Böcker av Mark Schroeder

According to noncognitivists, when we say that stealing is wrong, what we are doing is more like venting our feelings about stealing or encouraging one another not to steal, than like stating facts about morality. This title offers an introduction to these theories, ranging from their early history through the contemporary developments.

Mark Schroeder explores the semantic commitments of metaethical expressivism, the heir to the noncognitivist theories of Ayer, Stevenson, and Hare. He shows how to solve many of the open problems facing expressivism, but this only highlights further and deeper problems for the view. Expressivism, he argues, is coherent and interesting, but false.

Mark Schroeder presents an original theory of reasons for action. This theory is broadly Humean, in holding that reasons for action are instrumental, or explained by desires. Slaves of the Passions will be essential reading for anyone interested in metaethics, practical reason, or explanatory moral theory.