Intuitionism

Question 1

define moral

Answer 1

• action is moral if it conforms to the ethical norms of the person performing it
• personal, religious, established by a group or profession

Question 2

define immoral

Answer 2

• goes against ethical norms of the person performing it
• depends on ethical norms

Question 3

define amoral

Answer 3

• done without reference to morality, or values that imply moral perspectives

Question 4

moral realism

Answer 4

• some things are always right/wrong
• belief that there are moral facts in the same way that there scientific facts

Question 5

what is the grounding problem with moral realism

Answer 5

• a search for a foundation of our moral beliefs
• clear, objective, unmoving

Question 6

weaknesses of moral realism

Answer 6

• where do they come from?
• different opinions on facts?

Question 7

moral absolutism

Answer 7

• there are absolute standards against which moral questions can be judged
• no matter culture, circumstance
• DCT and NML, shar’iah law

Question 8

moral relativism

Answer 8

• more than one moral position on a given topic can be correct

Question 9

cultural relativism (two types)

Answer 9

• descriptive: peoples moral beliefs differ from culture to culture
• normative: its not your beliefs, but moral facts themselves that differ from culture to culture

Question 10

what issues does normative cultural relativism raise

Answer 10

• no right/wrong in a culture
• moral progress has no meaning, no need to change it if everyone is right

Question 11

moral antirealism

Answer 11

• belief that moral propositions dont refer to objective features of the world at all
• no moral facts
• morality is an opinion

Question 12

moral subjectivism

Answer 12

• moral statements can be true and false but refer to peoples attitudes, rather than actions

Question 13

what is ethical naturalism

Answer 13

• goodness is something that exists and can be described
• good is found in particular qualities (principle of utility)
• ethical statements can be empirically tested with experience –> right and wrong can be arrived through discovery of natural world and human nature, defined in scientific terms
• rise of scientific thought + naturalism tried to link in morals and scientific knowledge
• logic and senses can be used to conclude ethical truths
• ‘stalin was an evil man’ true or false by examining his actions or behaviours

Question 14

how is utilitarianism naturalism

Answer 14

• defines upholding principle of utility as goodness (it is defined)

Question 15

how is natural moral law naturalism

Answer 15

• good is deontological actions that align with the natural law

Question 16

how is virtue ethics naturalism

Answer 16

• Aristotle said that achieving eudaimonia is goodness, as it is the end goals

Question 17

strengths of naturalism

Answer 17

• can experience right or wrong
• appeals to human reason
• relates to our experience of the world

Question 18

what are objections relating to naturalism

Answer 18

• ‘is’ and ‘ought to be’ is confused –> ethical statements cannot be reduced to non ethical ones (NATURALISTIC FALLACY)
• benthams Principle of U (pain and pleasure) –> hume says it is an assumption
• reductionist: reduced an argument into its basic form
• everyone defines goodness different dependent on the ethical theory
• lack of all evidence needed to decide right/wrong, we dont know every fact that contribute to a decision, only recorded ones
• logic is not scientific + morality is not fully defined, can we be dealing with ethical facts?/

Question 19

what is ethical naturalism

Answer 19

• goodness is something that exists and can be described
• good has particular qualities (like the principle of utility, things that promote pleasure and hinder pain)
• can be empirically tested with experience, right and wrong can be arrived through a discovery of the natural world and human nature (defined in scientific terms)
• rise of scientific thought and naturalism tried to link morals and scientific knowledge
• logic and senses can be used to conclude ethical truths
• eg ‘stalin was an evil man’ can be proved true or false by examining his actions or behaviours

Question 20

how are utilitarianism, VE and NML naturalism

Answer 20

• Util: defines upholding the PofU as goodness
• NML: defines good as deontological actions that align with the natural law
• VE: defines good as achieving eudaimonia according to aristotle, as it is the end goal

Question 21

what are strengths of ethical naturalism

Answer 21

• can experience good/bad
• appeals to human reason
• relates to our experience of the world

Question 22

what are objections relating to naturalism

Answer 22

• is and ought to be is confused –> NATURALISTIC FALLACY, ethical statements cannot be reduced to nonethical ones
• benthams principle of utility (pain and pleasure) –> hume says this is an assumption
• reductionist: reduced an argument to its very basic form
• everyone defines goodness differently dependent on the ethical theory
• lack of all evidence needed to decide good and bad
• logic is not scientific and morality is not fully defined, can we be dealing with ethical FACTS

Question 23

what is intuitionism (how does it see good)

Answer 23

you can see good and bad using your intuition
- good is self evident, it is a fact (moral realism), different to all other things and reducible

Question 24

features of intuitionism

Answer 24

• ethical non naturalist: morality is a fact in the world and we can perceive and see it
• cognitivist: moral language/statements can be true or false

Question 25

what does GE moore say concerning intuitionism (naturalism, good, what is intuitionism)

Answer 25

• ethical naturalists commit naturalistic fallacy as good cannot be defined
• good is self evident, perceive through other means, intuition –> any ethical disagreements are about actions that might bring about good, not good itself
• describes it as describing yellow to a blind man
• intuition is another sense to detect the good
• we work out what is right/produces the most good –> established through reason
• he is CONSEQUENTIALIST: good and bad is determined by outcome

Question 26

what does WD Ross say on intuitionism (prima facie, what is intuitionism)

Answer 26

• intuition is discovering the morally relevant thing, examining the situation and determining what is good/bad (intuitive induction)
• compare situations and find rules for those collections of situations
• deontological, acts on those rules and the prima facie
• should follow the prima facie until a higher duty compels us
  1. promise-keeping
  2. reparation
  3. gratitude
  4. justice
  5. beneficence
  6. self-improvement
  7. non maleficence
• rejected utilitarianism, as choice of action is due to judgement through our experience and knowledge of moral decisions
• right to do vs good to do

Question 27

what does HA Pritchard say about intuitonism

Answer 27

• morally correct is determined by intuitionism
• intuition and reasoning, two ways of thinking used together
• reason: facts relevant to a situation collected
• intuition: determine action taken from this fact
• determines obligations, some have clearer moral intuition than other people

Question 28

strengths of intuitionism

Answer 28

• no absolutes, takes into account situation
• Secular, while having religious compatibility
• Develop as a moral agent
• Does not commit the naturalistic fallacy
• WD Ross gives guidelines with prima facie duties

Question 29

weaknesses of intuitionism

Answer 29

• too subjective, can justify anything
• Society is based on absolutes
• Can cause conflict if compatible with ALL religions, conflicts between them
• Indefinable nature of goodness
• No fixed ideas between all the intuitionists (deontological vs teleological)