Morality and Scientific Naturalism: Overcoming the Conflicts

摘要: A book titled Prospects for a Common Morality was motivated, say its editors Gene Outka and John Reeder, by the paradoxical fact that at same time “remarkable kind of cross-cultural moral agreement about human rights” has emerged in practical world international affairs, intellectual reflects “an apparent loss confidence any such consensus [about] notion common morality applies can be justified to persons as such” (1993: 3). This growing conviction late modern philosophy failed justify universal norms or rights. For example, Alasdair Maclntyre having asserted with respect idea “rights attaching beings simply qua beings” “there are no rights, belief them is one witches unicorns” says best reason asserting this “of precisely type which we possess there . unicorns: every attempt give good reasons believing rights failed” (1981: 67). By “every attempt,” means within what he calls “the Enlightenment project” providing independent rational justification morality,” “independent” meaning from religious ideas 38, 48).1 It tradition I am calling “late philosophy.”