Ethics of Ephemerality: Moral Decision-Making from a Ground of Minimal-Dual Awareness
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) May 26, 2026 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20396841 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Narrative Existentialism Consequentialism Moral realism Internalism and externalism Moral psychology Moral agency Prosocial behavior Action physics Epistemology Normative ethics Moral disengagement Agency philosophy Consciousness Mainstream Perception Virtue ethics Deontological ethics Embodied cognition Sympathy Moral reasoning Strict constructionism Ethics of care |
| Key points | Proposes that ethical authority in present-centered consciousness is grounded in relational reality and yields a normative model called 'Ephemeral Virtue,' distinct from consequentialism and deontology. |
Abstract
In a world understood through Existential Realism (ER) – where only the present moment truly “exists” – and under Minimal-Dual Awareness (MDA) – a mode of consciousness with reduced self–other splits and narrative thought – a puzzle arises: What grounds our obligations, commitments, and ethical agency when the “story-self” dissolves? We propose that ethical authority is rooted in the relational reality of the present. Instead of appeals to future plans or past identities, our normativity derives from a disciplined, non-evasive contact with whatever exists now – notably others’ suffering, dependence, and vulnerability. This yields a novel normative model we call “Ephemeral Virtue,” a present-responsive virtue-ethics. It establishes a third mode of moral cognition, distinct from both consequentialism (utility aggregation) and deontology (rule-obedience), characterized by minimal-dual responsiveness: action guided by immediate perception and few ego-distortions, aiming spontaneously at non-harm, honesty, and proportionate care. We show that mainstream moral theories (Kantian, utilitarian, contractarian, even care ethics) implicitly rely on a diachronic narrative self – and explore how commitments, blame, and justice can be re-interpreted and re-grounded when narrative constraints relax. We develop a taxonomy of present-centered virtues (e.g. non-evasion, attunement, impartial benevolence) that flourish in the moment. Finally, we connect this framework to moral psychology and neuroeconomics, proposing testable hypotheses: for example, that MDA (or mindfulness-like) states will reduce activity in the Default Mode Network (a neural correlate of narrative self), and correspond with greater prosocial behavior in economic games. We outline experimental designs – combining psychometric measures of present-awareness (e.g. nondual awareness scales), behavioral tasks (e.g. moral dilemmas, trust games), and neural metrics (fMRI DMN connectivity) – to investigate these predictions. By doing so, this paper aims to (i) offer a rigorous normative theory of “ephemeral virtue”, (ii) expose the hidden narrative-dependence in ethical thought, and (iii) chart a path toward empirical study of moment-based moral cognition.