At 9:30 a.m. on May 13, 2026, the 395th session of the “Lundao Distinguished Scholars Forum” of the School of Public Administration was successfully held in Conference Room 634A of Xingmin Building. The lecture featured Professor Tom Stoneham from the Department of Philosophy at the University of York as the keynote speaker, who delivered a lecture entitled “A Critique of Moral Intuition.” The lecture was chaired by Professor Tao Tao from the Department of Philosophy of the School of Public Administration, and faculty members and students from the School actively participated in the event.

Professor Stoneham has long specialized in early modern philosophy, metaphysics, and philosophy of mind. He is particularly renowned for his systematic reconstruction and defense of the philosophy of George Berkeley and has published numerous articles in leading international academic journals, producing substantial scholarly achievements. Professor Tao Tao briefly introduced Professor Stoneham’s research areas and academic accomplishments, expressing a warm welcome and sincere gratitude for his visit and lecture.

Focusing on the central question of “how one should reasonably choose between two moral theories,” Professor Stoneham systematically discussed methodological issues concerning theory choice. He argued that philosophical theories often seek universal validity beyond the limitations of particular contexts. Their foundations derive not only from empirical observation, but also extensively from everyday intuitions and introspection. He then examined the role and limitations of thought experiments in moral philosophy, emphasizing that although they are useful for testing the coherence of moral intuitions, they are also highly susceptible to subjective cognitive influences. Finally, Professor Stoneham outlined the deeper tensions among different tendencies within moral theory, arguing that reexamining the relationship between intuition, experience, and reason is an urgent task for addressing the methodological dilemmas of contemporary ethics.

During the interactive discussion session, faculty members and students engaged Professor Stoneham in in-depth discussions on topics such as the methodological differences between moral theories and scientific theories. In his concluding remarks, Professor Tao Tao highly praised the lecture, noting that it was rich in content and broad in intellectual scope. He stated that the lecture not only deepened participants’ understanding of metaethics and methodological issues, but also provided an inspiring academic model for cultivating critical thinking and transcending conventional perspectives in philosophical research. The lecture concluded successfully with warm applause from the audience.