Are you an essentialist or a voluntarist? (quiz)

Philosophy Forums Philosophy
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You can take this quiz here:
http://apps.facebook.com/areyouanethicale/quiz/questions?quiz_metric[activated_at]=1243239885&quiz_metric[clicked_attribute]=feeds_clicked&ref=nf

Seven questions, followed by three possible outcomes:

Upon what should human (rights) laws be based?

Humans should stop making baseless laws (at best, the base is impossible to know) and let nature take its course. (N/S)

Human (rights) laws should reflect the fallible will of legislators, per culture, or reflect laws which are constructs of human evolution. (V)

Human (rights) laws should reach across cultural boundaries and reflect discovered, essential moral standards. (E)

Is moral truth created or discovered?

There is no discoverable essential moral truth, and we are under no obligation to a construct. (N/S)

Moral truth is not essential to reality, but is created-a construct of will or nature. (V)

Moral truth is essential to reality, discovered with our reason and intuition. (E)

How is moral truth discovered?

We discover moral truth with our reason (rules out error) and intuition (resonates). (E)

We create moral truth with our will, or it is a construct of nature. (V)

There is no discoverable essential moral truth, and we are under no obligation to a construct. (N/S)

What is the source of what is “good”?

There is no discoverable, essential “good” and we are under no obligation to a construct. (N/S)

Human will is the source of what is “good”, God’s will is the source of what is “good”, or “goodness” is a construct of human evolution. (V)

God wills in accordance with His good, loving nature-He is what is essentially good (He did not have to develop virtue, but is the virtue He helps us to develop). (E)

For whom is moral truth “true”?

There is no discoverable essential moral truth, and we are under no obligation to a construct. (N/S)

Moral truth is relative to individual, group, or all humans, and will not survive them. (V)

Moral truth is common ground discovered by all with a rationally intuitive conscience. (E)

Is purpose/virtue created or discovered?

Essence precedes existence-our purpose/virtue exists to be discovered in the eternal. (E)

There is no discoverable essence (purpose/virtue), and we are under no obligation to a construct. (N/S)

Either purpose is a construct of human evolution, or “existence precedes essence” (Sartre) and we create our own purpose individually (appealing to human nature or Authority is a cop-out). (V)

How and why should we be and behave with others and ourselves?

How we should be, what we should do, the ultimate end, is love (God). (E)

There is no discoverable essential moral truth, and we are under no obligation to a construct. (N/S)

The answer is defined by self or group, or is a construct of evolution. (V)

If you mostly answered (N/S)–
You are a nihilist or skeptic. You either think there is no moral truth, created or discovered, or you think it is impossible to know what is true when it comes to morality. If you think there are things that are really, truly wrong, like abuses of the church, or napalming babies–you might want to rethink your position. If you have ever felt wronged or felt someone else was wronged–you might want to rethink your position. If you have ever admired someone for their good character–you might want to rethink your position. You may “believe” there is no discoverable moral truth–but you live as if you “know” there is discoverable moral truth. Really, you are an essentialist at heart, since you will not allow for a temporary, artificial construct to pass as truth.

If you mostly answered (V)–
You are a voluntarist; your convictions are floating over an abyss. You think moral truth is created, not discovered, or you ‘discover’ it where it cannot be found. If you value love as the highest good, you don’t think it is an eternal good discoverable by all rationally-intuitive consciences, but that it is self- or group-defined, or a construct of evolution. You either believe that our purpose is a construct of human evolution, or that “existence precedes essence” (Sartre) and we create our own purpose individually (that appealing to human nature or Authority is a cop-out). If God is in this picture, He arbitrarily wills that something is good, rather than being the essential source of goodness, but you most-likely believe that goodness is a construct of human will, or human evolution. You either believe human (rights) laws should be based in the fallible will of legislators, per culture, or that they should reflect laws which are constructs of human evolution. Since you do not acknowledge essential moral truth, your position reduces to nihilism, which violates your rationally-intuitive conscience.

If you mostly answered (E)–
You are an essentialist, standing on solid ground. You believe moral truth is essential to reality, discovered with our reason (rules out error) and intuition (resonates)–rather than created by human will or evolved with human nature. You believe that how we should be, what we should do, the ultimate end, is love (God). You believe happiness/love/goodness is common ground discovered by all with a rationally intuitive conscience: loving others as we love ourselves. You believe essence precedes existence-our purpose/virtue exists to be discovered in the eternal. You believe God wills in accordance with His good, loving nature-He is what is essentially good (He did not have to develop virtue, but is the virtue He helps us to develop). You believe human (rights) laws should reach across cultural boundaries and reflect discovered, essential moral standards.

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that is one of the most skewed surveys ive seen in awhile. not to mention, the evaluations themselves are false, and derive from false understandings of the terms involved.

a quick example of this is that “nihilist/skeptic” has nothing to do with being “non-essentialist”, even as its been defined here. affirming the subjectivity of human constructs and laws does NOT make one nihilistic or skeptic (these are not even the same term, and are related in a false manner here). “skeptic” does not equal “nihilist”, and certainly neither of these follows from the belief that human laws and morals are subjective constructs.

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Hey Ichthus!

How’s the fishing? Glad to see you back… I, of course, remain a nihilisticovolunteeriskepticist!! Luckily it doesn’t seem to affect my being a good guy. How’d the leap of faith stuff go?

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Thrice great–

Edited the original post … for example, took out “imagine” (‘construct’ is enough). Prob’ly still “skewed” of course.

It is not implied that they are the same term (otherwise, why would I use two terms?), and the way in which they are related here is appropriate. It is assumed the quiz-taker understands the terms.

That would make you a voluntarist… since you think we are obligated to constructs (nihilists, and those who choose skepticism over voluntarism, though they live against their own positions, would intellectually disagree) (heh…). And I agree they do not follow–rather, what should follow is essentialism (since we live as if we “know” there is essential moral truth–and nihilism/skepticism, as a position, is a denial of voluntarism… hence my comment that “Really, you are an essentialist at heart, since you will not allow for a temporary, artificial construct to pass as truth,”) (again, not that nihilism is the same as skepticism).

What up, Oughtist. Leap of faith? Pfft (did I do that right?)… I was pushed.

Sorry I don’t check in here much. I bar myself from it. I’m easier to contact at my yuku site. Over and out. Pssht.