On the conceptual analysis of morality

This thesis aims to make the conceptual analysis of morality more approachable. The conceptual analysis of morality is challenging, partly because the methodology of conceptual analysis itself has been questioned and partly because the ambiguity of morality makes it seemingly indefinable. Consequent...

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Main Author: Zhang, Jian
Other Authors: Andrew T. Forcehimes
Format: Thesis-Doctor of Philosophy
Language:English
Published: Nanyang Technological University 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182127
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-1821272025-01-11T17:02:10Z On the conceptual analysis of morality Zhang, Jian Andrew T. Forcehimes School of Humanities forcehimes@ntu.edu.sg Arts and Humanities Conceptual analysis Concept Function Eliminativism This thesis aims to make the conceptual analysis of morality more approachable. The conceptual analysis of morality is challenging, partly because the methodology of conceptual analysis itself has been questioned and partly because the ambiguity of morality makes it seemingly indefinable. Consequently, some have argued for eliminating the concept of morality altogether. The first part of this thesis defends the traditional method of conceptual analysis and argues for the necessity of retaining the concept of morality. The second part explores how to conduct the conceptual analysis of morality more effectively. By developing an interest-centred theory of concepts, this thesis argues that the core of a concept lies in the interest it serves. The task of conceptual analysis, therefore, is to uncover the specific interest that each concept addresses. Among the current approaches to the conceptual analysis of morality, moral functionalism and pragmatic genealogy are identified as the more effective and promising methods. Doctor of Philosophy 2025-01-09T06:57:00Z 2025-01-09T06:57:00Z 2024 Thesis-Doctor of Philosophy Zhang, J. (2024). On the conceptual analysis of morality. Doctoral thesis, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182127 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182127 en This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). application/pdf Nanyang Technological University
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider NTU Library
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic Arts and Humanities
Conceptual analysis
Concept
Function
Eliminativism
spellingShingle Arts and Humanities
Conceptual analysis
Concept
Function
Eliminativism
Zhang, Jian
On the conceptual analysis of morality
description This thesis aims to make the conceptual analysis of morality more approachable. The conceptual analysis of morality is challenging, partly because the methodology of conceptual analysis itself has been questioned and partly because the ambiguity of morality makes it seemingly indefinable. Consequently, some have argued for eliminating the concept of morality altogether. The first part of this thesis defends the traditional method of conceptual analysis and argues for the necessity of retaining the concept of morality. The second part explores how to conduct the conceptual analysis of morality more effectively. By developing an interest-centred theory of concepts, this thesis argues that the core of a concept lies in the interest it serves. The task of conceptual analysis, therefore, is to uncover the specific interest that each concept addresses. Among the current approaches to the conceptual analysis of morality, moral functionalism and pragmatic genealogy are identified as the more effective and promising methods.
author2 Andrew T. Forcehimes
author_facet Andrew T. Forcehimes
Zhang, Jian
format Thesis-Doctor of Philosophy
author Zhang, Jian
author_sort Zhang, Jian
title On the conceptual analysis of morality
title_short On the conceptual analysis of morality
title_full On the conceptual analysis of morality
title_fullStr On the conceptual analysis of morality
title_full_unstemmed On the conceptual analysis of morality
title_sort on the conceptual analysis of morality
publisher Nanyang Technological University
publishDate 2025
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182127
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