The Rule-Following Considerations and Metaethics: Some False Moves

Author: Lang, Gerald

Source: European Journal of Philosophy, Volume 9, Number 2, August 2001 , pp. 190-209(20)

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Abstract:

In a series of influential papers, John McDowell has argued that the rule-following considerations explored in Wittgenstein's later work provide support for a particularist form of moral objectivity. The article distinguishes three such arguments in McDowell's writings, labelled the Anthropocentricism Argument, the Shapelessness Argument, and the Anti-Humean Argument, respectively, and the author disputes the effectiveness of each of them. As far as these metaethical debates are concerned, the article concludes that the rule-following considerations leave everything in their place.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-0378.00135

Affiliations: 1: Department of Philosophy, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AA, UK

Publication date: 2001-08-01