ABSTRACT
Rational moral education requires that moral standards are taught in different ways depending on whether they are justified, unjustified or of uncertain justificatory status. This chapter presents some examples of moral standards whose justificatory classification may not be immediately obvious and work through the process of establishing it. It focuses on whether it is morally wrong to give offence. It is common for parents to refuse to consider the option of private education, to feel guilty if they do consider it, and to be censured by friends and colleagues if they take it up. For other parents, though, private education is simply one option among others, to be weighed up in light of the numerous practical considerations that bear on school choice, but certainly not to be ruled out on principle. It is quite possible to endorse a prohibition on homosexual acts without feeling any inclination to condemn people for experiencing same-sex attraction.
