Ethical Properties as Resultant Qualities: or, the Naturalism of W.D. Ross

The main claim of this paper is that, contrary to the received view, Ross’ doctrine of resultance does not provide a premise in favour of nonnaturalism, but rather makes possible a viable form of non-reductionist naturalism. This is argued mainly by viewing resultance as constitution, where resultant properties are constituted by those natural properties from which they result. Accordingly, resultant properties and their constitutive properties can be viewed as placed in the same ontological realm. However, to rule out reductionism, constitution is to be considered as not implying identity. Some arguments in favour of this view of constitution, above all in the moral realm, are presented in the last sections.