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The objectivity of ethics and the unity of practical reason Cover

The objectivity of ethics and the unity of practical reason

By: Roger Crisp  
Open Access
|Dec 2025

Abstract

This article revisits the evolutionary debunking arguments advanced by Katarzyna Lazari-Radek and Peter Singer. It evaluates their implications for the objectivity of ethics and the unity of practical reason. Building on Sidgwickian rational intuitionism, the paper contrasts the stability of utilitarian reasons with the vulnerability of egoistic justification once evolutionary and metaphysical assumptions about personal identity are examined. It further incorporates revised views on free will, moral epistemology, and peer disagreement, arguing for a more sceptical and collaborative philosophical method. The conclusion advocates prioritizing ethical epistemology and moral psychology over continued disputes between major normative theories.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ebce-2025-0019 | Journal eISSN: 2453-7829 | Journal ISSN: 1338-5615
Language: English
Page range: 204 - 208
Published on: Dec 31, 2025
Published by: University of Prešov
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 2 issues per year

© 2025 Roger Crisp, published by University of Prešov
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.