Meta ethics

Question 1

What is metaethics about?

Answer 1

It is about what moral judgements mean and what (if anything) makes them true or false.

Question 2

Define moral realism

Answer 2

There are mind-independent, external moral properties and facts – e.g. “murder is wrong” is a moral fact because the act of murder has the moral property of wrongness

Question 3

Define moral anti-realism

Answer 3

Mind-independent moral properties and facts do not exist.

Question 4

Define cognitivism

Answer 4

Moral judgements express cognitive mental states – i.e. beliefs, aim to describe reality, and can be true or false
E.g. “Murder is wrong”

Question 5

Define non-cognitivism

Answer 5

Moral judgements express non-cognitive mental states, do not aim to describe reality, and are not capable of being true or false
E.g. “Boo! Murder!” or “Don’t torture animals!”

Question 6

Outline reason as the origin of moral principles

Answer 6

Moral anti-realism:
- knowledge is generally acquired by reason, and so is moral knowledge. If you are rational, you have a duty to act morally

The Leviathan argument:
- The state of nature would have been nasty, brutish and short
- Because we are afraid to live in the state of nature, we want to have an authoritative body
- Only if the authority threatens your life your are allowed to intervene
Therefore, our rules are based on reason - it is a rational thing to follow the rules

Question 7

Outline emotion as the origin of moral principles

Answer 7

1. Moral distinctions (right and wrong) can influence human actions
2. Reason alone cannot influence human actions
3. Therefore, moral distinctions are not the product of reason alone

“Reason is the slave of passion” - David Hume
He argues that a purely rational being would not know what right and wrong is because it does not know how they feel like.

Question 8

Outline society as the origin of moral principles

Answer 8

• Morals are relative to each society/nation/country

Karl Marx
- The base of society is the economy
- There are people who own the companies and people who work for them (they are getting exploited)
- The higher class invents moral principles which will benefit them (e.g. private property)
- They then implement these as moral principles, however it is simply society that created them