Theoretical analysis demonstrates how moral-epistemic circumstances shape procedural duties in ethical agents, highlighting a dual framework of procedural and substantive norms.
Often, we’re unsure what morality requires, and there’s a debate about whether our moral uncertainty and moral beliefs matter to what we should do. I argue that (1) our moral-epistemic circumstances (our beliefs, credences, and evidence about morality) matter to what we morally ought to do; (2) many objections to this are only problems if we assume all moral norms are sensitive to moral-epistemic circumstances; and (3) we should avoid this with an account incorporating procedural norms that are sensitive to our moral-epistemic circumstances (analogous to legal due process norms) and substantive norms that aren’t (analogous to substantive justice norms).
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Chelsea Rosenthal (2026) studied this question.
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