From Morality to Metaphysics: The Theistic Implications of our Ethical Commitments

209 Pages·2013·0.71 MB·English

by  Angus Ritchie

From Morality to Metaphysics
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From Morality
to Metaphysics
The Theistic Implications
of our Ethical Commitments
Angus Ritchie
1
3
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To my parents,
with love and gratitude
Acknowledgements
Ralph Walker’s influence on this work is manifold—in the personal and
philosophical inspiration he has provided since my undergraduate days;
in his patience and diligence as a doctoral supervisor, and in his typically
fair-minded insistence that he should have a co-supervisor with rather
different views. As this book is a reworking of my doctoral thesis, my
first expressions of thanks are to him and his co-supervisor Sabina
Lovibond (who deepened my engagement with the work of John
McDowell and Philippa Foot in particular). Thanks are also due to
Sabina Alkire, John Deacon, Rob Gilbert, Amanda Greene, Mark
Hopwood, Philip Krinks, Michael Piret, David Staples, Richard Taylor,
and Mark Thakkar for stimulating discussions and wise counsel; to my
doctoral examiners Tim Mawson and John Cottingham for their very
helpful advice and encouragement, and to Peter Momtchilloff for his
assistance in the process of turning my thesis into a book.
Itisoftenarguedthatfaithmustbekeptoutofpolitics,forreasonsboth
practical and theoretical. Practically, it is said that religion is a divisive
force.Theoretically,itisclaimedthatreligiousbeliefs(unlikeotherkinds
ofconviction)areimmunetorationaldebateandcorrection.Ihavenow
spent over a decade in ministry in East London, all of it in churches
organizing for social justice alongside other faiths. The witness of those
churcheshasbeenacrucialinspirationforthiswork.Communityorganiz-
ingoffersaverypracticalexampleofthepositiveroleoffaithinpubliclife.
In this book, I seek to complement this with a more theoretical argu-
ment—showingtheopennessofreligiousbelieftorationaldebate.
Throughherlove,encouragement,andpracticalsupport,JenniferLau
hascontributedmoretothisworkthansheknows.Itwashermisfortune
thatmylastyearofthesiswritingwasthefirstyearofourrelationship,and
theyearofitsconversiontoabookwasthefirstyearofourmarriage.Her
losshasundoubtedlybeenmygain,andthisacknowledgmentcomeswith
heartfelt love and gratitude. I am also thankful to my parents-in-law,
Chau-Kiong and Kim-Heung Lau, for their hospitality as the final draft
wasprepared.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii
IfirstlearntofGodandgoodnessfrommyfamily,andfromthewider
communityinwhichIspentmychildhood.Iamdeeplygratefultothem
all—to the Church of Scotland congregations in Ardersier and Petty, to
my brother John, and above all to my parents, Garden and Kathleen
Ritchie,towhomthisbookisdedicated.
Limehouse,EastLondon
TheFeastoftheEpiphany,2012
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Contents
Introduction 1
Part I: The ‘Explanatory Gap’
1. WhyTakeMoralitytobeObjective? 11
2. TheGapOpens:EvolutionandourCapacity
forMoralKnowledge 40
Part II: Secular Responses
3. AlternativestoRealism:SimonBlackburn
andAllanGibbard 69
4. ProceduresandReasons:TimScanlonand
ChristineKorsgaard 90
5. NaturalGoodness:PhilippaFoot’sMoralObjectivism 111
6. NaturalGoodnessand‘SecondNature’:
JohnMcDowellandDavidWiggins 126
Part III: Theism
7. FromGoodnesstoGod:ClosingtheExplanatoryGap 161
8. PurposeWithoutTheism?AxiarchismandNeoplatonism 178
Conclusion 189
Bibliography 191
Index 197