Tom, that isn’t the only way the term “moral anti-realism” is used. Sometimes it is used to refer to any metaethical position which denies substantive moral realism. This can include noncognitivism, error theory, and various forms of subjectivism/constructivism. This is typically how I use it.
For one thing, since I endorse metaethical variability/indeterminacy, I do not believe traditional descriptive metaethical analyses provide accurate accounts of ordinary moral language anyway. I think error theory works best in some cases, noncognitivism (perhaps, though not plausibly) in others, and various forms of relativism in others. What this amounts to is that I think all moral claims are either (a) false (b) nonsense or (c) trivial; in the latter sense, by “trivial” I mean they lack objective prescriptivity, “practical oomph” (as Richard Joyce would put it) or otherwise compel or provide reasons for action independent of an agent’s goals or interests. In other words, I deny that there are any mind-independent moral facts. I’m honestly not sure why moral realism is taken very seriously. I’d be curious to hear explanations of why.
In other words, I deny that there are any mind-independent moral facts. I’m honestly not sure why moral realism is taken very seriously. I’d be curious to hear explanations of why.
I think we might get to something like moral realism as the result of acausal trade between possible agents.
Anti-realism isn’t the position that there are no moral facts; that’s non-cognitivism.
Tom, that isn’t the only way the term “moral anti-realism” is used. Sometimes it is used to refer to any metaethical position which denies substantive moral realism. This can include noncognitivism, error theory, and various forms of subjectivism/constructivism. This is typically how I use it.
For one thing, since I endorse metaethical variability/indeterminacy, I do not believe traditional descriptive metaethical analyses provide accurate accounts of ordinary moral language anyway. I think error theory works best in some cases, noncognitivism (perhaps, though not plausibly) in others, and various forms of relativism in others. What this amounts to is that I think all moral claims are either (a) false (b) nonsense or (c) trivial; in the latter sense, by “trivial” I mean they lack objective prescriptivity, “practical oomph” (as Richard Joyce would put it) or otherwise compel or provide reasons for action independent of an agent’s goals or interests. In other words, I deny that there are any mind-independent moral facts. I’m honestly not sure why moral realism is taken very seriously. I’d be curious to hear explanations of why.
I think we might get to something like moral realism as the result of acausal trade between possible agents.