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UBC Theses and Dissertations
Realism, not relativism : a critique of Gilbert Harman Rawlings, Adam D.H.
Abstract
This thesis will critique Gilbert Harman's moral relativism. Harman argues for a form of moral relativism he calls a "conventionalist" account of morality. He supports this by defending a view of explanations, a view of simplicity, and a view of the moral "ought." However, the anthropological literature contains strong evidence against his drawing of this relativist conclusion — and in support of a contrary one. According to anthropologists, there is a universal belief in the moral wrongness of incest, the "incest taboo": its existence suggests that Harman may have better supported a form of moral realism than the relativism he endorses. Thus, at the very least, Harman's argument does not prove that relativism is true; more strongly, it may prove that relativism is false, and realism true.
Item Metadata
Title |
Realism, not relativism : a critique of Gilbert Harman
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2003
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Description |
This thesis will critique Gilbert Harman's moral relativism. Harman argues for a form of
moral relativism he calls a "conventionalist" account of morality. He supports this by defending
a view of explanations, a view of simplicity, and a view of the moral "ought." However, the
anthropological literature contains strong evidence against his drawing of this relativist
conclusion — and in support of a contrary one. According to anthropologists, there is a universal
belief in the moral wrongness of incest, the "incest taboo": its existence suggests that Harman
may have better supported a form of moral realism than the relativism he endorses. Thus, at the
very least, Harman's argument does not prove that relativism is true; more strongly, it may prove
that relativism is false, and realism true.
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Extent |
3707927 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-11-14
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0091327
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2004-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.