The theory of error, the problem of moral objectivity and the phenomenology of value

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present and critically analyze the main features of J. L. Mackie's theory of error, as proposed in his book Ethics: inventing right and wrong. The central thesis of his work is that there exist no objective (moral) values. Based on this thesis, Mackie proposes to explain the objectivity of the moral discourse, as well as the categorical and prescriptive element of conventional moral judgments, from the viewpoint of second order subjectivism, i.e., a meta-subjective subjectivism, specifically, the ontological skepticism about such values. In conclusion, it is shown that Mackie's criticisms against the objectivity of moral values do not stand.