The Contradictions of Modern Moral Philosophy: Ethics after Wittgenstein (Routledge Studies in Ethics and Moral Theory)

190 Pages·1999·0.84 MB·English

by  Dr Paul Johnston

THE CONTRADICTIONS OF
MODERN MORAL
PHILOSOPHY
The Contradictions of Modern Moral Philosophy is a highly original and radi-
cal critique of contemporary moral theory. Paul Johnston demonstrates that
much recent moral philosophy is confused about the fundamental issue of
whether there are correct moral judgements. He shows that the standard mod-
ern approaches to ethics cannot justify—or even make much sense of—
traditional moral beliefs. Applied rigorously, these approaches suggest that we
should reject ethics as a set of outdated and misguided claims.
Rather than facing up to this conclusion, most recent moral philosophy con-
sists of attempts to find some way of preserving moral beliefs. This places a
contradiction at the heart of moral philosophy. As a result it is often impossible
to tell whether a contemporary philosopher ultimately rejects or endorses the
idea of objective right and wrong.
On the basis of a Wittgensteinian approach Paul Johnston puts forward an
alternative account of ethics that avoids this contradiction and recognises that
the central issues of ethics cannot be resolved by conceptual analysis. He then
uses this account to highlight the contradictions of important contemporary
moral theorists such as Bernard Williams, Alasdair MacIntyre, Thomas Nagel
and Charles Taylor.
Paul Johnston is the author of Wittgenstein and Moral Philosophy and
Wittgenstein: Rethinking the Inner, both published by Routledge.
ROUTLEDGE STUDIES IN
ETHICS AND MORAL THEORY
1 THE CONTRADICTIONS OF MODERN MORAL PHILOSOPHY
Ethics after Wittgenstein
Paul Johnston
THE CONTRADICTIONS OF
MODERN MORAL
PHILOSOPHY
Ethics after Wittgenstein
Paul Johnston
London and New York
First published 1999
by Routledge
1 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003.
© 1999 Paul Johnston
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or
other means, now known or heeafter invented, including photocopying
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Johnston, Paul, 1962–
The contradictions of modern moral philosophy: ethics after
Wittgenstein/Paul Johnston.
p. cm.—(Routledge studies in ethics and moral theory: 1)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-415-20848-3 (hardcover: alk. paper)
1. Ethics, Modern—20th century. I. Title. II. Series.
BJ319.J64 1999
170′.9′04–dc21 99–24074
CIP
ISBN 0-203-16532-2 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-25978-5 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0-415-20848-3 (Print Edition)
FOR LENA
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CONTENTS
P reface xi
1 T he contradictions of traditional ethics 1
2 B elieving in right and wrong 27
3 R eason and moral argument 55
4 M odesty, doubt and relativism 82
5 O bjectivity and the metaphysics of ethics 109
6 E thics and modern philosophy 136
P ostscript 163
N otes 165
B ibliography 174
I ndex 176
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‘What are we quarreling about, for goodness sake? You’re this sort of man
and I’m that sort of a man, what about it? And, moreover, both of us are—’
‘Scoundrels.’
‘Yes, scoundrels, if you like. You know perfectly well that that’s only words.’
‘All my life I didn’t want it to be only words. I went on living just because I
didn’t want it so. Now, too, I want it every day not to be words.’
‘Well, everyone of us tries to find a place where it will be best for him. A
fish—I mean, everyone seeks his own kind of comfort. That’s all. That’s been
known for ages.’
(Dostoyevsky, The Possessed, p. 610)