Essays in Moral Skepticism

Essays in Moral Skepticism
Author: Richard Joyce
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2016
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0198754876

This volume draws together Richard Joyce's work from the last decade on moral skepticism, the view that there is no such thing as moral knowledge. Joyce's radical view is that in making moral judgments speakers attempt to state truths but that the world isn't furnished with the properties and relations necessary to render such judgments true.

Moral Skepticism

Moral Skepticism
Author: Diego E. Machuca
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2020-08-14
Genre:
ISBN: 9780367594237

Moral skepticism is at present a vibrant topic of philosophical inquiry. Particularly since the turn of the millennium, the debates between moral skeptics of various stripes and their opponents have gained renewed force not only by taking account of innovative ideas in moral philosophy, but also by drawing on novel positions in epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of language as well as on recent findings in empirical sciences. As a result, new arguments for and against moral skepticism have been devised, while the traditional ones have been reexamined. This collection of original essays will advance the ongoing debates about various forms of moral skepticism by discussing such topics as error theory, disagreement, constructivism, non-naturalism, expressivism, fictionalism, and evolutionary debunking arguments. It will be a valuable resource for academics and advanced students working in metaethics and moral philosophy more generally.

A World Without Values

A World Without Values
Author: Richard Joyce
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 254
Release: 2009-12-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9048133394

What kind of properties are moral qualities, such as rightness, badness, etc? Some ethicists doubt that there are any such properties; they maintain that thinking that something is morally wrong (for example) is comparable to thinking that something is a unicorn or a ghost. These "moral error theorists" argue that the world simply does not contain the kind of properties or objects necessary to render our moral judgments true. This radical form of moral skepticism was championed by the philosopher John Mackie (1917-1981). This anthology is a collection of philosophical essays critically examining Mackie’s view.

Essays in Moral Skepticism

Essays in Moral Skepticism
Author: Richard Joyce
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 421
Release: 2016-01-28
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0191077100

Moral skepticism is the denial that there is any such thing as moral knowledge. Some moral skeptics deny that moral judgments are beliefs; some allow that moral judgments are beliefs but claim that they are all untrue; others claim that all moral judgments are unjustified. Since the publication of The Myth of Morality in 2001, Richard Joyce has explored the terrain of moral skepticism and, perhaps more than any other living philosopher, has been willing to advocate versions of this radical view. Joyce's attitude toward morality is analogous to an atheist's attitude toward religion: he claims that in making moral judgments speakers attempt to state truths (e.g., that breaking promises is usually wrong) but that the world simply isn't furnished with the properties and relations necessary to render such judgments true. Moral thinking, he argues, probably emerged as a human adaptation, but one whose usefulness derived from its capacity to bolster social cohesion rather than its ability to track truths about the world. This forms the basis of Joyce's 'evolutionary debunking argument,' according to which evidence that a certain kind of judgment can be explained with no reference to its truth may reveal those judgments to lack warrant. Essays in Moral Skepticism gathers together a dozen of Joyce's most significant papers from the last decade, following the developments in his ideas, presenting responses to critics, and charting his exploration of the complex landscape of modern moral skepticism.

Essays on Skepticism, Relativism, and Ethics in the Zhuangzi

Essays on Skepticism, Relativism, and Ethics in the Zhuangzi
Author: Paul Kjellberg
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 268
Release: 1996-04-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1438409214

The Chinese philosophical text Zhuangzi, written in part by a man named Zhuangzi in late fourth century B.C.E. China, is gaining recognition as one of the classics of world literature. Writing in beautiful prose and poetry, Zhuangzi mixes humor with relentless logic in attacking claims to knowledge about the world, particularly evaluative knowledge of what is good and bad or right and wrong. His arguments seem to admit of no escape. And yet where does that leave us? Zhuangzi himself clearly does not think that our situation is utterly hopeless, since at the very least he must have some reason for thinking we are better off aware of our ignorance. This book addresses the question of how Zhuangzi manages to sustain a positive moral vision in the face of his seemingly sweeping skepticism. Zhuangzi is compared to the Greek philosophers Plato and Sextus Empiricus in order to pinpoint more exactly what he doubts and why. Also examined is Zhuangzi's views on language and the role that language plays in shaping the reality we perceive. The authors test the application of Zhuangzi's ideas to contemporary debates in critical theory and to issues in moral philosophical thought such as the establishment of equal worth and the implications of ethical relativism. They also explore the religious and spiritual dimensions of the text and clarify the relation between Zhuangzi and Buddhism.

No Morality, No Self

No Morality, No Self
Author: James Doyle
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2018-01-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0674976509

Elizabeth Anscombe’s “Modern Moral Philosophy” and “The First Person” have become touchstones of analytic philosophy but their significance remains controversial or misunderstood. James Doyle offers a fresh interpretation of Anscombe’s theses about ethical reasoning and individual identity that reconciles seemingly incompatible points of view.

Me, You, Us

Me, You, Us
Author: George Sher
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2017
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0190660414

Me, You, Us addresses a range of issues in moral and political philosophy and moral psychology, but are unified by their starkly individualistic view of the moral subject. They challenge recent tendencies to conceptualize normative issues in terms of relationships, collectivities, and social meanings.

Essays in Skepticism

Essays in Skepticism
Author: Bertrand Russell
Publisher: Open Road Media
Total Pages: 88
Release: 2014-12-02
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1497675685

From one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century: A collection of accessible and enlightening essays on topics from envy to intellectual rubbish. Russell, the sage non-conformist, is always meaningful, no matter what the topic or the issue. In this small book are some of his old but nonetheless remarkable observations, and some of the thoughts he expressed on his 90th birthday. Here are titles, taken at random from the Table of Contents: Psychoanalysis Takes a Look; Envy and Belief; On Male Superiority; What Social Science Can Do; Intellectual Rubbish; Don’t Be Too Certain; On Being Old.

Moral Knowledge?

Moral Knowledge?
Author: Walter Sinnott-Armstrong
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 360
Release: 1996
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN:

Moral Knowledge is a collection of specially commissioned papers, each presenting a major position within the field of moral epistemology. Chapters start by introducing readers to the position the author defends, locating this position vis-à-vis competing views, and explaining technical vocabulary before arguing that position. Topics covered include moral skepticism, moral truth, projectivism, contractarianism, coherentism, feminist views, quasi-realism, and pragmatism. Most authors are established philosophers in the field.