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 civilizationAtheist philosophersPhilosophers of educationAristotelian philosophersLogiciansNatural law ethicistsNatural philosophersPhilosophers of loveAnalytic philosophersVirtue ethicistsAncient Greek philosophers of mindEnglish atheistsPhilosophers of deathRationalists20th-century English philosophersAncient Greek political philosophersClassical theismFellows of the British AcademyAlumni of Somerville College, OxfordAncient Athenian philosophersAncient Greek ethicists, Ancient Greek epistemologistsAncient 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 ↗
     
    PhilosophyPhilosophy writersAtheist philosophersAristotelian philosophersPhilosophers of loveAnalytic philosophersVirtue ethicistsEnglish atheists20th-century English philosophersFellows of the British AcademyAlumni of Somerville College, OxfordEnglish women philosophersFellows of Somerville College, OxfordWittgensteinian philosophersBritish atheistsMoral realistsUniversity of California, Los Angeles faculty

  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 ↗
     
    PhilosophyOntologistsTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of educationPhilosophers of loveLogiciansNatural law ethicistsNatural philosophersRationalistsAncient Greek philosophers of mindPhilosophers of deathAncient Greek political philosophersClassical theismAncient Athenian philosophersAncient Greek metaphysiciansAncient Greek physicistsAttic Greek writersIdealistsMoral realistsPlatonismAncient Greek logiciansAncient Greek slaves and freedmenEpigrammatists of the Greek AnthologyPupils of SocratesAncient Greek ethicists, Ancient Greek epistemologists