ABSTRACT
A typical Nietzschean form of “debunking argument” runs as follows: a person's theoretical beliefs are best explained in terms of his moral beliefs; and his moral beliefs are best explained in terms of natural facts about the type of person he is. Like Hume, Nietzsche proffers a speculative psychology, but Nietzsche's speculations, unlike some of Hume's, seem to fare rather well in light of subsequent research in scientific psychology. The autonomy of causal psychological explanation is of special importance for Nietzsche. Since for Nietzsche morality is not objective and moral judgments are the causal product of, at bottom, non-cognitive affective responses to states of affairs – responses which are themselves explicable in psychological terms – it is probably not surprising that he has a similarly debunking view of cognate concepts like freedom and moral responsibility.
