What is Moral Actualism?

ABSTRACT:

Does philosophy figure into our discussions about political theory and policy making? For many the answer is two-fold: when philosophy is practical—i.e., when it is a direct enquiry into government practices and the relationship between states and their citizens, the discipline is a crucial means to legitimising policies, and grounding actions in a set of coherent and justifiable beliefs. On the other hand, thought experiments, logic problems, language riddles—philosophy of a more theoretical nature—is not typically consulted. In politics, we want to narrow down pragmatic answers that can intuitively appeal to the masses, not overcomplicate ideologies to such a linguistically technical point that they become unintelligible to most. This essay is an attempt to ‘do’ political philosophy in the second, less appreciated way. At the end of my arguments, I aim to explain how these kind of enquiries might inform our politics, particularly when it comes to political discourse which is, by nature, theoretical—such as debates regarding our impact on future generations