Completing the Coincidence Argument Against Metaethical Nonnaturalism

Abstract

Bingham AwardPeople commonly express a worry that we only hold our particular moral beliefs because it is fitness-enhancing to do so. In this paper, I investigate a particular argument that has emerged from this worry, the Coincidence Argument. First, I present a neutral formulation, arguing that disagreement over this issue should be understood as disagreement over an important condition in the formulation, the Reliability Condition. Then, I evaluate existing candidates and present one of my own, ultimately concluding that none are perfect. I conclude that based on considerations in this paper, the modal condition sensitivity is the theoretically preferable candidate for the Reliability Condition.No embargoAcademic Major: Philosoph