Ethical Naturalism

Question 1

Ethical Naturalism

Answer 1

-view that ethical values stem from facts about nature of the world or human nature

Question 2

naturalism

Answer 2

-term we use for the view that moral values can be described in terms of natural properties (love or happiness)
-moral values are an objective part of the furniture of the universe, they exist and can be described so its possible for us to discover and understand them.
-naturalism grounded in facts of nature.

Question 3

what makes you an ethical naturalist?

Answer 3

if you can look at world and at peoples behaviour and can deduce right and wrong from them

Question 4

what do naturalist theories talk about

Answer 4

an intrinsic good, value that something has in itself and holding that this good is self-evident

Question 5

main features of naturalism

Answer 5

1.moral terms can be understood by analysing the natural world (empirical)

2. ethical statements ate cognitivist and can be verified or falsifies (cognitivist )

3.That verified moral statements are objective truths and universal

4.That objective features of world make propositions true or false.

Question 6

Moral terms can be understood by analysing the natural world

Answer 6

ethical language can be understood by referring to, and closely analysing, what we experience from the natural world around us.

all understand that to experience the kindness of other is ‘good’ and cruelty is ‘bad’

Question 7

ethical statements ate cognitivist and can be verified or falsifies

Answer 7

our experiences have meaning because we can verify, from our experience that kind acts are ‘good’ and cruel acts are ‘bad’ due to happiness or suffering.

we can all verify this and it means the same for everyone

Question 8

that verified moral statements are objective truths and universal

Answer 8

-if ethical descriptions and statements about the world have meaning for everyone then it also follow that they are objective truths and universal

-if world around us is objective or real then it can be used to establish knowledge and truth

Question 9

that objective features of world make propositions true or false

Answer 9

if these experiences are mind-independent and universal then this also means statements ‘kindness is an ethically good act’ is true because experiences are grounded in the objective features of world around us.

-we can actually see how kindness works. we all can agree that kindness is good because the experiences in world establish that this is true

Question 10

theological naturalists

Answer 10

Thomas Aquinas, link goodness to divine will and the kind of creatures God made humans to be.
adultery wrong as it limits/prevents human flourishing

Question 11

hedonistic naturalist

Answer 11

link goodness to pleasure or happiness, the thing that causes happiness is right. moral statements justifies by something else.

Question 12

strengths

Answer 12

-true because they are factual, reduce to ‘non ethical’ properties about world such as happiness, love etc

-right and wrong are objective - exist in world outside ourselves. if there’s an obj moral reality then we can know if we’re doing right or wrong

-ethical propositions can give us solid guidelines and rules to follow with rule UT

-we can be judged by our compliance with rules

-most tend to follow one naturalist theory or another

Question 13

weaknesses

Answer 13

-claim that ethical propositions are factual doesnt impress ethical non-cognitivists, who argue moral propositions aren’t factual

-good undefinable

Question 14

naturalistic fallacy - weakness

Answer 14

-GE Moore
-try to define concept ‘good’ in terms of some natural property
-if Moore right problem with UT