Neil Sinhababu: Empathic Hedonists Escape Moral Twin Earth

Lecture by Neil Sinhababu (National University of Singapore) organized by the Department of Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy

In Moral Twin Earth cases, humans meet aliens and disagree with them about moral questions. The causal theory of reference often used by naturalistic moral realists entails that such disagreement is impossible. To avoid this unwelcome result, I replace the causal theory with an empathic theory of representation, combining it with an experientialist analysis of moral concepts on which they apply to whatever moral feelings represent. This new semantic theory permits disagreement in Moral Twin Earth cases and entails ethical hedonism.

Neil Sinhababu is associate professor of philosophy at the National University of Singapore. He likes to think about desire, metaphysically interesting romantic relationships, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and pleasure.