are crucial since, on Spelman's view, we are fragile, prone to "fissure and fracture” (47). Beyond the basic needs for food, shelter, and water, the household also provides a key environment in which to mend and strengthen relationships; the household therefore serves as a “multipurpose repair site," much like a car shop (Spelman 50). The household also provides “apprenticeship” in self-care skills, such as mending clothes, as well as a place to explore diverse issues from morality to economics. To Spelman, the household therefore serves as a place of self-repair that enables us to return to a functioning level as workers, family members, and citizens (51).
Spelman's notion of the household as a repair shop can play several roles in promoting moral progress. As a primary environment for rearing children, the household provides opportunities to instill valuable lessons in children (Spelman 47). The time I spend with my younger brother at home has proven sufficient to teach him that animal agriculture is an atrocity we ought not support. His conviction has grown to the point that he regularly wears vegan shirts, enjoys attending protests and disruptions, and strongly encourages our youngest brother to outgrow his meat-eating ways. The household also provides a place for maintaining a lifestyle that goes against the status quo. With the exception of Bobo's meals, almost every meal is vegan, and we make sure to throw large vegan feasts during Thanksgiving and Christmas to show our extended family how good plant-based food can be. By setting a positive example of our family's unconventional lifestyle, we have inspired a couple cousins and a few aunts to go vegetarian or mostly vegetarian, which demonstrates the power of a morally unified household to generate moral progress. The household can also serve as a place for emotional healing, solidarity, and community organizing, with our house containing thousands of leaflets, a couple dozen signs, and several laptops and DVD's for exposing animal cruelty.
Together, these three accounts of moral progress can form a resilient foundation for ethical campaigning, the goal of which ought to be nothing less than complete and total liberation for all, no matter one’s sex, sexual orientation, skin color, site of origin, socioeconomic status, disability status, senescence, and yes, even species.
