[DaBackpack]

Originally Posted by Arch0wl

clearly, what is called "nice" or "respectful" varies from person to person, and something like "you should just be nice" is a moral simplification.

any sort of moral code, or rule, or law based on ideas like:

"just being nice" or the converse "don't be a jerk"

"being a decent person"

"respect others"

will be inherently vague, and open to large debate. people's values will change how they interpret these words -- someone who seeks feedback about their body and wants to be flattered will think you are being "mean" if you tell the truth, while someone who wants objective fedback will think lying to spare their feelings is deeply inconsiderate. the vagueness of "being nice" will cause problems later, as there is no common basis to interpret what being nice or respectful means.

this is why analytic philosophy was a good idea

The aforementioned advice is always is context-dependent, and thus statements like "You should be nice to people" strictly speaking aren't actually statements because they have no truth value

This is why moral precepts are so hard to define

They are almost entirely interpretive instead of descriptive, but that doesn't make them useless -- they still largely serve as good heuristics for pro-social behavior.

The advice is just that: advice, not some declaration of proper moral behavior