Quasi-realism is a view on ethics by Simon Blackburn, which attempts to steer between different problems faced by more well-known views such as Moral Realism and Moral Relativism. Quasi-realism attempts to permit us to speak as if some things are right or wrong, whilst rejecting the idea that there are any such things as moral facts or values in some sort of metaphysical way.
Moral Realism is the view that there exist such things as moral facts and moral values, and that these are objective and independent of our perception of them or our beliefs, feelings or other attitudes towards them. Blackburn argues that some elements of Moral Realism are useful, because it is not possible to "explain how two situations can demand different ethical responses without referring to a difference in the situations themselves." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasi-realism)
"However, argues Blackburn, ethics cannot be entirely Realist either, for this would not allow for phenomena such as the gradual development of ethical positions over time." He suggests that ethics is like "Neurath's boat, which can be changed plank by plank over time, but cannot be refitted all at once for risk of sinking. Similarly, Blackburn's theory can explain the existence of rival ethical theories, for example as a result of differing cultural traditions - his theory allows both to be legitimate, despite their mutual contradictions, without dismissing both views through relativism." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasi-realism)
It is through this path that Blackburn arrives as his idea of quasi-realism: That ethical sentences do not express propositions but instead project emotional attitudes as though they were real properties.
There's a 15-minute interview with Simon Blackburn about Moral Relativism and Quasi-realism at:
http://philosophybites.libsyn.com/simon_blackburn_on_moral_relativism
There's also a more advanced 10-minute video with Simon Blackburn about quasi-realism here:
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