Neopragmatist epistemology for ethics and the sciences: An optimistic sketch

Neopragmatist epistemology rejects any significant distinction between ethics and the sciences. The idea is that in ethics, we acquire knowledge in similar ways as in the natural sciences. Quine/Duhem holism applies to both fields, which explains why the aim of reaching reflective equilibrium is pro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophy & social criticism 2020-02, Vol.46 (2), p.173-182
Main Author: Müller, Olaf L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Emotions
Epistemology
Ethics
Holism
Natural sciences
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Neopragmatist epistemology rejects any significant distinction between ethics and the sciences. The idea is that in ethics, we acquire knowledge in similar ways as in the natural sciences. Quine/Duhem holism applies to both fields, which explains why the aim of reaching reflective equilibrium is prominent in many meta-ethical accounts: As in the sciences, our ethical system of belief is constrained by logic, observation, coherence, simplicity and parsimony. Whereas considerations of beauty (an important ingredient of scientific methodology) are irrelevant in ethical epistemology, emotions play an essential role; these, in turn, do not matter in the sciences.
ISSN:0191-4537
1461-734X
DOI:10.1177/0191453718810920