Introduction the Nature and Explanatory Ambitions of Metaethics
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David Hume and the Origin of Modern Rationalism Donald Livingston Emory University
A Symposium: Morality Reconsidered David Hume and the Origin of Modern Rationalism Donald Livingston Emory University In “How Desperate Should We Be?” Claes Ryn argues that “morality” in modern societies is generally understood to be a form of moral rationalism, a matter of applying preconceived moral principles to particular situations in much the same way one talks of “pure” and “applied” geometry. Ryn finds a num- ber of pernicious consequences to follow from this rationalist model of morals. First, the purity of the principles, untainted by the particularities of tradition, creates a great distance between what the principles demand and what is possible in actual experience. The iridescent beauty and demands of the moral ideal distract the mind from what is before experience.1 The practical barriers to idealistically demanded change are oc- cluded from perception, and what realistically can and ought to be done is dismissed as insufficient. And “moral indignation is deemed sufficient”2 to carry the day in disputes over policy. Further, the destruction wrought by misplaced idealistic change is not acknowledged to be the result of bad policy but is ascribed to insufficient effort or to wicked persons or groups who have derailed it. A special point Ryn wants to make is that, “One of the dangers of moral rationalism and idealism is DONAL D LIVINGSTON is Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Emory Univer- sity. 1 Claes Ryn, “How Desperate Should We Be?” Humanitas, Vol. XXVIII, Nos. 1 & 2 (2015), 9. 2 Ibid., 18. 44 • Volume XXVIII, Nos. 1 and 2, 2015 Donald Livingston that they set human beings up for desperation. -
The Evidential Weight of Considered Moral Judgments
San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Master's Theses Master's Theses and Graduate Research 2009 The evidential weight of considered moral judgments Christopher Michael Cloos San Jose State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses Recommended Citation Cloos, Christopher Michael, "The evidential weight of considered moral judgments" (2009). Master's Theses. 3352. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.28pf-kx6u https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/3352 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses and Graduate Research at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE EVIDENTIAL WEIGHT OF CONSIDERED MORAL JUDGMENTS A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Philosophy San José State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Christopher Michael Cloos December 2009 © 2009 Christopher Michael Cloos ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE EVIDENTIAL WEIGHT OF CONSIDERED MORAL JUDGMENTS by Christopher Michael Cloos APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY December 2009 Dr. William H. Shaw Department of Philosophy Dr. Anand J. Vaidya Department of Philosophy Dr. Richard L. Tieszen Department of Philosophy ABSTRACT THE EVIDENTIAL WEIGHT OF CONSIDERED MORAL JUDGMENTS by Christopher Michael Cloos The input objection to reflective equilibrium (RE) claims that the method fails as a method of moral justification. According to the objection, considered moral judgments (CMJs) are not truth-conducive. Because the method uses inputs that are not credible, the method does not generate justified moral beliefs. -
MORAL OBJECTIVITY and the PSYCHOLOGY of MOTIVATION by Jude Ndubuisi Edeh a DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfilment Of
Philosophy MORAL OBJECTIVITY AND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MOTIVATION By Jude Ndubuisi Edeh A DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Dr.phil) University of Münster Münster, Germany 2017 Dekan:Prof. Dr. Thomas Großbölting Erstgutachter: PD. Dr. Michael Kühler Zweitgutachter: Prof. Dr. Reinold Schmücker Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 04.10.2018 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am immensely grateful to Michael Kühler and Reinold Schmücker, my supervisors, for their generosity with their time, energy and support. It’s not always a given that you find people who are both interested in your project and believe you can handle it, especially at its budding stage. I benefited tremendously from your constructive criticisms and helpful comments, without which the completion of this project would not have been successful. I owe, in addition, a significant debt of gratitude to Nadine Elzein for supervising this project during my research stay at the King’s College, University of London. Nadine, your enthusiasm, philosophical insight and suggestions are invaluable. I owe special thanks also to Lukas Meyer for hosting me in August 2015 at the Institute of Philosophy, University of Graz. This project would not have been possible without the friendship, support, and insight of a good many people. In particular, I owe a significant debt of gratitude to: Nnaemeka’s family, Anthony Anih’s family, Anthony C. Ajah, Uzoma Emenogu, Vitus Egwu. I will always remain indebted to my family for their undying care and love. I would never have made it this far without your encouragement and support. ii ABSTRACT This dissertation provides a solution to the tension of specifying and reconciling the relationship between moral judgement and motivation. -
