Two types of morality

Negative morality is making a life satisfactory.

Positive morality is making a satisfactory life better.

In this construction, our obligation would be to negative morality. It is the kind of morality that we usually focus on in discussions of ethics and obligation. It is essentially a concern with Full security of human rights. I call it a “negative” morality because it is essentially a reduction of immorality. It certainly is not a bad type of morality!

While negative morality holds most of our attention, I suggest here that there is a positive morality as well. Anything that does not impact a being’s basic rights but still makes a non-trivial contribution to their quality of life falls under this idea of positive morality. This probably includes aesthetic considerations and issues of personal and interpersonal fulfillment.