Philosophy Metaethics Questions Long
Moral realism and moral anti-realism are two contrasting positions within the field of metaethics, which is concerned with the nature and status of moral claims. These positions offer different perspectives on the objectivity and truth-value of moral statements.
Moral realism posits that moral claims are objective and independent of individual beliefs, opinions, or cultural norms. According to moral realists, moral truths exist in the world and can be discovered or known through reason or empirical investigation. They argue that moral facts are ontologically grounded and exist independently of human subjectivity. Moral realism suggests that moral statements can be objectively true or false, and moral properties are inherent in the world.
On the other hand, moral anti-realism rejects the idea of objective moral truths and argues that moral claims are subjective or culturally relative. Anti-realists contend that moral judgments are expressions of personal preferences, emotions, or social conventions, rather than statements about objective facts. They believe that moral values and norms are constructed by individuals or societies and lack any universal or objective foundation. Moral anti-realism encompasses various positions, including moral subjectivism, cultural relativism, and error theory.
Moral subjectivism asserts that moral judgments are expressions of individual attitudes or emotions. According to this view, moral statements are true or false relative to the individual making the judgment. Cultural relativism, on the other hand, argues that moral judgments are relative to specific cultures or societies. It suggests that moral values and norms vary across different cultures, and there is no objective standard to judge one culture's moral practices against another's. Lastly, error theory claims that all moral statements are systematically mistaken because they presuppose the existence of objective moral facts that do not actually exist.
In summary, moral realism posits the existence of objective moral truths that are independent of human subjectivity, while moral anti-realism rejects the notion of objective moral truths and argues for the subjectivity or relativity of moral claims. These two positions represent opposing views on the nature and status of morality, with moral realism emphasizing objectivity and moral anti-realism emphasizing subjectivity or relativity.