The Evolutionary Debunking Of Quasi-realism

Sinclair, Neil; Chamberlain, James

Abstract

In “The Evolutionary Debunking of Quasi-Realism,” Neil Sinclair and James Chamberlain present a novel answer that quasi-realists can pro-vide to a version of the reliability challenge in ethics—which asks for an explanation of why our moral beliefs are generally true—and in so doing, they examine whether evolutionary arguments can debunk quasi-realism. Although reliability challenges differ from EDAs in several respects, there may well be a connection between them. For the explanatory premise of an EDA may state that a particular theory of beliefs of a certain kind does not, or cannot, provide a plausible account of why those beliefs might be generally true, and its epistemic premise may state that, if that is the case, then the beliefs in question have a negative epistemic status or the theory is false inasmuch as, if it were true, it would lead to those beliefs having such a negative epistemic status. The quasi-realist can answer the reli-ability challenge by claiming that, when we form our moral beliefs through a process of well-informed impartial reflection, we form them in response to the non-moral features of things on which depend the moral features they have. Hence, when we form beliefs by means of such a process, we are most likely forming true moral beliefs.

Citation

Sinclair, N., & Chamberlain, J. (2023). The Evolutionary Debunking Of Quasi-realism. In D. E. Machuca (Ed.), Evolutionary Debunking Arguments: Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Mathematics, Metaphysics, and Epistemology (33-55). Taylor & Francis (Routledge). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003026419-4

• Online Publication Date: Sep 9, 2022
• Publication Date: 2023
• Deposit Date: Jun 10, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 10, 2024
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Pages: 33-55
• Series Title: Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy
• Book Title: Evolutionary Debunking Arguments: Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Mathematics, Metaphysics, and Epistemology
• ISBN: 9780367458447
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003026419-4
• Keywords: Quasi-realism, evolution, debunking
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/8397619
• Publisher URL: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003026419-4/evolutionary-debunking-quasi-realism-neil-sinclair-james-chamberlain?context=ubx&refId=c02340f7-48c1-4caf-966f-c0a005864953
• Related Public URLs: https://www.routledge.com/Evolutionary-Debunking-Arguments-Ethics-Philosophy-of-Religion-Philosophy/Machuca/p/book/9780367458447
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in Evolutionary Debunking Arguments: Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Mathematics, Metaphysics, and Epistemology on September 8, 2022 available online: https://www.routledge.com/9780367458447
• Contract Date: Jun 1, 2022