Abstract

According to Larmore, there are at least three forms of moral complexity which are both fundamental and pervasive, but which modern philosophers, blinded by their single-minded search for a "fully explicit decision making procedure for settling moral questions", i.e., for a "moral theory," have failed to perceive. That Larmore holds such a thesis seems to locate him in the growing ranks of the neo-Aristotelian movement which has recently taken modern moral philosophy to task for attempting to give a technical account of morality. Larmore, like many neo-Aristotelians, criticizes modern moral philosophy for its obsession with moral theories and rules, its "discredited foundationalism", and its disregard of the virtues. However, Larmore also attempts to distinguish his position from that of the neo-Aristotelians', in part by criticizing them for their complete rejection of moral theory, for their failure to understand Aristotle, for their failure to understand the essentially political character of the modern values of individualism and neutrality, and for their antipathy toward the values of pluralism and toleration which follows from their failure to appreciate the complexity of morality.