An assessment of relationship between Hair's moral thoughts and moral objectivism

The question of objectivism is one of the key questions in moral philosophy. Moral objectivism states that moral values and obligations are objective and moral statements reflect objective truths. A prominent moral philosopher, Richard Mervyn Hare, believes in prescriptivism, a popular theory in moral philosophy. The question that arises with regard to Hare’s theory is: Is prescriptivism an objectivist school of thought? The present study attempts to answer this question. Using an analytic and descriptive methodology and comparing Hare’s general prescriptivism with moral objectivism, the study concludes that prescriptivism, despite the fact that some of the components of this theory reflect its objectivity, is not objectivist because of its emphasis on prescription as a criterion of voluntary acts. If Hare continues to adhere to his prescriptivism he will not be an objectivist, but if it is proved that he is a utilitarian [seeking an objective utility), then he is an objectivist.