For any proposed naturalistic analysis N of the moral predicate 'good', a conceptually competent judge can grant that something is N while still coherently wondering whether it is really good
A word or phrase that describes a moral quality, like 'good,' 'bad,' 'right,' or 'wrong.'
naturalistic analysis(as used in ethics)
An explanation of something (like 'goodness') based only on things we can observe in the natural world, without appealing to anything supernatural or abstract.
open question argument(Metaethics; critique of moral naturalism)
G.E. Moore's argument that for any natural property N, the question 'Is N good?' remains genuinely open, purporting to show that goodness cannot be identical to any natural property.
Moore’s “Open Question Argument” for the conclusion that goodness is a non-natural property is closely related to his worries about the naturalistic fallacy. Consider any proposed naturalistic analysis N of a moral predicate M. The Open Question Argument maintains that it will always be possible for someone competent with moral discourse without conceptual confusion to grant that something is N but still wonder whether it is really M. Whether goodness is co-instantiated with any natural property