Meta ethics

Question 1

Meta ethics

Answer 1

Meaning above and beyond. The study of meaning behind ethical concepts

Question 2

Normative ethics

Answer 2

Theories of ethics that give advice on how we ought to behave

Question 3

Naturalism

Answer 3

The idea that moral values can be defined by observation of the world around us

Question 4

Moral realism

Answer 4

The belief that right and wrong actually exist, they are real properties

Question 5

Cognitivism

Answer 5

The belief that moral statements are either true or false and can be proven as such

Question 6

Strengths of naturalism

Answer 6

Based on what is natural – everyone can experience it.
Hedonistic naturalism especially as we can observe pleasure and pain which helps us know what is right.
Nature is universal so supports argument that morals can be universally known - fact
Presents a solid guideline that ethics follow in every situation.

Question 7

Weaknesses of ethical naturalism

Answer 7

Regardless of whether a situation may have evidence to support that it is right (euthanasia) it may still break the law = pointless.
Right and wrong are subjective not objective – need humans to exist to determine how we should live.
Do ethical/ moral situations have evidence? Which evidence do we accept/ ignore?
Aquinas - what if atheist does this mean we are unable to observe moral truths in the same way?
Bradley’s ideas are outdated and classist.
Does not allow for moral dispute - opinions of morality might change over time.

Question 8

Intuitionism

Answer 8

G.E. Moore criticised naturalism
Instead he said we have an infallible intuitive knowledge of good things.
Moore argued that there are simple and complex ideas.
Complex = ‘horse’ can be broken down into animal, mammal, quadruped, equine.
Simple = ‘yellow’ we can’t break it down any further.
Moral terms are simple. The word ‘good’ is indefinable and un-analysable because it is simple and the concept cannot be broken down further

Question 9

Prima facie

Answer 9

At first appearance

Question 10

Strengths of intutionism

Answer 10

Makes logical sense we do
have examples in the world of
people making decisions
without using reason, gut
feeling.
It presents a simple guideline
for how to make moral
decisions.
It provides an explanation for
incapability to define good.

Question 11

Weaknesses of intuitionism

Answer 11

How can you account for the
differences between people’s
intuitions of good? Did Hitler
make an intuitive mistake?
Surely this proves it is
subjective.
Is intuition a sixth sense? 
If there are conflicts there is no
way of concluding who is right.
Can someone lack intuition?

Question 12

Emotivism

Answer 12

Moral statements cannot be
verified synthetically or
analytically. Therefore they are
not truths or facts.
Moral statements are simply
expressions of preference,
attitude or feeling.

Question 13

Boo/Hurrah theory

Answer 13

Influenced by Hume.
True information is verified by science.
Facts are observable but moral statements are
emotive expressions.
Non cognitive.
Ethical statements cannot be true or false.
Words like good and bad are ways of showing
emotional approval or disapproval.

Question 14

C.L. Stevenson

Answer 14

When we make moral statements we are not only expressing our
emotional response to a situation but we are also trying to
persuade others to have the same emotional response.
Descriptive and dynamic use of language

Question 15

Strengths of emotivism

Answer 15

Using emotive language is
effective in changing
attitudes of others.
People make decisions
based on emotions anyway.
It describes the workings of
the world accurately.
Just because they’re not
verifiable they still have
worth

Question 16

Weakenesses of emotivism

Answer 16

Undermines all ethical
theories that say that right
and wrong are derived from
reason/logic.
Morality is meaningless. E.g.
9/11.
If all morality is emotion
whose emotions should we
follow? Our own? Others?
Our leaders?

Question 17

RM Hare

Answer 17

Reductionism - Emotivism is a too simplistic analysis of language. Morality involves the use of reason.

Question 18

Peter Vardy

Answer 18

Emotivism is a moral ‘non-theory’ because it is not an ethical theory in the classical sense

Question 19

Macintrye

Answer 19

Emotivism stops us from seeing the importance of human qualities and causes us to treat ‘others are always means never ends’

Question 20

James Rachel

Answer 20

Emotivism is wrong to remove reason from moral judgements because otherwise they become arbitrary.