The naturalistic fallacy

295 Pages·2019·0.994 MB·English

by  Sinclair, Neil

The Naturalistic Fallacy
At the turn of the twentieth century, G. E. Moore contemptuously
dismissed most previous “ethical systems” for committing the
“naturalistic fallacy.” This fallacy – which has been variously under-
stood, but has almost always been seen as something to avoid – was
perhapsthegreateststructuringforceonsubsequentethicaltheorizing.
To a large extent, to understand the fallacy is to understand contem-
porary ethics. This volume aims to provide that understanding. Its
thematicchapters–writtenbyarangeofdistinguishedcontributors–
introduce the history, text, and philosophy behind Moore’s charge of
fallacy and its supporting “open question” argument. They detail how
thefallacyinfluencedmultipletraditionsinethics(includingevolution-
ary,religious,andnaturalisticapproaches),itsconnectionstosupposed
dichotomies between “is”/“ought” and facts/values, and its continuing
relevance to our understanding of normativity. Together the chapters
provide a historical and opinionated introduction to contemporary
ethicsthatwillbeessentialforstudents,teachers,andresearchers.
Neil Sinclair is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of
Nottingham.HehaswrittenforanumberofjournalssuchasAnalysis,
ThePhilosophicalQuarterly,BiologyandPhilosophy,andTheEuropean
Journal of Philosophy, and is co-editor with Uri D. Leibowitz of
Explanation in Ethics and Mathematics: Debunking and Dispensability
(2016).
ClassicPhilosophicalArguments
Overthecenturies,anumberofindividualargumentshaveformedacrucial
partofphilosophicalenquiry.Thevolumesinthisseriesexaminethese
arguments,lookingattheramificationsandapplicationswhichtheyhave
cometohave,thechallengeswhichtheyhaveencountered,andthewaysin
whichtheyhavestoodthetestoftime.
Titlesintheseries
ThePrisoner’sDilemma
EditedbyMartinPeterson
TheOriginalPosition
EditedbyTimothyHinton
TheBraininaVat
EditedbySanfordC.Goldberg
Pascal’sWager
EditedbyPaulBarthaandLawrencePasternack
TheGettierProblem
EditedbyStephenHetherington
OntologicalArguments
EditedbyGrahamOppy
Newcomb’SProblem
EditedbyArifAhmed
TheNaturalisticFallacy
EditedbyNeilSinclair
The Naturalistic
Fallacy
Edited by
Neil Sinclair
UniversityofNottingham
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
OneLibertyPlaza,20thFloor,NewYork,NY10006,USA
477WilliamstownRoad,PortMelbourne,VIC3207,Australia
314 321,3rdFloor,Plot3,SplendorForum,JasolaDistrictCentre,
NewDelhi 110025,India
79AnsonRoad,#06 04/06,Singapore079906
CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence.
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107168794
DOI:10.1017/9781316717578
©CambridgeUniversityPress2019
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2019
PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyTJInternationalLtd.PadstowCornwall
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Names:Sinclair,Neil(Assistantprofessorofphilosophy),editor.
Title:Thenaturalisticfallacy/editedbyNeilSinclair.
Description:Cambridge,UnitedKingdom;NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,2019.|
Series:Classicphilosophicalarguments|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2018035789|ISBN9781107168794(hbk)|ISBN9781316618011(pbk)
Subjects:LCSH:Moore,G.E.(GeorgeEdward),1873 1958 Ethics.|Ethics.|Naturalisticfallacy.
Classification:LCCB1647.M74N382018|DDC170/.42 dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2018035789
ISBN978 1 107 16879 4Hardback
ISBN978 1 316 61801 1Paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof
URLsforexternalorthird partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication
anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,
accurateorappropriate.
Contents
ListofContributors pagevii
Preface ix
Introduction 1
NeilSinclair
1 TheNaturalisticFallacyandtheHistoryofMetaethics 9
NeilSinclair
2 TheNaturalisticFallacy:WhatItIs,andWhatItIsn’t 30
FredFeldman
3 TheContextandOriginofMoore’sFormulationofthe
NaturalisticFallacyinPrincipiaEthica 54
ConsueloPreti
4 No-Ought-From-Is,theNaturalisticFallacyand
theFact/ValueDistinction:TheHistoryofaMistake 73
CharlesPigden
5 EvolutionandtheNaturalisticFallacy 96
MichaelRuse
6 Motivation,Recommendation,Non-Cognitivism,andthe
NaturalisticFallacy 117
MarkvanRoojen
7 OpenQuestionArgumentsandtheIrreducibilityofEthical
Normativity 138
WilliamJ.FitzPatrick
8 ShouldAnalyticalDescriptivistsWorryaboutthe
NaturalisticFallacy? 162
SusanaNuccetelli
9 NormativityandtheNaturalisticFallacy 179
ConnieS.Rosati
vi Contents
10 TheNaturalisticFallacyandTheologicalEthics 206
ChristianB.Miller
11 ThePhenomenologyofMoralDeliberationandthe
Non-NaturalisticFallacy 226
TerryHorganandMarkTimmons
12 EpistemicRelativismandtheNaturalisticFallacy 251
J.AdamCarter
Bibliography 265
Index 282
Contributors
J.AdamCarterisLecturerinPhilosophyattheUniversityofGlasgow.
FredFeldmanisProfessorEmeritusattheUniversityofMassachusetts,Amherst.
WilliamJ.FitzPatrickisGideonWebsterBurbankProfessorofIntellectualand
MoralPhilosophyattheUniversityofRochester.
TerryHorganisProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofArizona.
ChristianB.MillerisA.C.ReidProfessorofPhilosophyatWakeForestUniversity.
SusanaNuccetelliisProfessorofPhilosophyatSt.CloudStateUniversity.
CharlesPigdenisAssociateProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofOtago.
ConsueloPretiisProfessorofPhilosophyattheCollegeofNewJersey.
MarkvanRoojenisProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofNebraska.
ConnieS.RosatiisAssociateProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofArizona.
MichaelRuseisLucycleT.WerkmeisterProfessoratFloridaStateUniversity.
NeilSinclairisAssociateProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofNottingham.
MarkTimmonsisProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofArizona.

