The phrase “task for evo psych, not philosophy” is an invitation to false dichotomies. Ditto for “all we have is factual questions.” Sure, evo psych could shed some light on the sources of many ethical intuitions. So could neuropsych, and plain old psych, and cultural anthropology, and game theory, and logic. And then we’ll face questions of which ethical responses we want to trust or keep and which we want to change, and again we’ll turn to science, and to everyday experience—but that doesn’t mean we’re not doing philosophy. It only means that we’re doing it right.
Similarly, epistemology asks questions that merit scientific inquiry, with a heavy contribution from psychology. But that doesn’t mean epistemology is not philosophy, nor that it is all nonsense.
CharlesR has replied with a point-by-point clarification of the questions metaethics is supposed to solve. Is that helpful?
The phrase “task for evo psych, not philosophy” is an invitation to false dichotomies. Ditto for “all we have is factual questions.” Sure, evo psych could shed some light on the sources of many ethical intuitions. So could neuropsych, and plain old psych, and cultural anthropology, and game theory, and logic. And then we’ll face questions of which ethical responses we want to trust or keep and which we want to change, and again we’ll turn to science, and to everyday experience—but that doesn’t mean we’re not doing philosophy. It only means that we’re doing it right.
Similarly, epistemology asks questions that merit scientific inquiry, with a heavy contribution from psychology. But that doesn’t mean epistemology is not philosophy, nor that it is all nonsense.
CharlesR has replied with a point-by-point clarification of the questions metaethics is supposed to solve. Is that helpful?