Meta-Ethics

Question 0

Meta-Ethics

Answer 0

Explore the meaning/function of moral language

Question 1

Normative ethics

Answer 1

Asks what kind of moral behaviour is good or bad

Question 2

Describe G.E.Moore’s naturalistic fallacy

Answer 2

When a philosopher attempts to prove a claim about ethics through appealing to a definition of the term good by using a natural property

Question 3

Name the thinker who said “Have nothing in your house which you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful”

Answer 3

William Morris

Question 4

Outline cognitivist views on moral statements

Answer 4

~ Moral statements are about facts

~ Moral statements are propositions

Question 5

Outline non-cognitivist views on moral statements

Answer 5

~ Moral statements are not about facts

~ Moral statements are not propositions as they are neither true nor false

Question 6

What is Hume’s guillotine? Give the quote

Answer 6

He argues that ‘is’ does not imply ‘ought.’
Hume said “We cannot move logically from a statement about the way the world is to a statement about how we ought to act.”

Question 7

What does F.H Bradley (1846-1924) say about goodness?

Answer 7

“Goodness is a natural aspect”

Question 8

Give the dates of G.E Moore

Answer 8

1873-1958

Question 9

Give the dates of H.A Pritchard

Answer 9

1871-1947

Question 10

Give the dates of W.D Ross

Answer 10

1877-1971

Question 11

How does Vardy refer to Ayer’s emotivism theory?

Answer 11

Calls it an ‘ethical non-theory’ because it only discusses emotion and does not deal with the idea of moral actions