Can’t all moral statements be rewritten as conditionals? i.e. - “You ought not to murder” → “If you murder someone, we will punish you”.
Not really. Moral statements need to tell you what to do. The example you gave only helps make predictions. I know murdering will result in my punishment, but unless I know whether being punished is good or bad, this doesn’t tell me whether committing murder is good or bad.
Not really. Moral statements need to tell you what to do. The example you gave only helps make predictions. I know murdering will result in my punishment, but unless I know whether being punished is good or bad, this doesn’t tell me whether committing murder is good or bad.