A Defense of Locke’s Moral Epistemology

Authors

  • Jamie Hardy Portland State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5206/ls.2020.8249

Keywords:

Moral Epistemology, Moral Demonstration, Morality, Locke’s Ethics

Abstract

In An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, John Locke provides an empirical account of all of our ideas, including our moral ideas. However, Locke’s account of moral epistemology is difficult to understand leading to mistaken objections to his moral epistemological theory. In this paper, I offer what I believe to be the correct account of Locke’s moral epistemology. This account of his moral epistemology resolves the objections that morality is not demonstrable, that Locke’s account fails to demonstrate the normativity of statements, and that Locke has not provided us with the means to determine the correctness of the moral rules. 

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Published

2021-01-23

How to Cite

Hardy, Jamie. 2021. “A Defense of Locke’s Moral Epistemology”. Locke Studies 20 (January):1-23. https://doi.org/10.5206/ls.2020.8249.

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Section

Articles