Judgmentalism, Objectivity and Moral Refinement

Judgmentalism is to venial vices what criminalization is to deadly vices. In other words, when used prudently, it is a crucial form of moral self-defense, proportioned to the severity of the moral defects that it aims to combat. Its absence signifies the abandonment of any notion of objective moral standards regarding all behavior that does not obviously deserve criminal condemnation. Thus, when used prudently, far from standing for crude moralizing, judgmentalism indicates moral refinement, manifested in the ability to exercise soft pressure where anything stronger would itself be morally impermissible. Little wonder that being unconditionally judgmental against judgmentalism is widely - and rightly - seen as a not-so-subtle attempt to destroy moral sensitivity under the pretext of promoting it.