The motivational dynamics of good people: an externalist account

In chapter 3 of The Moral Problem Michael Smith argues for an internalist view of the relationship between an agents moral judgments and her reasons for acting. To do this he presents a novel argument against an externalist view of this relationship. This argument depends on a claim that the externalist has only one option for explaining the motivational changes of good people, and that this option in unsatisfactory. By giving a more thorough account of exactly what kinds of motivational changes are at issue, I show that externalists have another option for explaining the motivational changes of good people. I go on to argue that this option is not unsatisfactory in the way in which the first option is. This shows that externalism is not refuted by Smiths argument.