The Moral Behavior of Ethicists and the Role of the Philosopher

Eric Schwitzgebel

Professional ethicists appear to behave no differently than do non-ethicists of similar social background. The evidence suggests that they are no likelier to donate to charity, to choose a vegetarian diet, to reply to student emails, to pay conference registration fees they owe, to return their library books, to vote in public elections, to stay in regular contact with their mothers, to be blood or organ donors, or to behave politely at conferences.  On some issues, however, such as charitable donation and vegetarianism, ethicists tend to endorse more stringent ethical norms than do non-ethicists.  This pattern of results might fit with a view on which the role of the philosopher is only to espouse and defend ethical norms, not to live according to those norms.

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