Moral Intuitionism - notes

My picture of a stairs representing path to enlightenment. The initial foundational levels represent the concept of Intuitionism.


Moral intuitionism is a family of meta-ethical views that hold that at least some fundamental moral truths are knowable non-inferentially, often through a special faculty of "moral intuition." This doesn't mean that moral judgments are mere gut feelings or baseless whims. Instead, proponents argue that certain moral principles or judgments are self-evident upon reflection, much like mathematical axioms.One key aspect of intuitionism is its commitment to moral realism – the belief that objective moral truths exist independently of human minds. Intuitionists typically argue that these truths are discovered, not invented. When we intuitively grasp that, for instance, causing gratuitous suffering is wrong, we are not just expressing a personal preference but recognizing a feature of reality.Historical figures like G.E. Moore and W.D. Ross are prominent moral intuitionists. Moore argued for the indefinability of "good," suggesting it's a simple, non-natural property we intuit. Ross, on the other hand, proposed a set of prima facie duties (e.g., fidelity, gratitude, justice, beneficence) that we intuitively recognize as binding, though they can conflict and require judgment in specific situations.
Critics often raise concerns about the reliability of intuition and the potential for conflicting intuitions between individuals or cultures. They ask how we can distinguish genuine moral insights from mere biases or culturally conditioned beliefs. Despite these challenges, moral intuitionism remains a significant philosophical position, emphasizing the direct, non-empirical access some believe we have to fundamental moral knowledge.

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