Moral disagreement is special

Are disagreements about morality the same as disagreements in other domains, epistemologically speaking? This paper argues no, moral disagreement is special. In the moral domain, disagreement with a peer generates special reason to reduce confidence, whether or not this is how we should respond to peer disagreement in other domains. That is because moral disagreement distinctively generates second-personal reasons to adjust our volitional choices, which in turn exert new rational pressure on what we formerly believed about what we ought to do. The argument thus starts from moral premises but yields epistemic conclusions, contributing to a growing philosophical movement to see ethics and epistemology as richly interrelated.

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Publication Details

Journal
Philosophical Studies
Published
2026-02-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-026-02489-y
Primary Topic
Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Moral disagreement is special

Regina Rini
Philosophical Studies
Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
article

Moral disagreement is special

Regina Rini
article en

Abstract

Are disagreements about morality the same as disagreements in other domains, epistemologically speaking? This paper argues no, moral disagreement is special. In the moral domain, disagreement with a peer generates special reason to reduce confidence, whether or not this is how we should respond to peer disagreement in other domains. That is because moral disagreement distinctively generates second-personal reasons to adjust our volitional choices, which in turn exert new rational pressure on what we formerly believed about what we ought to do. The argument thus starts from moral premises but yields epistemic conclusions, contributing to a growing philosophical movement to see ethics and epistemology as richly interrelated.

Philosophical Studies
York University (CA)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 62%
Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
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