Ross, W. D.

Abstract

Abstract William David Ross (1877–1971) was a leading exponent of early‐twentieth‐century ethical intuitionism ( see Intuitionism, Moral). Intuitionists maintain that basic moral principles are self‐evident, that there are genuine moral properties in the world, that these properties cannot be defined wholly in terms of natural properties ( see Naturalism, Ethical), and (with a few exceptions) that basic moral principles cannot be subsumed under one single grounding principle, as, for example, Kant ( see Kant, Immanuel) and consequentialists ( see Consequentialism) claim. Intuitionists, then, are nonnaturalist moral realists, and pluralists. In many ways, Ross draws together the best elements of previous intuitionist philosophers, and defends these views in a lucid and concise manner. However, his most significant contribution to moral philosophy is his concept of a prima facie duty, which A. C. Ewing described as one of the most important discoveries in moral philosophy in the twentieth century (1959: 126).