ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors discuss the learning from one another by reasoning together. The story of the blind men and the elephant illustrates both the limitations of human reasoning and also the possibility that reasoning together, from different perspectives, will give greater understanding. Some moral philosophers hold that ethics is primarily about duty or character. The ethical teachings of philosophical and religious traditions offer a similar advantage, for these reflect long histories of thoughtful reflection. Reasoning by analogy will be especially helpful in learning from religious teachings. Human beings necessarily use both kinds of reasoning, and no approach to ethics is merely deductive or inductive. The authors suggest that reasoning is best understood in terms of how they make sense of their experience. By deductive reasoning the authors mean applying a principle or a presupposition in different situations.
