Portrait of Lord Melvyn Bragg, host of In Our Time

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Moral realists

Moral realism (also ethical realism) is the position that ethical sentences express propositions that refer to objective features of the world (that is, features independent of subjective opinion), some of which may be true to the extent that they report those features accurately. This makes moral realism a non-nihilist form of ethical cognitivism (which accepts that ethical sentences express propositions and can therefore be true or false) with an ontological orientation, standing in opposition to all forms of moral anti-realism and moral skepticism, including ethical subjectivism (which denies that moral propositions refer to objective facts), error theory (which denies that any moral propositions are true), and non-cognitivism (which denies that moral sentences express propositions at all).

2 episodes

Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:

PhilosophyOntologistsPhilosophy writersTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of educationAtheist philosophersAristotelian philosophersLogiciansNatural law ethicistsNatural philosophersPhilosophers of loveAnalytic philosophersEnglish atheistsVirtue ethicistsAncient Greek philosophers of mindPhilosophers of deathRationalists20th-century English philosophersAncient Greek political philosophersClassical theismFellows of the British AcademyAlumni of Somerville College, OxfordAncient Athenian philosophersAncient Greek epistemologists, Ancient Greek ethicistsAncient Greek metaphysiciansAncient Greek physicistsAttic Greek writersEnglish women philosophersFellows of Somerville College, OxfordIdealistsWittgensteinian philosophersAncient Greek logiciansAncient Greek slaves and freedmenBritish atheistsEpigrammatists of the Greek AnthologyPlatonismPupils of SocratesUniversity of California, Los Angeles faculty

  1. Philippa Foot

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the most notable philosophers of the 20th century, who explored why it mattered to be moral and why humans needed virtues to flourish.

    16 May 2024

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    Featuring: Anil Gomes, Sophie Grace Chappell, Rachael Wiseman

    wikipedia article ↗
     
    PhilosophyUniversity of California, Los Angeles facultyEnglish atheistsFellows of the British AcademyVirtue ethicists20th-century English philosophersAlumni of Somerville College, OxfordAnalytic philosophersPhilosophy writersAristotelian philosophersFellows of Somerville College, OxfordEnglish women philosophersBritish atheistsAtheist philosophersPhilosophers of loveMoral realistsWittgensteinian philosophers

  2. Plato's Gorgias

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss arguably the most personal of Plato's dialogues in which he examines the values that led to the execution of his mentor Socrates by drinking hemlock

    25 November 2021

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    Featuring: Angie Hobbs, Frisbee Sheffield, Fiona Leigh

    wikipedia article ↗
     
    PhilosophyNatural law ethicistsPlatonismAncient Greek slaves and freedmenPhilosophers of deathTheorists on Western civilizationAncient Greek physicistsMoral realistsLogiciansAncient Greek epistemologists, Ancient Greek ethicistsRationalistsEpigrammatists of the Greek AnthologyPupils of SocratesPhilosophers of educationAncient Greek philosophers of mindOntologistsPhilosophers of loveClassical theismAttic Greek writersAncient Greek logiciansAncient Greek political philosophersIdealistsNatural philosophersAncient Greek metaphysiciansAncient Athenian philosophers