I can’t make sense of that. Isn’t the whole point of metaethics to create an account of what this morality stuff is (if it’s anything at all) and how the word “morality” manages to refer to it? If metaethics wasn’t about morality it wouldn’t be called metaethics, it would be called, I dunno, “decision theory” or something.
And if it is about morality, it’s unclear how you’re supposed to refer to the subject matter (morality) without saying “morality”. Or the other subject matter (the word “morality”) to which you fail to refer if you start talking about a made-up word that’s also spelled “m o r a l i t y” but isn’t the word people actually use.
My complaint about the sequence is that it should have been about the orthogonality thesis, but instead ended up being about rigid designation.
I remember it as being about both. (exhibit 1, exhibit 2. The latter was written before EY had heard of rigid designators, though. It could probably be improved these days.)
I can’t make sense of that. Isn’t the whole point of metaethics to create an account of what this morality stuff is (if it’s anything at all) and how the word “morality” manages to refer to it? If metaethics wasn’t about morality it wouldn’t be called metaethics, it would be called, I dunno, “decision theory” or something.
And if it is about morality, it’s unclear how you’re supposed to refer to the subject matter (morality) without saying “morality”. Or the other subject matter (the word “morality”) to which you fail to refer if you start talking about a made-up word that’s also spelled “m o r a l i t y” but isn’t the word people actually use.
I remember it as being about both. (exhibit 1, exhibit 2. The latter was written before EY had heard of rigid designators, though. It could probably be improved these days.)