Moral Anti-Realism

Definition

Moral anti-realism is the view that there are no objective moral facts or truths that exist independently of human minds. It holds that moral statements do not describe an objective moral reality, but rather express subjective attitudes, preferences, or emotions.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Moral anti-realists argue that moral properties, such as goodness or rightness, do not exist as mind-independent features of the world.
2. Moral anti-realists often appeal to the diversity of moral beliefs across cultures and individuals as evidence that there are no universal moral truths.
3. Moral anti-realists may hold that moral judgments are best understood as expressions of emotions, attitudes, or personal preferences rather than as claims about objective reality.
4. Moral anti-realism challenges the idea that we can discover moral facts through reason or empirical investigation, as we might with scientific facts.
5. Moral anti-realism has implications for the way we approach moral reasoning and decision-making, as it rejects the idea of a universal moral framework.

Review Questions

• Explain how moral anti-realism challenges the idea of objective moral facts or truths.
  • Moral anti-realism rejects the existence of objective moral facts or truths that exist independently of human minds. Anti-realists argue that moral judgments are not descriptions of an objective moral reality, but rather expressions of subjective attitudes, preferences, or emotions. They often point to the diversity of moral beliefs across cultures and individuals as evidence that there are no universal moral truths that can be discovered through reason or empirical investigation. This challenges the notion that we can appeal to a universal moral framework to guide our moral reasoning and decision-making.
• Analyze the relationship between moral anti-realism and moral relativism.
  • Moral anti-realism and moral relativism are closely related, as they both reject the idea of objective, universal moral facts or truths. Moral relativism holds that moral judgments are relative to a particular culture, society, or individual, rather than being absolute. Moral anti-realists similarly argue that there are no mind-independent moral properties or facts, and that moral statements are best understood as expressions of personal opinions or preferences. While moral relativism and anti-realism are distinct views, they share the common premise that morality is not grounded in an objective, universal reality, but is instead a product of subjective human attitudes and beliefs.
• Evaluate the implications of moral anti-realism for moral reasoning and decision-making.
  • If moral anti-realism is true, it would have significant implications for how we approach moral reasoning and decision-making. Without the existence of objective moral facts or truths, moral anti-realists argue that we cannot appeal to a universal moral framework to guide our actions. Instead, moral judgments would be understood as expressions of personal preferences or emotions, rather than as claims about objective reality. This could lead to a more relativistic or subjective approach to ethics, where individuals or cultures make moral decisions based on their own values and beliefs, rather than on a shared understanding of moral truth. Moral anti-realism also challenges the idea that we can discover moral facts through reason or empirical investigation, as we might with scientific facts. Overall, the implications of moral anti-realism for moral philosophy and practical ethics are significant and far-reaching.

Related terms

Moral Relativism: The view that moral judgments are relative to a particular culture, society, or individual, rather than being universal or objective.

Moral Subjectivism: The belief that moral statements are expressions of personal opinion or preference, rather than objective claims about the world.

Moral Skepticism: The view that we cannot have knowledge of objective moral facts or truths, and that moral claims are ultimately unfounded.