permissibility

Permissibility refers to the status of an action as allowed within a normative framework—moral, legal, or social. An action can be permissible without being obligatory or particularly good; permissibility is about what one may do, not what one must do.

In moral philosophy, actions are classified as obligatory, permissible, or forbidden. Different theories determine permissibility differently: deontological ethics restricts permissible actions to those not violating duties; consequentialist ethics permits actions that maximize good or do not produce worse outcomes than alternatives; virtue ethics ties permissible to character and flourishing.

Legal permissibility concerns compliance with law and regulations; something can be legally permissible even if controversial morally, and vice versa. Social permissibility concerns norms and expectations within a community, which may be stronger or weaker than law.

Permission is often granted by an agent with authority, and conditions may accompany it. Permissibility can be contextual and conditional, varying with circumstances, information, and potential harms. Edge cases, such as lying to prevent harm or stealing to feed a family, are commonly discussed to illustrate debates across theories.

In practice, the notion of permissibility helps distinguish what is allowed from what is required or forbidden, guiding decision-making in ethics, jurisprudence, and public policy.