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20 - Constitutivism

from Section Three - Analytic Moral, Social, and Political Philosophy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2019

Kelly Becker
Affiliation:
University of New Mexico
Iain D. Thomson
Affiliation:
University of New Mexico
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Summary

Constitutivism is the view that we can justify fundamental normative claims by showing that agents become committed to these claims merely in virtue of acting.1 Constitutivists aspire to show that action has structural features – constitutive aims, principles, or standards – that are present in each instance of action and that generate substantive normative conclusions. In showing that the authority of fundamental normative claims is sourced in our own actions, constitutivists hope to avoid familiar objections to justificatory projects in ethics.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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