Description
Book SynopsisThis is a book on metaethics and moral epistemology. It asks two fundamental questions: (i) Is there any such thing as (non-relative) moral truth?; and (ii) If there is such truth, how do we come into epistemic contact with it? Roughly the first half of the book is aimed at answering the first question. Its animating idea is that we should take our ordinary, tutored moral judgments seriouslyjudgments typified by our conviction that it is clearly true that some acts, policies, social norms et al. are morally right or wrong, permissible or impermissible, praiseworthy or condemnable, etc., no matter when, where, or by whom they are performed. In order to provide a firm conceptual basis for such judgments, the book develops a theory of moral truth, based on a theory of moral facts. The account of moral truth and moral facts is further grounded on a theory of moral properties. In short, the book develops a theory of moral realism, roughly, the view that there are indeed non-relative, first-
Trade ReviewKnowing Moral Truth is a metaethics work well worth reading. Kulp's writing is clear and exhibits greater style than most philosophy writing. With his paradigmatic approach, aside from working out the details of his theory, he takes on various moral skeptics. Throughout the book he makes critical points of historical philosophical positions he regards as errant, although the contemporary metaethics enthusiast might say he makes these points too often. The major question to be asked of Christopher Kulp's book is, does his approach advance moral realism? Although some intuitionists will insist that the proper methodology is to work from the abstract and universal toward the particularity of moral situations, there is nothing mistaken in having another starting point that is based in the particular that works toward the abstract and universal. Thus Knowing Moral Truth is an advance, especially in ethics methodology.
* Review of Metaphysics *
Table of ContentsChapter 1: The Epistemic Starting Point
Chapter 2: Truth and Moral Facts
Chapter 3: Moral Properties
Chapter 4: First-Order Moral Knowledge
Chapter 5: Our Epistemic Contact with Moral Truth
Chapter 6: Knowing Moral Reality
