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MA Thesis Defense: Shawn Hernandez

June 10, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

‘Defining and refining naturalist realism’
Shawn Hernandez (Cal State Long Beach)
10 Jun 2022  •  12:00pm–2:00pm  •  Zoom

Abstract: Metaethical realists claim that moral facts, like the facts of the natural sciences, are parts of reality that are ‘prior to thought’ (Boyd 1998). Further, they claim that these facts, as features of reality, can make at least some moral claims true. Beyond these basic claims, the varieties of realism diverge on what it is about reality that makes these moral claims true and about what moral reality consists of. This thesis is centered on metaethical naturalist realism, which holds that there are mind-independent moral properties, and that those properties are natural properties. While naturalists share this basic commitment about the nature of moral properties, they diverge in how and to what extent they draw upon this and other commitments in responding to challenges across the metaethical landscape. Indeed, the further away one gets from the basic commitments of naturalist realism, the more disparate the views become. Because there is no consensus on precisely what set of claims beyond the basic commitment are required to be a naturalist worthy of the name, an open question is how naturalists should conceive of their view. The overarching goal of this thesis is to make progress on this question. I will critically engage with three pressing challenges to naturalism and suggest that we can draw various lessons about how proponents of naturalism should conceive of their view.

Oral defenses are open to the public. For a draft copy of the thesis in advance, please contact Shawn <shawn.hernandez@student.csulb.edu> directly.

Details

Date:
June 10, 2022
Time:
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Event Category:

Venue

Zoom

Organizer

Nick Laskowski
Email
nicholas.laskowski@csulb.edu