Preface
Philosophywasinventedin1995.Atleastforme.ThiswastheyearIacquiredmy
firstphilosophybook:acopyofG.E.Moore’sPrincipiaEthica,therevisededition
including the preface to the second edition, edited by Thomas Baldwin
(Cambridge University Press, 1993). This was an odd choice, since Principia
was not on the syllabus for any of my classes. But from the little philosophy I
hadread,Ireceivedthedistinctimpressionthatformanypurposesethicsbegan
with Moore and I was anxious to get to the source. This impression was not
entirelyinaccurate:atleastonebranchofethicaltheory–metaethics–canrightly
claimitsoriginsinPrincipia.
IdonotremembermakingitmuchpastthefirstchapterofPrincipiain1995.
Moore’sstyleismethodicalandsometimesrepetitive,andmyenthusiasmwaned.
Butitisthischapterthatcontainsmostoftheargumentsthatwouldnowadaysbe
characterized as metaethical – including the arguments for the conclusion that
most of the ethicists who came before Moore had committed “the naturalistic
fallacy.”Thisfallacy–whichhasbeenvariouslyunderstood,butalmostalwaysas
something toavoid –was perhaps thegreatest structuring force onmetaethics
after Moore.Toa largeextent,tounderstandthe fallacyistounderstandcon-
temporarymetaethics.Thepresentvolumeaimstoprovidethatunderstanding.
Togetherthechapterscollectedhereaddressalmostanyquestionthebudding
researchermighthaveaboutthenaturalisticfallacy.Theyconsideritsinfluence,
influences,textualbasis,intellectualfoundations,andcontinuedrelevancetoour
understanding of normativity (that is, discourse that is “fraught with ought”).
Together the chapters show that the naturalistic fallacy is much more than an
intellectualartifact.Itisapersistentguidingforceondebatesaboutthenatureof
ethicsandothertypesofnormativity.
WhenIcametostudyethicsatuniversity,Ibegantoencounternameswhose
workilluminatedanswerstothequestionsthatMoorehadsoclearlyasked.Ifeel
immensely fortunate that I can now put faces to many of these names, and
several of them have contributed chapters here. I am extremely grateful to all
of the contributors – without their efforts the much easier task of collating the
volume would nothave beenpossible. Ihope thatby collecting thesechapters
togetherboththeyandMoore’stextswillreceivethecontinuingattentionthey
deserve.
x Preface
In preparing this volume, I was immensely helped by Hilary Gaskin, Sophie
Taylor, and Marianne Nield at Cambridge University Press. Thanks also to
HallvardLillehammer,JonRobson,AndyFisher,andZachHoskins.Specialthanks
toPeterGibson,whostarteditallbackin1995.