Moralitywhat

Moralitywhat is a coined term used in some philosophical discussions to denote the substantive content of morality—the questions of what makes actions, traits, or policies morally permissible or impermissible. It is not an established field and is not widely recognized in scholarly taxonomy, but it is sometimes employed to prompt analysis of the “what” of moral claims.

In practice, moralitywhat is often contrasted with related questions such as why something is morally right (the justification or reasons) and how moral norms should be applied or enforced (practical implementation). The term can function as a mnemonic device or pedagogical tool to separate evaluative content from justification or application.

Philosophically, the moralitywhat dimension concerns the content of moral judgments: the properties that make actions right or wrong, the moral status of agents, and the scope of moral consideration. Debates within this dimension include whether moral properties are objective or subjective, culturally relative, or reducible to non-moral descriptions. The “moralitywhat” aspect also touches on linguistic and metaphysical questions about the formulation, reference, and truth-conditions of moral discourse.

Usage and reception: Because moralitywhat is not standard terminology, it appears mainly in introductory discussions or as a thought experiment. It may be used in ethics pedagogy or in literature to emphasize that moral claims encode evaluative content that can be analyzed independently of the reasons given, the consensus held, or the actions taken in response.