Slavery in Ancient Greece was ubiquitous. Let's assume every citizen of Athens, for example, accepted the legitimacy of slavery. Would that mean there were no morally good Athenians?
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Am I morally bad for boiling lobsters today if in 5 years time scientists discover that they are actually in agony, and have a surprisingly advanced reflective consciousness?
No. But not all not knowing is equal. That's the point. Not knowing isn't a sufficient condition for absolution, though it might in certain circumstances - such as your lobster example - be necessary to get you off the hook.
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OK, so my position is that X is morally right or wrong irrespective of whether you know or not, but you can't be held morally culpable for X if you've never encountered any reason for why it's wrong.
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That position has merit, but it's too hard & fast, I think. For example, what about motivated ignorance - never seeking out a reason? Or simply understanding that suffering, for example, is wrong - i.e., in a direct empathetic/experiential sense?
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What would be the conditions for absolution?
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Well, if there were no way you could reasonably know - that'd get you off the hook. So not knowing and not being able to know would be sufficient for absolution, I reckon.
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If I condemn Ancient Athenians, then I condemn myself. We still practice forms of human sacrifice thru slavery, supporting western lifestyles thru cheap labor, etc. "Ain't nobody clean. Be nice to get clean though." -- Trip in "Glory"
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Yeah, Peter Unger in his book, "Living High and Letting Die" suggest that we're much more culpable than we imagine for continuing with our affluent lifestyles in the face of massive human suffering.
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