Moral reasoning performance determines epistemic peerdom.

Area of Science:

• Moral Philosophy
• Cognitive Science
• Epistemology

Background:

• John May's book argues moral disagreement challenges moral knowledge.
• This perspective may be overly charitable to skepticism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critique the argument that moral disagreement inherently undermines moral knowledge.
• To emphasize the role of reasoning quality in moral judgments.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature not cited by May.
• Analysis of studies on individual differences in cognitive abilities.

Main Results:

• Individual differences in intelligence and cognitive reflection significantly explain moral disagreement.
• This suggests a rational basis for many moral disputes.

Conclusions:

• Moral disagreement does not automatically negate moral knowledge.
• The burden of proof lies with skeptics to demonstrate non-rational origins of disagreement.