What is moral realism?

Moral realism is the metaethical position that ethical sentences express propositions which refer to objective features of the world independent of subjective opinions. This means moral statements can be genuinely true or false based on how accurately they report those facts. Its two main subdivisions are ethical naturalism and ethical non-naturalism.

What we know

• Moral realism is a form of ethical cognitivism that accepts that ethical sentences express propositions that can be true or false. [1, 2]
• The position asserts that moral properties refer to objective features of the world that exist independently of subjective opinion. [2]
• The two main subdivisions of moral realism are ethical naturalism and ethical non-naturalism. [2]
• Surveys of academic philosophers in English-speaking universities indicate that a majority accept or lean toward moral realism. [2]

Still open

• There are ongoing debates regarding whether moral inquiry can be fully continuous with empirical investigation and scientific explanation.

Where to go next

• a case in pointWhat is ethical naturalism?
• compared withWhat is moral anti-realism?
• the bigger pictureWhat is metaethics?
• how we knowHow do G. E. Moore's arguments affect moral theories?
• whenWhen did moral realism originate?
• an unexpected connectionHow does magical realism relate to philosophical realism?While moral realism deals with objective ethical propositions in philosophy, magical realism applies a realistic framework to fictional worlds incorporating supernatural elements to express underlying emotions.

Sources

• [1]moral realism (Wikidata Q3100314) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Moral realism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Morality · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Ethical naturalism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Magical realism · CC BY-SA 4.0