Meta Ethics

Question 1

what do we mean by meta ethics ?

Answer 1

we look at the language used to express morality , do words like good exist ? from the Greek word meta meaning above and beyond

Question 2

normative ethics

Answer 2

theories of ethics that give advice on how we ought to behave e.g Kantian ethics

Question 3

Absolutism

Answer 3

morals are fixed , unchanging and everyone should follow e.g Natural law

Question 4

Relativism

Answer 4

moral truths are not fixed and not absolute ; what is right changes according to the individual , situation , culture , time , place e.g Situation ethics

Question 5

Cognitivist

Answer 5

. objective moral truths exist
. moral statement are factual
.moral words exist such as good
.moral concepts can be proven
. naturalism
. Intutionism

Question 6

Non - cognitivist

Answer 6

. opinion can not be logically tested
. mind dependent
.subjective
.words like good do not exist
. Emotivists
. Prescriptivists

Question 7

Naturalism

Answer 7

moral values can be determined in terms of some natural property in the world . 2 types hedonistic and theological

Question 8

Aquinas

Answer 8

we can use our reason and our powers of observation to access facts about what is moral and immoral .. believed goodness came from the will of God

Question 9

F. H Bradley

Answer 9

ethics can be explained by concrete absolute reality we observe , our place in society directs what we should do and your moral duties ; duty is universal

Question 10

Bentham and Mill

Answer 10

we can discover good / bad from whether it causes or removes pleasure

Question 11

Phillipa foot

Answer 11

we can observe moral absolutes e.g through how a person acts in consideration of these virtues

Question 12

Naturalistic fallacy

Answer 12

G. E Moore - error of reducing goodness to a property found in nature e,g pleasure

Question 13

Open question argument

Answer 13

if goodness = pleasure we would not be able to ask if pleasure is good … pleasure is not always good so it cant be the defintion of good .
but bachelors = unmarried men is a closed question it has a definitve answer

Question 14

Hume / is - ought gap

Answer 14

when we start with a fact we infer something moral from it this is wrong we can only infer something moral from a moral statement

Question 15

Naturalism is right to say moral values are a feature of the world 1

Answer 15

mill argues that we are able to know what is good and desirable .. people want hapiness this shows happiness is a good thing

Question 16

Naturalism is right to say moral values are a feature of the world 2

Answer 16

agreement on moral values throughout the world

Question 17

Naturalism is right to say moral values are a feature of the world 3

Answer 17

reducing morality to opinion reduces the signifcance of ethical debates

Question 18

Naturalism is wrong to say moral values are a feature of the world 1

Answer 18

naturalistic fallacy and open question argument

Question 19

Naturalism is wrong to say moral values are a feature of the world 2

Answer 19

forms of naturalism like aquinas natural law makes the assumption that there us telos but many disagree - if there isnt a definitve purpose there cant be definitve ideas on goodness

Question 20

Intuitionism

Answer 20

Believes that morality is intuitve
you can not define words like good we simply know bcs our intuition tells us it is
intuitionism enables people to know basic moral truths to inform their ethical decsions not all moral decsions are reacted by relying on intuition,

Question 21

G.E MOORE

Answer 21

Good can not be equated with something else as it cant be defined .. it is like the colour yellow we know what yellow is but we cant describe it .we know good when we see example of it by intuition and we know something is right or wrong by looking at the consequences ( telelogical)

Question 22

W.D ross

Answer 22

student of pritchard , intuitonist
accepts that duties conflict and change from one culture to another so moral principles are not absolute , But we have prima facie duties these are absolute and the most important ,
In making moral decisons our intuition decided our prima facie duties .accepts that moral duties do conflict. he tries to tackle the issue of conflicting duties by putting forward a series of duties which are most important. He called these ‘first sight’ duties, or “prima facie duties”

Question 23

Prima facie duties

Answer 23

Promise keeping
repairing harm done
gratitude
justice
benficence
self improvement
non-malifcence

Question 24

H.A pritchard

Answer 24

leading UK moral philospher in the 1920s and 30s
There is a gap between the good thing and the idea of what thing i have a duty to bring about for P duty is beyond the good thing to do , working out right or wrong is our duty which we use intuition to work out .H. A. Pritchard argued that working out what is right and wrong is our duty, which we use intuition to work out. the concept of duty here sounds more deontological than Moore’s teleological perspective.
P does not explain how we choose or the fact different ppl have different intuitions he say when ppl disagree moral thinking has not been fully developed

Question 25

Intuitionism weakness 1

Answer 25

intutionism seems to assume an odd faculty of the mind aside from normal perception. knowledge of objects is from sense experience in a physical means. moore is claiming we are able to recognise on-natural qualities. how can we do this? how do we know we are not just making it up? you may argue that this is an a priori perception.

Question 26

Intuitionism weakness 2

Answer 26

if we simply know the good by process of intuition, how can we discuss our views? if good is intuitive, how is it possible to judge that your view is better or worse than mine? if you say the eiffel tower is in italy, there is a factual dispute with an outside criterion to judge rightness or wrongness. there is no resolution to intuitive rights or wrongs.

Question 27

Intuitionism weakness 3

Answer 27

what does the concept of a non-natural property even mean? it is not detectable by senses, so how is it recognised or described, since we lack non-sensory language?

Question 28

Intuitionism weakness 4

Answer 28

virtue ethicist MacIntyre simply said that “The word intuition is always a signal that something has gone badly wrong.

Question 29

Intuitionism weakness 5

Answer 29

people’s intuitions will differ most people see morality as subjective intuitions come from different roots – intuition may be the tip of an iceberg, but beneath the water there may lie a greater sense of cultural conditioning

Question 30

emotivism

Answer 30

this is the theory, promoted mainly by logical positivists, that ethical statements simply reveal emotions, although they are meaningless in themselves. it has been criticised by Mel thompson as the ‘boo-hurrah’ theory. emotivism is a non-cognitive meta-ethical theory which states quite simply that ethical language are only used in expressions of feeling. when we say ‘murder is wrong’, we’re not saying that it is immoral, we’re saying that we don’t like the idea. when we use ethical language we are not judging morality or making normative truth claims – we are simply expressing emotion.

Question 31

The strengths of emotivism are as follows:

Answer 31

emotivism's subjective nature allows all opinions to be equally valid - it is egalitarian culturally aware - arranged marriage, for example, could be good or bad depending on the stance of different cultures it effectively resolves the argument as to why moral disputes can never be resolved in childhood especially, it is often true to say that our moral language is intended to be reciprocal

Question 32

The weaknesses are as follows:

Answer 32

emotivism belittles our ability to reason James Rachels argues that emotivism wrongly compares stubbing one's toe to making moral statements, and called moral feelings convictions Mel Thompson famously said "You cannot reduce morality to a set of cheers and boos." Peter Vardy accused emotivism of being "hot air and nothing else" virtue ethicist Alasdair MacIntyre argues that emotivism wrongly places child carers and paedophiles as equals