December 18, 2014

Absolutes That Aren’t

About the fundamental flaws in arguments that rest on (moral) absolutes.

Surely one can recognize the vast difference between torture of large numbers of innocent people, driven purely by hate and ideology, and ‘enhanced interrogation’ of individuals known to have participated in large-scale terrorist attacks, in an attempt to forestall subsequent hate-driven mass torture. Surprisingly, events such as the destruction of the Twin Towers have rarely, if ever, been described in terms of the torture that the victims of those events unquestionably suffered. I submit that conflation of the two acts in a single word reveals a very blindered view, and might even be called ‘judgment-free,’ i.e., immoral.

Many people are confident that they understand what ‘being moral’ is. Quite possibly that confidence is based on an expectation that some set of moral precepts exists, and that respect for, and obedience to, those precepts will be sufficient. Unfortunately, it is not nearly that simple.

People qualified to make the statement note that the ‘symmetry commandment’ – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – is at the core of all major religions of today. We also find it in Kant’s Categorical Imperative. But on close inspection we find that the symmetry commandment is not a rule at all: it is a test, for which no yardstick is given. Morality, then, does not tell us ‘what to do’ (or refrain from doing); it only directs us to judge our actions, but is mute about the grounds for such judgment. Yet those grounds must exist, and they must ‘pre-exist’: they can be recognized, but cannot be defined by negotiated agreement. Why not? Negotiation rests on good faith, and agreement rests on promise. Then those must exist before negotiation can even begin: they must pre-exist. And they do, in the symmetry commandment.

One might posit that the symmetry commandment should be seen as an axiom. Its validity cannot be proved; an axiom neither has nor needs proof. But the commandment may serve, and I submit that one could read it as a definition of the meaning of ‘being human.’ It is reflected, and implicit, in the Declaration of Human Rights, and earlier, in the Declaration of Independence.

If we accept the view that morality can ultimately rest on the symmetry commandment, and that the symmetry commandment effectively defines the notion of ‘being human,’ then those who flout the commandment will thereby place themselves ‘outside humanity’; they can no longer claim to be ‘human’. Such creatures can torture without pangs of conscience, and some – fortunately few – do. But no rule informs us what to do, or not do, with such creatures.

Using the same word to describe what our interrogators were encouraged and permitted to do in the national attempt to prevent future torture (in the form of mass terrorism), and the actual terror acts themselves, amounts to a conflation of two concepts that are worlds apart. Such conflation is immoral, first because it denies that difference, and second, because it does so deliberately to suppress rational thought.

“That is not who we are.” Regrettably, it may be exactly who we have become, though not in the sense of condoning ‘torture’ to which the slogan refers. For several decades now, an attitude has been growing that looting and rioting, as in, e.g., the aftermath of the Brown and Garner grand jury decisions, should be ‘understood,’ and even tolerated under the excuse of social victimhood. But the looters steal indiscriminately, the rioters destroy indiscriminately, and they do not seem to hesitate to assault people indiscriminately. Would that not be torture, in a very real sense? But such acts are all too often ignored or whitewashed, unless they happen to fit in the narrative of the moment. Thomas Sowell recently presented a strong argument that looting and destruction ravage precisely the people, neighborhoods, and environments that are already under – often self-made – stress. Condoning such riots is not in their interest.

Judging morality is not a simple matter. More often than not, moral judgment is called for, not to decide on the morality of some action, but to resolve the choice between what one may call conflicting imperatives. Conflating vastly different actions under the same word – be it ‘torture,’ or ‘rape’ and loutish behavior – may appear to remove the need for judgment. But it does not remove that need – it tries to hide it, at our peril.


Professor Maarten van Swaay retired from Kansas State University in 1995. He can be reached at [email protected].

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.