meta - ethics Flashcards
what is realisum
Realism is the concept that morlaity is set fact and there are objective , factual moral rights / wrongs
what is anti-relisum
Anti-realisum is the concept that there is no set right or wrong and morality is more subjective
what is a cognative approach to ethics
this is the idea that a moral statment is truth- apt (capable of being either true or false)
what is a non-cognavist approach to ethics
the idea that a moral statement can be neither true nor false - non truth-apt
what are the different theories that take a cognative and realist approach to ethics
-naturalisum
-inuitionisum
what is the approach to ethics that is non-cogantive and anti-relaist
emotavisum
would divine command theory be realist or anti-relaist
realist - believes that moral fact comes from God
what is naturalisum
the key idea of naturalisum is that there are natural moral facts.
what scholoars supported naturalisum
-john stewart Mill and Aristotle
why was John Stewart Mill a naturalist
Within J.S Mills utilitarian approach Mill claimed that the idea of good is equal to feelings of pleasure. Pleasure is a natural fact and so therefore good is also a natural fact
why was Aristotle a naturalist
in Aristotles views good is equal to eudiamonia (human flurashing ) which is atchived through having different characteristics- so good is a ntural thing
what is the naturalistic fallacy
the naturalistic fallacy is a critisium of naturalisum
who proposed the naturalistic fallacy
G.E Moore
what does the naturalistic fallacy talk about
Moore critises naturalisum as naturalists attempt to define the concept of “good” when infact good cannot be defined. Moore believes that only conplex things can be defined, where as simple things are much harder to define. For example defining yellow is hard. So good - cannot be so easily defined
what is Mackies arguement from disagreement
Mackie suggests that because differnt cultures and different people have such varing moral beleifs this shows that there can be no realist moralfact otherwise we would all agree 100% of the time.
what is intuitionisum
Intuitionsium states that through using once intuition one can deduct objective moral rights and wrongs.
so in the same way that one can infer danger when looking off a cliff, one can equally infer moral rights or wrongs when faced witha n ethical dylema
what did Moore argue for intuitionisum
Moore argued that good is self evident and is percieved by us - we use out intuition to view good (Moore agreeed with intuitionisum)
what did W.D Ross argue for intuitionisum
Ross argued that intuition is descoerving the morally relavent thing. So upon examinining a ethical dylema one would then use intutition to find an apropriate moral rule.
what was j.l makies arguement against intutitionisum
makie said if intutitionisum were true would there not be alot more worldly agreement on moral issues (very similar to the agruement from disagreement )
what is g.j Warnocks critisium of inutitionisum
Warnock states that intuitionisum is too vage, too vage to deduct any sort of moral guide so it is useless
what did David HUme distinguish as the difference between is/ought statments
is statements are factual based on reason
where as ought statments are none factual and based upon passion
an ought statment should not come from an is statemtns
what is emotivisum
emotivisum is anti-relaist and non-cognative - Proposed by A.J Ayer, emotivisum states that moral statments are just expressions of emotion
what are the strengths of divine command theory
-concept of heaven provides a reward for moral behaviour
-clear cut, absolute rules
-makes sence to religious believers
