Meta Ethics Flashcards
What kind of theory is Naturalism?
Realist cognitive
What do Naturalists claim about moral truths?
They are found empirically through observation and reason good and bad right and wrong are all natural properties.
Why are moral truths empirical facts according too naturalists?
Gained the same way scientific knowledge is.
What is a main example of Naturalism?
Bentham and Mill
we observe what gives the most pleasure over pain.
What is absolutism?
fixed unchanging moral norms either always wrong or always right.
Which kind of naturalist are not absolutist but relativists?
Hedonist utilitarian’s
Why is Hedonist Utilitarian’s relativist?
Action required is relative to the situation
Explain G.E Moore’s Naturalistic Fallacy.
-error of assuming good/bad are natural properties
-equates good with natural and bad with unnatural
-e.g logic of vegetarians seems as though humans teeth are shaped to eat meat however that would mean that vegetarians are unnatural and immoral.
Explain G.E Moore’s open question argument.
-when there are various possible answers
-if it is correct that good and bad are synonymous then is pleasure good would be a closed question
-which isnt the case
What was hume?
Anti-realist and anti-cognitivist
What was Hume’s law the face problem?
-moral statements are motivated by our emotions
-moral statements and factual statements are different so shouldn’t be treated like scientific ones
-tale illegitimate leaps from stating facts to stating values
-go from descriptive statements to normative statements leaving a missing premise without it it fails
What are arguments in favor of Naturalism?
-agreement of moral values across the world largely agree what’s right and wrong
What do Intuitionist believe moral statements are?
indefinable but Self Evident
-bad and good right and wrong can be known through intuition
What example does G.E Moore give to argue that moral truths are indefinable yet self evident?
The colour Yellow
-able to identify by pointing to examples of it but it cannot be defined
yellow e.g sun banana
Goodness e.g giving to cahrity
Why is goodness intuition?
It’s a simple idea to grasp
-complex ideas can be broken into parts and this can build a definition
-simple cannot be broken into parts so are indefinable only known intuitively
How does Mother Teresa link with the analogy of the colour Yellow?
-Mother Teresa does good action in Calcutta but how can someone who is blind observe that good action
-they can’t either morally sighted or morally blind
Why do some see morality differently to others?
Morally unaware e.g psychopaths
-blurred by abnormal moral intuition
-DYLANN ROOF, shot 9 black people in the church and felt there was nothing morally wrong with what he did
What does intuition also rely on?
Consequence e.g Dog
What are two strengths of Moore?
-explains difference of right and wrong between people
-most people do agree what is right and wrong suggesting there is a common sense aspect of this.
What are two weaknesses of G.E Moore?
-if it still has to be persuaded what is right and wrong its not indefinable
-‘ethical colour Blindness’ our examples of goodness may also differ
What would Pritchet argue?
There is also the existence of moral obligation.
What is a weakness of Pritchet?
Doesn’t explain how we all have different opinions of what is right.
What does W.D Ross argue?
Prima Facia Duties
-certain action can be right and are self evident to all
-as moral agent must know which are right and which are wrong
What would Philipia Foot argue?
Don’t accept Moral realism as it can trivialize ethics can consider moral and immoral rather as opinions such as concentration camps are bad
What do Emotivism believe moral statements are?
Evince approval or disproval not factual judgements.
(anti realist and non cognitivist)
What 3 statements did A.J Ayer believe there are?
logical
factual
moral
Who was A.J Ayer influenced by?
Hume and logical positivists.
What part of David Hume did A.J Ayer take influence from?
is-ought problem goes from stating facts to stating values
e.g meat
What is the Nuance of evince?
-the fact that it isnt the same as expressing an emotion
-you may not feel the emotion your words indicate
Explain the misconceptions.
The idea is that emotion doesn’t discover what is right or wrong but he is saying that right and wrong just don’t exist at all.
In terms of the weak verification principle why are ethical statements wrong?
Because they are neither synthetic or analytical statements so if you say ‘it is wrong to lie’ you rather ‘you lied’ because there simply expressing disproval
What is Ayer more concerned with?
What are ethical statements even for?
