Saturday Quote: Peter Kreeft on Moral Absolutes


“We no longer like to talk about moral laws, values, and about moral absolutes. But we do like to talk about morality, a morality without absolutes. But a morality without absolutes is not a morality at all. “Do as you please” is not morality, “do as you ought” is morality. “Do whatever you think will have the best consequences” is not morality; it is a calculation. “Do what works” is not morality, it is efficiency. Morality means something different from doing what we please, or what we calculate will turn out all right, or what works; morality means doing what we ought to do. Morality is not optional, like a “value,” but obligatory, like a law. A morality without laws and obligations is simply a confusion, like a triangle without angles.”[1]


[1] Peter Kreeft “Are There Any Moral Absolutes?” Making Choices: Practical Wisdom for Everyday Moral Decisions (Cincinnati, OH: Servant, 1990), 28. Print.

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