The Autonomy of Morals. Two Analytic Arguments
The Autonomy of Morals. Two Analytic Arguments
Author(s): Adrian Paul IliescuSubject(s): Philosophy
Published by: SACRI – Societatea Academica de Cercetare a Religiilor si Ideologiilor
Keywords: autonomy of ethics; moral truth; convention; foundationalism; moral authority; moral theism; rigid moral designators; theist exclusivism
Summary/Abstract: The theist thesis that any true ethics must be a religious one is criticized from two different angles; it is shown that: (i) in order to avoid divine voluntarism, theism uses a supposition the acceptance of which makes arguments against autonomous ethics un- acceptable, for they inevitably beg the question; (ii) it assumes a kind of moral foun- dationalism which is, according to some Wittgensteinean arguments, utterly superfluous; the idea that any authoritative ethics needs the absolute authority of God can thus be shown to be unjustified.
Journal: Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies
- Issue Year: 9/2010
- Issue No: 26
- Page Range: 3-17
- Page Count: 15
- Language: English