Varieties of Moral Intuitionism

Abstract

Moral intuitionism is the view that we can know or justifiably believe some moral facts directly, without inferring them from other evidence or proof. While intuitionism is frequently dismissed as implausible, the theory has received renewed interest in the literature. Several philosophers have defended updated intuitionistic theories and argue that the theory is not as objectionable as previously alleged. Contemporary reformulations of moral intuitionism are being developed along multiple lines. These different varieties of intuitionism call for critical classification and comparison. I take up this task in this paper.