Methodological Issues: Reflective lntuitionism

Abstract

Abstract Opposed views about “moral dilemmas” frequently reflect different methodologies of moral inquiry. Yet the debate about “moral dilemmas” has been conducted with little explicit consideration of methodological issues. This is surprising both because these issues are important for determining whether or not there are “moral dilemmas” and because contemporaneous with this debate there has been a significant discussion about methodology in moral philosophy. For the most part this discussion has not played a direct role in the debate about “moral dilemmas.” Though many arguments and objections concerning “moral dilemmas” have tacitly presupposed methodological positions, there has been little attempt to justify these positions in the context of the debate. My aim in this chapter is first to show the importance of methodological considerations for the question of “moral dilemmas” and second to develop and defend the methodology that informs my own approach.