Sidgwick, whom Moore explicitly builds upon, employs rational intuitions as axioms within a broader systematic framework of practical reason, blurring the intuitionist-rationalist divide.

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Reasons For

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Reason for

1.Sidgwick's Methods of Ethics treats self-evident principles as foundational yet subject to systematic coherence constraints, exemplifying hybrid reasoning.
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2.Moore's naturalistic fallacy argument presupposes Sidgwick's intuitionist framework while extending its scope, showing explicit philosophical continuity.
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3.Both philosophers require rational intuitions to anchor ethics while demanding internal consistency across a unified theoretical system.
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Reasons Against

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Reason against

1.Sidgwick sharply distinguishes intuitive from systematic reasoning; he doesn't blur this divide but rather shows their tension is irresolvable.
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2.Moore explicitly rejects Sidgwick's dualism of egoism and universalism, suggesting fundamental disagreement rather than mere framework extension.
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3.Calling this framework 'hybrid' obscures whether axioms are truly rational intuitions or merely stipulated starting-points for systematic coherence.
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Key Terms

Intuitionist-rationalist divide(in the history of philosophical approaches): A historical debate in philosophy between people who thought we know things through direct insight or feeling (intuitionism) and those who thought reason and logic are the path to knowledge (rationalism).
Moore(Moore's proof refers to his famous argument for the existence of external objects): G.E. Moore was an influential 20th-century philosopher known for defending common sense claims (like 'this is a hand') against skeptical arguments that doubt what we can know about the world.
Rational intuitions(as a source of knowledge in philosophy): Immediate, direct understandings about how the world works that we arrive at through logical thinking, rather than through experience or observation.
Sidgwick: Henry Sidgwick (1838-1900) was a British philosopher who made important contributions to ethics, particularly by arguing that morality should be based on reason and impartial concern for everyone's well-being rather than just following traditions or religious rules. He is famous for developing "utilitarianism," the idea that the right action is the one that produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. His work remains influential in moral philosophy and practical ethics today because he thoughtfully addressed how we should balance our own interests with our obligations to others.
Systematic framework(what Railton and Jackson have developed for naturalism): A comprehensive, organized set of ideas and principles that work together to explain a whole subject—like building blocks that fit together to create a complete theory.
axioms(Stumpf, 1891): Propositions that we assume to be true and necessary, originating in the content of judgments.
practical reason(Kantian moral philosophy): The rational faculty by which agents determine what is morally valuable and impose the moral law upon themselves.

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Truth & Knowledge1 linked Moral Responsibility1 linked

Both philosophers require rational intuitions to anchor ethics while demanding i...Calling this framework 'hybrid' obscures whether axioms are truly rational intui...

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Type: claim
Perspectives: 2 (1 for, 1 against)
Edits: 1 edit