Is Ethics One or Many?

Abstract

A common theme runs through this entire paper, and that is the phenomenon of moral disagreement. I say “phenomenon” in order not to commit myself in advance to any view about whether or when moral disagreement is genuine or merely apparent: indeed, as will appear, whether genuine moral disagreement is even possible is one of the most important issues at stake. But even those who concede that genuine moral disagreements are possible have different views about the precise nature of the disagreements that there are, and about the best way of trying to resolve them. The various “pluralisms” in morality derive, I think, from the variety of analyses given of the phenomenon of moral disagreement. I believe that these different pluralisms raise very different issues which ought to be kept separate. I shall be arguing that in three, but not in all, senses of “pluralism” a pluralist position in morals is preferable.