Literature Review
Norms and Reasons Benjamin Sorgiovanni B.A. (Hons) Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts University of Melbourne September 2009 Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Masters (by research) (by Coursework and Shorter Thesis) Abstract The concept of normativity is currently enjoying a period in philosophical vogue; it is at the centre of contemporary debates in fields as diverse as ethics and epistemology. Despite its popularity, the question of how we might best understand normativity remains a disputed one. Generally speaking, philosophers have favoured an intellectualist interpretation. It is typically assumed, for instance, that our engaging our higher-order capacities, our capacities for judgment, deliberation and reasoning, constitutes a necessary condition for our being sensitive to normative phenomena. Recently, however, an increasing number of philosophers have made the case for our favouring an anti-intellectualist interpretation, on the grounds, for example, that intellectualist frameworks are overly restrictive. In this study I assess these two competing accounts of normativity at the level of their respective positions regarding the connection between guidance by norms and guidance by reasons. Typically, intellectualists hold that if a norm is to guide action such that that action is also guided by reasons it is necessary that it be a norm which has some clear association with judgment and deliberation. Anti-intellectualists typically disagree; they are not inclined to see a norm's being disconnected from judgment and deliberation as decisive against that norm's guiding action which is also guided by reasons. In the first chapter I present Allan Gibbard's intellectualist analysis of the connection between guidance by norms and guidance by reasons. -
Gibbard, Allan
ThinkingH ow to Live with Each Other ALLAN GibbARD The Tanner Lectures on Human Values Delivered at TheU niversity of California, Berkeley February 28–March 2, 2006 Allan Gibbard is Richard Brandt Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy at the University of Michigan. He graduated from Swarth- more College and received his Ph.D. from Harvard University. He taught at Achimota School in Ghana while in the Peace Corps, and at the Uni- versity of Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh. He has also been a visiting professor at Stanford University. He is a member of the American Philosophical Society and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has served as president of the Central Division of the Ameri- can Philosophical Society. His many publications include Manipulation of Voting Schemes: A General Result (1973); Wise Choices, Apt Feelings: A Theory of Normative Judgment (1990); Moral Discourse and Practice (co- editor with Stephen Darwall and Peter Railton, 1997); and ThinkingH ow to Live (2003). I. INSight, CONSISTENCY, AND PLANS FOR LiviNG Jonathan Haidt, the social psychologist, entitles a fascinating article “The Emotional Dog and Its Rational Tail.” His topic is moral judgment, and the emotional dog is what he calls “intuition.” Mostly, he argues, we don’t arrive at our moral conclusions by reasoning. We jump to them with emo- tional judgments, with “affectively valenced intuitions,” as he puts it. We will often be firmly convinced that our moral judgments rest on sound reasoning, and that unless others are driven by bias, they will appreciate the force of our arguments. -
Schmoozy Introduction Peter Railton University of Michigan Introduction If Practical Reason Is Concerned with Thoughtful Normati
Schmoozy Introduction Peter Railton University of Michigan Introduction If practical reason is concerned with thoughtful normative regulation of action, then theoretical reason might be seen as a matter of thoughtful normative regulation of belief. The conclusion of a piece of practical reasoning, we are told, is an act or intention to act; the conclusion of a piece of theoretical reasoning, by parallel, would be a belief or a belief-tendency. Because theoretical reason is understood to be responsive specifically to epistemic – not merely pragmatic – reasons for belief, the norms involved in theoretical reason are norms pertinent to knowledge, including norms of evidence, justification, and truth. In both the practical and theoretical case we need not exactly agree with the conclusion another person reaches in order to attribute rationality to her – but it seems we do need to find something normatively appropriate about the means by which the other reaches her conclusion, given her capacities and circumstances. A somewhat fancier way of putting this: we need to see her as responding to the relevant sort of reasons in an apt way. Moral philosophers have long found practical reason puzzling “by its very nature”. Practical rationality would appear to call for a kind of reasoning unknown to orthodox logic – a process Aristotle called “appetitive intellect or intellectual appetition”, of which Athe final step is the starting-point of action”. Appetite, as Aristotle would put it, belongs to the alogon part of the soul – but how then can we be intellectual about it, or deliberate with it, since intellect and deliberation belong to logos? Aristotle says that “Moral Science may be of great value to those who guide their desires and actions by principle (kata logon)” ( NE 1095a16). -
PHIL-100: Metaethics
$ÜÕ!$ÜuÕ{ nTwÜ!MTu ü-Tv-ÏÊ-}ª: MeTaeThics Summer z§Ë@ — u{!: ˧: þam-Ëz:Ëþpm — WhiTe-Gravenor § Clark Donley — [email protected] !*u Mvv*CnM — MnC\Üu uÕ -*$Ü Ï Õn!MÜ ÜM!TüuTÕ Are There moral TruThs? If so, are They universal or relaTive? Is moraliTy merely an expression of, for example, our emoTions? Is God necessary for moraliTy? Can we undersTand and explain moraliTy from a purely scienTiûc or naTuralisTic poinT of view?Some of The mosT gripping quesTions in life are abouT The naTure and sTaTus of moraliTy itself. In conTemporary philosophy, These quesTions are cenTral To a ûeld known as “meTaeThics.” MeTaeThics aims To undersTand and To explain The naTure and grounds of moraliTy, moral discourse, and moral pracTice. In This course, sTudents will learn how To Think philosophically abouT meTaeThical quesTions and The answers conTemporary philosophers (such as ChrisTine Korsgaard, David Enoch, Sharon STreeT, JL Mackie, and oThers) have proposed To Them. Work for The course will include regular homework (such as shorT reading responses of Ë-z pages), a midTerm exam, a ûnal exam, and acTive parTicipaTion. No prior knowledge of meTaeThics is required. } uÜuM • _e companion TexT for This course is Andrew Fisher, MeTaeThics:An InTroducTion (Durham, UK: Acumen, z§ËË). IT provides a clear inTroducTion To conTemporary meTaeThics. •All oTher Texts will be made available elecTronically. Ë k !ÜnT!ÜÜuM * *MMÜMMÜu STudents will be assessed on The basis of The following (subjecTTo revision): ITem PercenTage MidTerm Exam z§% Final Exam z§% ParTicipaTion z§% Response Papers and Homework §% Exams. Exams will assess boTh conTenT knowledge and The philosophical skills TaughT in The course. -
Pope Francis' Reparative Vision: a Postmodern Hermeneutic of Catholic Uncertainty
Durham E-Theses POPE FRANCIS' REPARATIVE VISION: A POSTMODERN HERMENEUTIC OF CATHOLIC UNCERTAINTY BURBACH, NICOLETE,MARGARET,NATALYA How to cite: BURBACH, NICOLETE,MARGARET,NATALYA (2020) POPE FRANCIS' REPARATIVE VISION: A POSTMODERN HERMENEUTIC OF CATHOLIC UNCERTAINTY, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/13509/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 POPE FRANCIS’ REPARATIVE VISION: A POSTMODERN HERMENEUTIC OF CATHOLIC UNCERTAINTY Nicolete Burbach ABSTRACT Various readers of Pope Francis identify in his papal texts a striking openness to uncertainty, embodied in a rejection of fear and an embracing of alterity. These themes are united to a program of reform touching on doctrinal, ecclesiological, and pastoral matters; as well as attendant wider theological, philosophical, and affective issues. However, the general unsystematicity of both these readings and Francis’ texts themselves makes it difficult to receive those texts in a way that integrates these various themes. -
Kantian Intuitionism
An Intuitionist Response to Moral Scepticism A critique of Mackie's scepticism, and an alternative proposal combining Ross's intuitionism with a Kantian epistemology by Simon John Duffy PhD The University of Edinburgh 2001 PhD Thesis: An Intuitionist Response to Moral Scepticism - Page 1 CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................................... 4 DECLARATION .................................................................................................................................................................... 5 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................................... 6 1 .................................................................................................................................................................... OUR BELIEFS ABOUT MORALITY .................................................................................................................................................................... 11 1.1 WHAT DO WE OWE COMMON-SENSE? .11 1.2 OUR EVERYDAY CONCEPTION OF ETHICS .17 1.3 THE CENTRALITY OF DUTY .24 1.4 THE IMPLICATIONS OF DUTY .32 2 .................................................................................................................................................................... THE SCEPTICAL ATTACK ................................................................................................................................................................... -
XX Век II. METAETHICS of the 20Th CENTUR
