Abstract

This essay addresses the role which pre-theoretical moral judgments about particular cases play in arguing for fundamental moral principles. I argue that inference to the best explanation of the objects of pre-theoretical moral beliefs is a valid, albeit limited, method of justification in ethics. In contrast to some contemporary accounts of explanation in moral theory, I present moral explanation as an analogue, not an instance, of scientific explanation. Having made this distinction, I specify how this form of moral reasoning--which I call ethical abduction for want of a better name--mirrors scientific explanation, exploiting the strengths of that methodology without confusing descriptive enterprises with normative ones. In addressing objections to the method and providing criteria for "best" explanation, I offer an account of the theoretical structure of morality and moral reasoning