Establishing a Unified Naturalistic Theory Concerning Practical Normativity and Epistemic Normativity

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19KK0303
• Research Category: Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (Fostering Joint International Research (A))
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 01010:Philosophy and ethics-related
• Research Institution: Soka University
• Principal Investigator: CHONABAYASHI RYO 創価大学, 文学部, 准教授 (10802184)
• Project Period (FY): 2020 – 2023
• Keywords: メタ倫理学 / 自然主義 / 道徳的説明 / 局所主義 / 道徳判断 / 正義 / 徳 / 道徳的実在論

Outline of Final Research Achievements

At the stage when this research was planned, the research was supposed to focus on the relation between practical normativity and epistemic normativity, the former may be expressed by a statement such as "John ought to keep his promise to Hannah" and the former by a statement "Hannah ought to believe what is true". However, through the international collaboration conducted by this research scheme, the idea that each normative claim may be defended in various different ways depending on its nature (the localist approach) was proposed and the research focus sifted toward the question if this localist approach is valid. Consequently, the research has shown, for instance, the moral claim that harmful actions are wrong is defended on the basis of the relevant empirical findings such as the ones from social psychology and anthropology, and in the same way different moral claims may be defended via different empirical findings.

Free Research Field

メタ倫理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

倫理学と科学の関係は特に西洋における倫理学の歴史において常に哲学者が取り組んできた課題である。本研究は道徳的性質の有無は局所主義的に検討されるべきであるとの結論を提示するが、これは「倫理学上の探究は科学的知見に訴えて進めることができる」との自然主義的な考えに具体性を与えるものであり、今後の隣接分野の共同研究の理論的枠組みを提示する重要な学術的・社会的意義を持つ。たとえば、本研究の成果から、正義に関する倫理学上の研究と正義の実装が試みられる平和学における研究の共同などが構想される。