What is natural about foot's ethical naturalism?
Ratio 22 (3):308-321 (2009)
Abstract
Philippa Foot's Natural Goodness is in the midst of a cool reception. It appears that this is due to the fact that Foot's naturalism draws on a picture of the biological world at odds with the view embraced by most scientists and philosophers. Foot's readers commonly assume that the account of the biological world that she must want to adhere to, and that she nevertheless mistakenly departs from, is the account offered by contemporary neo-Darwinian biological sciences. But as is evident in her notion of function, Foot does not employ an evolutionary view of the biological world. I will attempt to show, first, that it is for good reason that Foot is not operating with an evolutionary view of function; her views do not aim to unseat evolutionary views of function, but instead simply have quite different theoretical goals. Second, I aim to underline the importance to Foot's naturalism of the fact that we are practically reasoning creatures. The profundity of Foot's ethical naturalism rests in how she approaches our nature as practically reasoning creatures. In this aspect of Foot's thought, there is a significant Kantian strain that is surprising to find in someone who calls herself an ethical naturalist. 1.Author's Profile
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-9329.2009.00434.x
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Citations of this work
Natural goodness without natural history.Parisa Moosavi - 2022 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research:78-100.
Why be a good Human Being? Natural Goodness, Reason, and the Authority of Human Nature.Micah Lott - 2014 - Philosophia 42 (3):761-777.
Natural goodness without natural history.Parisa Moosavi - 2022 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 104 (1):78-100.
Must realists be skeptics? An Aristotelian reply to a Darwinian Dilemma.Micah Lott - 2018 - Philosophical Studies 175 (1):71-96.
Nothing in ethics makes sense except in the light of evolution? Natural goodness, normativity, and naturalism.Jay Odenbaugh - 2017 - Synthese 194 (4):1031-1055.