== 02.02.2026 - 12:15 - 13:45 (local Lübeck time, CET): Online via WebEx
Deep disagreements and moral progress
Jordi Fairhurst (Universitat de les Illes Balears)
Abstract:Deep disagreements over moral issues may pose a threat to moral progress. They are instances in which our worldviews take us in different directions, preventing us from going together. Despite increasing interest in moral progress (see Sauer 2021), and the epistemology and value of moral disagreements (see Rowland 2021), little attention has been paid to the implications of deep moral disagreements for moral progress. My paper sets out to fill this knowledge gap by showing that deep moral disagreements can contribute to moral progress. Initially, I outline multiple strategies for constructive dialogue in deep moral disagreements. These strategies allow disputants to make progress towards increases in the amount of common ground shared, reducing the gap in their intersubjective understanding. Subsequently, I assess the requirements for the success of each strategy, their contributions to moral progress and the risks they may entail. Last, I defend that the choice of one strategy or more depends on the specific challenges of, and the unique opportunities offered by, each deep moral disagreement. I argue that this requires focusing on four aspects of deep moral disagreements on a case-by-case basis: the characteristics of the disagreement, the character of disputants, the common ground they share and, lastly, the social context of the deep disagreement.
