ABSTRACT
This Chapter explores the different accounts of how the epistemological aspect of the metatheory of Critical Realism can be applied to moral enquiries, through the use of ethical naturalism. To explore this, the critical naturalist approach to producing explanations of aspects of social reality, as described by Danemark, et al is introduced (1997). This understanding is then used to explore ethical naturalism, by reference to how Bhaskar (1993), Collier (1994,2003) Sayer (2000,2011,2019) and Price (2017) all approach two specific components of the production of an explanatory account of morality. These are the questions of (i.) from where should such an enquiry commence; and (ii.) what method of reasoning should be used. From this exploration, a stance with respect to the overall question which is common to, and so compatible with, all these existing positions is identified. The argument of this chapter is that as a common approach to ethical naturalism, as a version of critical naturalism, can be identified then not only can recognized techniques be used to develop models of the mechanisms of morality but existing moral theories can be assessed by reference to the method that was used to develop their accounts.
