Cornell Realism as a New Type of Moral Naturalism

Abstract

Cornell realism is a new type of moral naturalism which emerged in the 1980's. What makes this view distinctive is its suggestion that moral properties are sui generis properties neither reducible to nor analyzable in terms of other natural properties. Cornell realists not only formulated a new type of moral naturalism, but they also defended moral realism that the best explanation of our moral judgments is the existence of moral properties. Besides all these, Cornell realism as a naturalist theory is bearing the philosophical weaknesses of metaphysical naturalism and unsuccessful in explaining some functions of our moral judgments.