Canadian Journal of Philosophy· 2026Q1
Moral Testimony, Moral Understanding, and “Rational” Prejudiced Beliefs
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Short summary
Accepting moral propositions via testimony may undermine understanding, but this paper argues that understanding certain non-moral propositions is also crucial for similar reasons, particularly in cases of moral encroachment.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Moral deference through testimony is often considered problematic because it can conflict with understanding.
- Understanding moral propositions is argued to be especially important.
- This paper identifies a set of non-moral propositions that are also especially important to understand.
- The importance of understanding these non-moral propositions is linked to the same reasons that support the importance of moral understanding.
- These non-moral propositions are central to discussions about moral encroachment.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract Moral deference strikes many as problematic. Some explain this problem by pointing to understanding: accepting a moral proposition on the basis of testimony is problematic because it’s in tension with understanding that proposition, and understanding moral propositions is especially important. In this paper, I argue that there is a set of non-moral propositions that it is also especially important to understand, for many of the same reasons that defenders of The Understanding Explanation give to defend the claim that understanding moral propositions is especially important. These propositions are featured in cases at the center of the debate about moral encroachment.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Philosophy
PhilosophyArts and Humanities