Максимов Л.В. Сектор этики ИФ РАН (апрель 2016) Метаэтика. Избранная библиография. Часть II. – XX век II. METAETHICS OF THE 20th CENTURY (SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY) 1. Bruce A. Ackerman Social Justice in the Liberal State (New Haven: YAle University Press, 1980) 2. Robert Ackermann "Consistency and Ethics" in Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 69, 1969. 3. E. M. Adams "A Critique of the Emotive Theory of Ethical Terms" in Journal of Philosophy 46, 1949. EMA complains that Ayer and Stevenson do not adequately analyse approbation, failing properly to distinguish it from mere liking. If we do analyse it we find it involves a cognitive element in the form of a judgement of rightness. So it is incoherent to analyse judgements of rightness in terms of approval. "Word-Magic and Logical Analysis in the Field of Ethics" in Journal of Philosophy 47, 1950. "The Nature of Ethical Inquiry" in Journal of Philosophy 48, 1951. "Cartesianism in Ethics" in Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 16, 1956. "Mr Hare on the Role of Principles in Deciding" in Mind 65, 1956. "The Nature of 'Ought'" in Philosophical Studies 7, 1956. "'Ought' Again" in Philosophical Studies 8, 1957. "Hall's Analysis of "Ought"" in Journal of Philosophy 55, 1958. "The Theoretical and the Practical" in Review of Metaphysics 13, 1960. Ethical Naturalism and the Modern World-View (London: Oxford University Press, 1961). "Classical Moral Philosophy and Metaethics" in Ethics 74, 1964. "A Defense of Value Realism" in Southern Journal of Philosophy 4, 1966. "Gewirth on Reason and Morality" in Review of Metaphysics 33, 1980. "The Subjective Normative Structure of Agency" in Regis, Gewirth's Ethical Rationalism "Rationality and Morality" in Review of Metaphysics 46, 1993. -
Normative Ethics
Philosophy 34: Normative Ethics Matthew Silverstein Spring 2008 Contact Information Office: 204 Cooper House Office Hours: Tuesday, 2:00–5:00 pm, and by appointment Email: [email protected] Phone: (413) 542-8310 Course Description Is anything to be said in a principled way about right and wrong, or good and bad? We will examine a number of positive and negative answers to this question. Our primary focus will be on three of the central traditions of Western ethical philosophy, typified by Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill. We will also study one of modern morality’s harshest critics: Friedrich Nietzsche. Along the way, we will look at contemporary discussions of the relation between the demands of morality and those personal obligations that spring from friendships, as well as recent views about the nature of well-being. Course Requirements There will be one short expository paper (2–3 pages) and two longer critical papers (6–8 pages). Preparation and active participation also count towards your grade. Your final grade will be determined as follows: 20% Short Paper 35% Long Paper 1 35% Long Paper 2 5% Preparation 5% Participation Your preparation grade will be a function of unannounced, in-class ten-minute essay assignments. There will be several such assignments over the course of the semester. Their purpose is to ensure that everyone has studied the assigned reading and to encourage thoughtful discussion in class. Though they will not be graded, I will collect them at the end of class. These essays cannot be made up, and unsatisfactory work will receive no credit. -
A Consequentialist Response to the Demandingness Objection
1 A CONSEQUENTIALIST RESPONSE TO THE DEMANDINGNESS OBJECTION Nicholas R. Baker, Lee University INTRODUCTION We usually believe that morality has limits; that is, that there is some limit to what morality may reasonably demand of moral agents. We suppose that there are supererog atory actions that are just that, supererogatory. We often think that while morality may require some positive and negative obligations, there are at least some actions that are simply permissible.1 This is what the demandingness objection to consequentialism is about; it draws upon our intuitions on these issues in order to show how counter-intuitive the implications of some versions of normative ethics can be. In this paper I will outline and defend the demandingness objection as it applies to act-consequentialism (hereafter AC), then I will argue that rule-consequentialism (hereafter RC), as conceived of by Brad Hooker, is also susceptible to this objection; finally, I will attempt to amend RC so that it may escape the demandingness objection. THE DEMANDS OF ACT CONSEQUENTIALISM Shelly Kagan states in the early parts of his text, The Limits of Morality, that, “[T]here are [. .] what we might think of as limits imposed on morality – for it is typically believed that there are limits to what morality can demand of us.”2 He goes on to further suggest that, “[I]t is generally held that although morality does sometimes require us to make sacrifices, we are not morally required to make our greatest possible contributions to the overall good. There is a limit to moral requirement.”3 While Kagan himself argues for a withholding of judgement as to whether or not these limits do exist, I will be arguing that these limits do, in fact, exist.