Journal of Value Inquiry 53 (2):309-324 (2019)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
This paper seeks to show how classical Chinese Daoist philosophy (道家) contributes to contemporary metaethics. Daoism offers an early form of moral error theory and provides unique suggestions for what one can do with a false discourse like morality. Recent error theorists have disagreed about whether they should conserve moral discourse (moral conservationism), retain it only as a useful fiction (revolutionary moral fictionalism), substitute it with a discourse concerned with subjective normative attitudes (moral substitutionism), or abolish it altogether (assertive moral abolitionism). In Daoist texts, I argue, we find unique versions of abolitionism and fictionalism that go a long way to resolving debates between error theorists. They can do so because the motivation Daoists have for holding their metaethical views is primarily therapeutic. I argue Daoism offers a nonassertive kind of moral abolitionism and a reactionary form of moral fictionalism as means toward the achievement of tranquility and joy.
|
Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
ISBN(s) | |
DOI | 10.1007/s10790-018-9670-9 |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
No references found.
Citations of this work BETA
No citations found.
Similar books and articles
The Immortal World: The Telos of Daoist Environmental Ethics.Sung-hae Kim - 2008 - Environmental Ethics 30 (2):135-157.
The Nature and Explanatory Ambitions of Metaethics.Tristram McPherson & David Plunkett - 2017 - In Tristram McPherson & David Plunkett (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Metaethics. Routledge. pp. 1-28.
Karyn Lai, Learning From Chinese Philosophies: Ethics of Independent and Contextualised Self , Aldershot, UK: Ashgate, 2006, 218 Pp., ISBN: 0754633829, Hb. [REVIEW]Sor-Hoon Tan - 2007 - Sophia 46 (1):99-102.
The Immoral World: The Telos of Daoist Environmental Ethics.Kim Sung-Hae - 2008 - Environmental Ethics 30 (2):135-157.
Wittgenstein and the Shift From Noncognitivism to Cognitivism in Ethics.Patrick Loobuyck - 2005 - Metaphilosophy 36 (3):381-399.
The Daodejing: Resources for Contemporary Feminist Thinking.Karyn Lai - 2000 - Journal of Chinese Philosophy 27 (2):131–153.
Beyond the Mischievous Reason: Early Daoist References to the Concept of Intellectuality.Radpour Esmaeil - 2015 - Shodh Drishti 6 (7):39-46.
Health and Sexuality: Daoist Practice and Reichian Therapy.Eduardo de Souza - 2011 - In Livia Kohn (ed.), Living Authentically: Daoist Contributions to Modern Psychology. Three Pines Press.
Methodological Naturalism in Metaethics.Daniel Nolan - 2017 - In Tristram McPherson & David Plunkett (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Metaethics. Routledge. pp. 659-673.
Zhuangzi on Friendship and Death.Alexis Elder - 2014 - Southern Journal of Philosophy 52 (4):575-592.
Musement as Listening: Daoist Perspectives on Peirce.Michael L. Raposa - 2012 - Journal of Chinese Philosophy 39 (2):207-221.
Health and Sexuality: Daoist Practice and Reichian Therapy.Stephan Wik - 2011 - In Livia Kohn (ed.), Living Authentically: Daoist Contributions to Modern Psychology/ Edited by Livia Kohn. Three Pines Press.
Daoist Philosophy and Literati Writings in Late Imperial China: A Case Study of the Story of the Stone.Zuyan Zhou - 2013 - Columbia University Press.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2018-12-05
Total views
26 ( #441,476 of 2,519,809 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
4 ( #166,865 of 2,519,809 )
2018-12-05
Total views
26 ( #441,476 of 2,519,809 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
4 ( #166,865 of 2,519,809 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads