Constitutivism is the position in

meta-ethics In metaphilosophy and ethics, meta-ethics is the study of the nature, scope, and meaning of moral judgment. It is one of the three branches of ethics generally studied by philosophers, the others being normative ethics (questions of how one ought ...

which links what we ought to do morally with the rules about our make up as agents who perform actions of any kind. It claims to answer doubts about the validity of moral judgements, and about moral objectivity, by explaining that we cannot help but act, therefore we act in accordance with moral rules which are essential to any acting being. Although a recent development in

moral philosophy Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...

, it has its roots in the work of

Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German Philosophy, philosopher and one of the central Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemolo ...

in moral philosophy.

Some authors in constitutivism

Christine Korsgaard Christine Marion Korsgaard, (; born April 9, 1952) is an American philosopher who is the Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Philosophy Emerita at Harvard University. Her main scholarly interests are in moral philosophy and its history; the relat ...

and David Velleman are prominent writers on constitutivism, although defending different versions.

Criticism

Constitutivism has been criticised for various reasons, chiefly for circularity. It is claimed that it presupposes the truth of what it seeks to justify, i.e. moral judgements and truths.Silverstein, M., 2012 Inescapability And Normativity Journal of Ethics & Social Philosophy VOL. 6, No. 3 , December 2012

Notes

Analytic philosophy Metaethics Ethical theories {{ethics-stub