Help with a Philosophical POD

I'm thinking of writing a story and I need some help. I've been around the board for a while now, mainly in Shared Worlds and Chat, but I haven't done anything remotely resembling a timeline yet and I'd very much like to. The focus would be heavily on the writing and story and seriously downplay the AH side of things-- I don't see myself writing a proper timeline, rather a story that just happens to take place in an world where things went a little bit different-- but I'd still like for there to be an identified POD.

So here: I'm looking for a POD (preferably in the field of philosophy, though I guess that's not a necessity) that strengthens the influence of Moral Realism and weakens or disappears Moral Nihilism. If that POD also happens to alter the Existentialist heyday in France, that's just gravy. I'd really like for it to be as recent as possible and to have the smallest amount of butterflies/unintended consequences (not easy, I know.)

Any help would be greatly appreciated :)
 
I've started the story. It's called "Hide and Seek", and you can find it here.

I would greatly appreciate either help with my original question, or comments on the writing and style of the piece.
 
So here: I'm looking for a POD (preferably in the field of philosophy, though I guess that's not a necessity) that strengthens the influence of Moral Realism and weakens or disappears Moral Nihilism.

In the realm of actual professional Philosophy, that would be OTL. Existentialism, Nihilism, these things were popular with the non-philosophers, raised a few interesting questions by the five or so people who had some semblance of similarity between each other, but failed to be philosophical movements that went anywhere as far as being a "school" goes. You'll notice that whenever you hear somebody say they are either of these things, or a relativist, they're probably not a philosopher. Just some random guy who read some Nietzsche because he's popular. You may be able to find a few people who might agree with something akin to "Moral Nihilism" but this usually with caveats, and when there aren't any caveats it's still odd and I know of no major contemporary name who endorses such ideas.

Even Continental Philosophy, which is far more entrenched in the old Nihilistic and Existential philosophy that came before, is not anything like that.

If you're talking about the popular culture though, the most obvious thing is to make the popularisers not make it popular. Maybe kill Dostoyevsky, or have it so Sartre and Camus don't write popular fiction books, or be journalists. If "Existentialism" didn't seep into our popular conscious in the form of fiction and art it would have just died.
 
In the realm of actual professional Philosophy, that would be OTL. Existentialism, Nihilism, these things were popular with the non-philosophers, raised a few interesting questions by the five or so people who had some semblance of similarity between each other, but failed to be philosophical movements that went anywhere as far as being a "school" goes. You'll notice that whenever you hear somebody say they are either of these things, or a relativist, they're probably not a philosopher. Just some random guy who read some Nietzsche because he's popular. You may be able to find a few people who might agree with something akin to "Moral Nihilism" but this usually with caveats, and when there aren't any caveats it's still odd and I know of no major contemporary name who endorses such ideas.

Fair enough, perhaps I should have phrased it differently. A POD which nerfs noncognitivism significantly, to the point where it is downright heresy, and makes Moral Realism the overwhelming consensus is more what I'm looking for... Any ideas?
 
Fair enough, perhaps I should have phrased it differently. A POD which nerfs noncognitivism significantly, to the point where it is downright heresy, and makes Moral Realism the overwhelming consensus is more what I'm looking for... Any ideas?

To make it even MORE unpopular, do what I said about the popularisation. Without the social movement that came from it, we'd be in a very different world where such ideas have even less presence than they do now. You could also try stunting contemporary Analytic Philosophy, perhaps kill off Wittgenstein early just to help nudge things in a proper direction. There are many reasons why Analytic Philosophy is more amiable to such ideas than Continental Philosophy, so helping cripple it might make things more "Continental" and so more Realist.
 
To make it even MORE unpopular, do what I said about the popularisation. Without the social movement that came from it, we'd be in a very different world where such ideas have even less presence than they do now. You could also try stunting contemporary Analytic Philosophy, perhaps kill off Wittgenstein early just to help nudge things in a proper direction. There are many reasons why Analytic Philosophy is more amiable to such ideas than Continental Philosophy, so helping cripple it might make things more "Continental" and so more Realist.

I think I've got a decent POD now. Thanks a bunch :D
 
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