gives example of the psychological factors that create and help support the reification of all kinds of metaphysical ideas or dogmatism in general.And when the ought is finally separated from the custom, then it attaches itself to a new authority, whatever or whoever that new authority might be.89 The normative ought thus never lacks legitimacy, as it invariably will assure its legitimacy by allying itself to the strongest positive power at hand. From the dawn of time norms, moral as well as legal, have been apotheosized or made accordingly absolute as well as been internalized by their users: The tendency to make morals and the (inner) validity of morals absolute is especially prevalent when moral ideas are connected to religious ideas, as for instance with Judeo-Christian monotheism and Platonism.91The existence of an internalized morality has a distinct advantage as a normative guide in comparison with non-internalized systems of morality. This advantage expresses a ca l l f o r s c i e n t i f i c p u r i t y 271 “When the idea of an obligation, in the sense of a supreme value, gets established, there appears also a tendency to absolutize the reality which represents it.When a thing is raised to the level of something venerable in itself, there appears also the tendency to raise it above all limits. How could it be sacred in itself, if it were a natural phenomenon, dependent upon all kinds of external circumstances? In particular, it becomes necessary that the command of an authority should appear as indispensable, and that it should be unconditionally dangerous to transgress against it. Otherwise its inner venerability would be diminished.”90 89 Hägerström, “Moraliska föreställningar,” p. 36; “Moral Propositions,” pp. 84-85. 90 Hägerström, “Moraliska föreställningar,” p. 36; “Moral Propositions,” p. 85. Swedish: “I och med att föreställningen om ett böra i meningen av ett högsta värde utpräglar sig, framträder också en benägenhet att absolutifiera den verklighet, som framställer detsamma. Med upphöjelsen till något i sig vördnadsvärt följer tendensen att lyfta det vördade över alla skrankor. Huru skulle det i sig självt vara heligt, om det vore en naturlig företeelse, beroende av allehanda yttre omständigheter? Särskilt blir det nödvändigt, att auktoritetens bud framträda som odispensabla och därför absolut farliga att överträda. Därförutan skulle det förlora i inre vördnadsvärdhet.” 91 Hägerström, “Moraliska föreställningar,” pp. 36-37; “Moral Propositions,” pp. 85-86. 3. 3 the re i f icat ion of norms : re l ig ious inf luence s and ideas
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