Universal moral certainties and the goodness of cooperation

The Sciences of Ethics and Political Philosophy Reading Group will get together on the 14 October, at 14:00 [WEST], to discuss a paper by Jordi Fairhurst (2026), “Universal moral certainties and the goodness of cooperation”, Synthese, 207(153). This session will have the confirmed presence of the author.

Abstract

Pleasants and Laves have resorted to Wittgenstein’s observations about the phenomenon of certainty to argue in favour of the idea of universal moral certainties. To substantiate their proposal, they offer a kindred example of universal moral certainty: the wrongness of killing innocent, non-threatening human beings. Recently, numerous scholars (see e.g., Ariso (Philosophical Investigations 45(1):58–76, 2022a; Philosophical Investigations 45(1):91–97, 2022b; Philosophia 53:651–662, 2025); Brice (Philosophia 41(2):477–487, 2013); Fairhurst (Ethical Perspectives 26(2):271–298, 2019; Philosophical Investigations 47(1):119–136, 2024); Rummens (The Philosophical Forum 44(2):125–147, 2013)) have levelled damaging criticisms against Pleasants’ and Laves’ proposal. This paper sets out to address these criticisms by offering a novel example of universal moral certainty. Specifically, it resorts to the results obtained by Curry’s theory of Morality-as-Cooperation to argue that the goodness of cooperation may be a universal moral certainty.

Anyone interested in participating can send an email to Frederico Carvalho (fredericomscarvalho@gmail.com) or Filipe Faria (filipefaria@fcsh.unl.pt).

The Sciences of Ethics and Political Philosophy Reading Group is an international monthly-assembling online reading group co-hosted by the CFCUL and the Ethics and Political Philosophy Lab (EPLab) of the IFILNOVA. More information about the group here.