meta - 2. ‘What is meant by the word ‘good’ is the defining question in the study of ethics’. Discuss

Question 1

intro

Answer 1

• Defining what is meant by good is not the defining question in ethics today

Question 2

paragraph 1

Answer 2

• Meta-ethics is of importance but on a practical level there is little relevance in aiming to understand what the word good means and the best approach to describing it (emotivism, naturalism, intuitionism)
• CAN BE, a niche subject that does not have significant importance in todays world
  
  • It doesn’t affect any decisions that are made
• HOWEVER, they are the highest level of ethical discussions just due to the nature of the question
  
  • To understand the objective/ subjective nature of goodness means that it needs to be understood before it is applied to normative ethical situations

Question 3

paragraph 2

Answer 3

SUPPORTED, Wittgenstein

• You need to understand the language that is being used prior to using it
• There is a danger of talking at cross-purposes and creating philosophical problems (misunderstanding)
• If you don’t understand to a full extent what you are discussing then the application into normative theories means can’t be affective
• THEREFORE, understanding good is the most important question that will enable all other ethical questions to be answered

Question 4

paragraph 3

Answer 4

WEAK ARGUMENT, Maclntyre

• Meta-ethical discussions have proven harmful to moral development
• Has led to nihilism – emotivist position that moral judgements are just a matter of opinion and it doesn’t matter what view we take
• There should be a focus on normative ethics so that we can share a view of what goodness is within these theories

Question 5

conclusion

Answer 5

• There is no importance to discussing good
• It distracts from the use of normative ethics
• Can’t be used today and leads to extreme views eg nihilism