Meta Ethics

Question 1

what are utilitarian, SE and NML an example of

Answer 1

normative ethics

Question 2

what is just war theory and sexual ethics an example of

Answer 2

applied ethics

Question 3

what is cognitivism/non-cognitivism concerned with

Answer 3

intention of a person speaking, if they intend it to be a fact or statement

Question 4

what is cognitivism

Answer 4

when people give moral statements they intend it to be a fact

Question 5

non-cognitivism

Answer 5

when people give moral statements they are non intending them to be a fact, but an opinion

Question 6

strength of moral cognitivism

Answer 6

some ethical claims are much more important than opinions, e.g. murder is wrong

Question 7

weaknesses of moral cognitivism

Answer 7

can be said it’s false they are factual claims as it is people expressing their preference

ethical statements can’t always be backed up with reason

Question 8

what is realism

Answer 8

moral statements are factual

they express a truth about morality and aren’t just made up

Question 9

what is anti-realism

Answer 9

moral statements aren’t factual

no such thing as facts about morality, just opinions

Question 10

what is symbolic language and who put it forward

Answer 10

Tillich
religious language is symbolic, tries to express things too mysterious and powerful to be spoken about accurately in normal language

Question 11

what does it mean if a moral law is absolute

Answer 11

must be law-abiding and always followed regardless

Question 12

what does it mean for a moral law to be relative

Answer 12

moral rule depends on the situation

Question 13

what is ethical naturalism

Answer 13

a subtype of moral realism

which states moral facts are facts because they come from natural facts which undeniably exist in nature

Question 14

what is an example of a natural fact

and the ethical framework derived from fact

Answer 14

pleasure is better than pain

morality should maximise pleasure

Question 15

who came up with the open question argument

Answer 15

G.E.Moore

Question 16

what is Moore a type of

Answer 16

cognitivist and realist

Question 17

what does Moore argue against

Answer 17

ethical naturalism

Question 18

what does Moore not believe ethical statements are

Answer 18

natural facts

Question 19

what does Moore make a distinction between

Answer 19

natural and non-natural facts

Question 20

how can Mill’s ethical naturalism be demonstrated to be false

Answer 20

the open question argument

Question 21

P1 OF OQA

Answer 21

according to JS Mill’s ethical naturalism, the Good can be defines as pleasure

Question 22

P2 OF OQA

Answer 22

therefore, asking ‘is the Good, pleasure?’ should be the same thing as asking ‘is the Good, good?’

Question 23

P3 OF OQA

Answer 23

the question ‘is the Good, good’ is a closed question, the answer has to be yes by definition

Question 24

P4 OF OQA

Answer 24

therefore, ‘is the Good, pleasure’ should be a closed question too, by definition’

Question 25

P5 OF OQA

Answer 25

however ‘is the Good, pleasure?’ is an open question, one without a straightforward answer

Question 26

conclusion OF OQA

Answer 26

therefore, ‘the Good’ and ‘pleasure’ are not the same thing

Question 27

what is ‘the Good’ in the OQA

Answer 27

moral goodness

Question 28

what does OQA aim to show

Answer 28

that ‘the Good’ and ‘pleasure’ are not the same thing

this disproves ethical facts based on natural facts

Question 29

what does the open question argument highlight

Answer 29

the naturalistic fallacy

Question 30

why can’t we define ‘the Good’ (Moore)

Answer 30

because it is not natural, it is beyond nature

Question 31

the meaning of ‘good’ in an ethical context cannot be contained in what (2)

Answer 31

human language

natural facts

Question 32

we use words effectively that we cannot fully define, why not

Answer 32

we can’t define words beyond nature

Question 33

what is the naturalistic fallacy

Answer 33

when someone tries to define something non-natural using natural language

moral goodness cannot be reduced to natural terms about pleasure or pain
(something can be both good and painful)

Question 34

what does both the open questioned argument and the naturalistic fallacy both criticise

Answer 34

J S Mill
natural facts
ethical naturalism

Question 35

what type of facts is morality based in

Answer 35

supernatural facts

Question 36

how can ethical statements be facts, according to Moore

Answer 36

these facts are found in non-natural facts

Question 37

what is a non-natural fact

Answer 37

a fact that exists outside the natural world

very difficult to express in language

Question 38

what is Moore’s analogy of describing non-natural facts

Answer 38

yellowness
there is no way of describing yellowness without pointing to something yellow
but yellowness must exist else we would not have yellow things
therefore, yellowness exists apart from an object that is actually yellow

Question 39

how does good work in the same way as yellowness

Answer 39

u can’t describe ‘good’ without just pointing to something good
goodness must exist as a concept apart from any particular thing that’s good

Question 40

what is Moore’s overall argument in short

Answer 40

the Good exists as something non-natural, it isn’t just a straightforward part of nature

there are standards of goodness which come outside of nature

Question 41

weakness of G E Moore 3 parts

Answer 41

if the idea of the good exists outside of nature and isn’t based on facts in nature, how can we come to know it?

humans are physical beings, discover our world through physical sensation and interaction

if the good is non-physical and non-natural, how can we know what it is
what is good or bad?

Question 42

GE Moore’s solution to the weakness

Answer 42

intuition

humans can know something by simple and immediate knowledge of the thing without having to discover it physically

innate doesn’t need bodily experience