Perspectivism and the Argument from Guidance

Perspectivists hold that what you ought to do is determined by your perspective, that is, your epistemic position. Objectivists hold that what you ought to do is determined by the facts irrespective of your perspective. This paper explores an influential argument for perspectivism which appeals to t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ethical theory and moral practice
Authors: Way, Jonathan (Author) ; Whiting, Daniel 1978- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Springer Science + Business Media B. V [2017]
In: Ethical theory and moral practice
RelBib Classification:NCA Ethics
VA Philosophy
VB Hermeneutics; Philosophy
Further subjects:B Guidance
B Objectivism
B Ought
B Perspectivism
B Motivating reasons
B Normative reasons
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:Perspectivists hold that what you ought to do is determined by your perspective, that is, your epistemic position. Objectivists hold that what you ought to do is determined by the facts irrespective of your perspective. This paper explores an influential argument for perspectivism which appeals to the thought that the normative is action guiding. The crucial premise of the argument is that you ought to f only if you are able to f for the reasons which determine that you ought to f. We show that this premise can be understood in different ways. On one reading, it provides no support for perspectivism. On another reading, the premise lacks support. So, the argument fails. An important upshot of the paper is that the objectivist can embrace the thought about guidance.
ISSN:1572-8447
Contains:Enthalten in: Ethical theory and moral practice
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10677-016-9775-9