Moral nihilism | ScienceGate

Moral skeptics maintain that we do not have moral knowledge. Traditionally they haven't argued via skeptical hypotheses like those provided by perceptual skeptics about the external world, such as Descartes' deceiving demon. But some believe this can be done by appealing to hypotheses like moral nihilism. Moreover, some claim that skeptical hypotheses have special force in the moral case. But I argue that skeptics have failed to specify an adequate skeptical scenario, which reveals a general lesson: such arguments are not a promising avenue for moral skeptics to take. They're ultimately weaker when applied to morality compared to perception.

Download Full-text

The Revival of Classical Political Philosophy: A Critique

American Political Science Review ◽

10.2307/1952370 ◽

1962 ◽

Vol 56 (2) ◽

pp. 341-352 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Stanley Rothman

Keyword(s):

Political Philosophy ◽

Political Science ◽

Full Scale ◽

Leo Strauss ◽

Single Individual ◽

Natural Right ◽

The Past ◽

Contemporary Study ◽

The University ◽

Moral Nihilism

Perhaps no single individual has had as much impact on the discipline of political science during the past several years as has Leo Strauss of the University of Chicago. Both he and his disciples (and they are disciples in the “classical” sense) have engaged in a full scale attack upon the premises underlying the contemporary study of politics.Strauss argues that these premises are illfounded and self-contradictory, and, if taken seriously, lead to moral nihilism. He contends, further, that another set of premises, those of “classical natural right,” which treat man in terms of his natural end and his relation to the “mysterious whole,” are capable of providing a more adequate foundation for the study of politics.

Download Full-text