Moral disagreement scepticism leveled. (22nd January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dixon, Jonathan
• Is Part Of: Ratio. Volume 34:Number 3(2021)
• Page Start: 203
• Page End: 216
• Publication Date: 2021-01-22
• Subjects: moral disagreement -- moral epistemology -- moral scepticism; Philosophy -- Periodicals; Analysis (Philosophy) -- Periodicals; 105
• DOI: 10.1111/rati.12299
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0034-0006

Abstract

Abstract: While many have argued that moral disagreement poses a challenge to moral knowledge, the precise nature of this challenge is controversial. Indeed, in the moral epistemology literature, there are many different versions of 'the' argument from moral disagreement to moral scepticism. This paper contributes to this vast literature on moral disagreement by arguing for two theses: 1. All (or nearly all) moral disagreement arguments share an underlying structure; and, 2. All moral disagreement arguments that satisfy this underlying structure cannot establish moral scepticism because this underlying structure leads to a previously unrecognized reductio ad absurdum . In short, I argue that this reductio argument (very likely) refutes all versions of the moral disagreement to moral scepticism argument in one fell swoop.