Why I'm a moral anti-realist but may be unable to convince you

According to LessWrong, philosophers have long grappled with a surprisingly tricky question: what actually makes a belief justified? Philosopher Michael Huemer developed an answer called Phenomenal Conservatism. The core idea sounds intuitive: if something appears true to you based on your direct experience—something you see, remember, or intuitively grasp—then you have a genuine reason to believe it. That seeming counts as real justification. You don't need infinite reasons piled on top of reasons. But here's the catch, and it's the whole philosophical point: this doesn't give you an unbeatable argument. Yes, your immediate appearances and gut feelings matter. But according to Phenomenal Conservatism, they only justify a belief when you don't have stronger contrary evidence. And that includes other people's conflicting intuitions, your own lingering doubts, or logical implications you didn't expect. In short: how things seem to you is a valid foundation for belief. It's just not a get-out-of-jail card for every disagreement.

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