Strengthening the pre-established harmony response to the epistemic challenge of evolution in non-naturalist metaethical realism

Abstract

This thesis outlines a popular non-naturalist response to evolutionary debunking arguments against metaethical realism: the pre-established harmony response. I argue that the pre-established harmony response is unsuccessful on two grounds: it is anthropocentric and it is question-begging. I suggest that we can overcome both problems and leave the essential features of pre-established harmony responses intact by substituting a proxy function for the question-begging assumption. I suggest one such proxy function: The Combined Evolutionary Aim; use of which brings the added benefit of being less anthropocentric than earlier pre-established harmony responses.