Realismo y constructivismo en la teoría moral kantiana: el ejemplo de la ética del discurso

Abstract

In this paper I argue against the metaethical view of moral Kantianism as a form of constructivism or antirealism. Given that Kantians do not share the expressivism characteristic of standard moral antirealism, Kantian constructivism seems to be an inherently unstable position, which can only be fully developed into either a consistently antirealist or a consistently realist approach. Taking Habermas’ discourse ethics as an example, I contrast a realist with an antirealist interpretation of the principle of universalization, and try to show that only the former is compatible with the moral cognitivism characteristic of Kantian moral theory, whereas the latter unavoidably leads to a decisionist (i.e., relativist) approach.