Morality, Normativity, and Society

Under what conditions can moral claims be said to be true? Copp's book explores this question, starting from a new cognitivist theory of normative judgement - the "standard-based theory" - which offers a schematic account of the truth conditions of normative propositions of all kinds, including moral propositions and propositions about reasons. According to the theory, a moral proposition is true only if a corresponding moral standard is relevantly justified. At the heart of the book is a theory of the circumstances under which moral standards qualify as justified, the "society-centered theory". Copp argues that because any society needs a social moral code in order to enable its members to live together successfully, and because it would be rational for a society to choose such a code, certain moral codes, and the standards they include, are justified. The standard-based theory says, then, that corresponding moral propositions may therefore be true. Offering new perspectives on reason and rational choice, Copp's approach to morality and normativity raises a number of important issues in moral theory, as well as in metaphysics and the philosophy of language.

This book defends a form of naturalistic and relativistic moral realism. The guiding intuition is that any society needs to be characterized by a social moral code in order to enable its members to live together successfully. According to the "society centred theory", it follows that certain moral codes are justified. And according to the "standard-based theory" of normative judgment, it follows that corresponding moral propositions may be true. The book also introduces a new perspective on reasons and rational choice.