Moral Knowledge

by Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul , Fred D. Miller, Jr , Jeffrey Paul

• ISBN13: 9780521006033
• ISBN10: 0521006031
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-08-13
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Philosophers since ancient times have pondered how we can know whether moral claims are true or false. The first half of the twentieth century witnessed widespread skepticism concerning the possibility of moral knowledge. Indeed, some argued that moral statements lacked cognitive content altogether, because they were not susceptible to empirical verification. The British philosopher A. J. Ayer contends that 'They are pure expressions of feeling and as such do not come under the category of truth and falsehood. They are unverifiable ... because they do not express genuine propositions.' The second half of the twentieth century brought a revival of interest among philosophers in moral and political questions. Whether or not ethics can be founded upon a rational basis continues to preoccupy the philosophical community even now.

Table of Contents

Introduction	vii
Acknowledgments	xvi
Contributors	xvii
Realist-Expressivism: A Neglected Option for Moral Realism	1	(43)
David Copp
Thinking about Cases	44	(20)
Shelly Kagan
But I Could Be Wrong	64	(15)
George Sher
Moral Facts and Best Explanations	79	(23)
Brian Leiter
Two Sources of Morality	102	(27)
Philip Pettit
``Because I Want It''	129	(25)
Stephen Darwall
Realism, Naturalism, and Moral Semantics	154	(23)
David O. Brink
Incomplete Routes to Moral Objectivity: Four Variants of Naturalism	177	(41)
David Sidorsky
Explanation, Internalism, and Reasons for Action	218	(18)
David Sobel
Moral Knowledge as Practical Knowledge	236	(21)
Julia Annas
Practical Reason and Moral Psychology in Aristotle and Kant	257	(43)
James Bernard Murphy
Hypothetical Consent in Kantian Constructivism	300	(30)
Thomas E. Hill, Jr.
Mill's ``Proof'' of the Principle of Utility: A More than Half-Hearted Defense	330	(31)
Geoffrey Sayre-McCord
Index	361