The Uncertainty Podcast #81 Are There Objective Moral Truths? - David Enoch vs. Lance Bush
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Apr 23, 2026 Lance Bush, a pragmatist-leaning philosopher who favors normative quietism, and David Enoch, a defender of robust moral realism, clash over objective moral truth. They debate whether realism is intuitive, the role of ordinary moral talk, question-begging, empirical psychology’s relevance, and whether the realism dispute should be dissolved or defended.
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Realism Begins With Normative Phenomena
- David Enoch argues moral realism starts from normative phenomena like deliberation and judgments that seem objective rather than from metaphysics.
- He defends robust (non-naturalist) realism: objective, mind-independent, sometimes necessary normative truths that explain our moral practices.
Truth Over Popular Opinion For Philosophers
- David says he doesn't care about majority opinion; truth matters and philosophy starts from what seems most plausible to the philosopher.
- He treats ordinary normative claims (e.g. racial humiliation is wrong) as explananda that realism best vindicates.
Question Begging Runs Both Ways
- Lance frames question-begging as mutual: realists start with normative facts, anti-realists start with psychological explanations.
- He argues if you presuppose explananda must be psychological, you beg the question against realism.