Cornell Realism - Naturalistic Non-reductionism About Metaphysics

Naturalistic Non-reductionism About Metaphysics

See also: Naturalism (philosophy) and Reductionism

Moral facts are natural facts. They fall within the province of the natural and social sciences. But while they are not supernatural (as in divine command theory) and they are not non-natural (as in Moore's Principia Ethica or Mackie's picture of a realist world), they cannot be reduced to non-moral natural facts. That is, while moral facts are natural facts and supervene on non-moral natural facts, they cannot be identified with non-moral natural facts (see, e.g., Miller's An Introduction to Contemporary Metaethics).

Read more about this topic:  Cornell Realism

Famous quotes containing the words naturalistic and/or metaphysics:

    The naturalistic literature of this country has reached such a state that no family of characters is considered true to life which does not include at least two hypochondriacs, one sadist, and one old man who spills food down the front of his vest.
    Robert Benchley (1889–1945)

    Metaphysics abstracts the mind from the senses, and the poetic faculty must submerge the whole mind in the senses. Metaphysics soars up to universals, and the poetic faculty must plunge deep into particulars.
    Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)