Meta-ethics

Question 1

What is the main basis of cognitive theories in regards to ethical statements?

Answer 1

We can have moral knowledge. Ethical statements are facts which can be proven true or false.

Question 2

Define ethical naturalism.

Answer 2

Ethical and non-ethical statements are the same, and can be verified or falsified using evidence.

Question 3

G.E. Moore criticized naturalism with the naturalistic fallacy. He said that goodness is not a natural ______, and that you cannot go from an ___ to an _____. E.g. if happiness is naturally good, then asking ‘is happiness good?’ is the same as…

Answer 3

1. quality
2. is
3. ought
4. asking ‘does happiness make you happy?’ - this makes no sense.

Question 4

G.E. Moore was an intuitionist who argued that good is simple and unanalysable, and cannot be _______. We use our moral ________ to recognise goodness. What example did he use?

Answer 4

1. defined
2. intuition
3. the colour yellow

Question 5

Which intuitionist argued that we recognise when we ought to do something? What else did they say? (e.g. reason, intuition)

Answer 5

H.A. Prichard.

Reason looks at the facts and intuition decides what to do. Some people have better developed intuition than others.

Question 6

Intuitionist W.D. Ross proposed the idea of prima facie. What does this mean?

Answer 6

Prima facie are certain types of action which are right. This includes fidelity, gratitude, justice, benificence, etc. In conflict we must follow the prima facie we think is best in that situation. We use our judgement to decide.

Question 7

What is the main idea of non-cognitive theories of meta-ethics?

Answer 7

There is no ethical knowledge because ethical statements cannot be proven true or false. They are not fact, they are another kind of statement.

Question 8

Which emotivist thinker said “ethical terms do not serve only to express feelings. They are calculated also to arouse feeling, and so to stimulate action”?

Answer 8

A.J. Ayer

Question 9

Emotivism has roots in logical positivism, which argues that any truth claim must be tested by sense experience, and verified. What does this mean for ethical statements?

Answer 9

They cannot be verified or tested by sense experience, so are not genuine truth claims.

Question 10

Ayer said there are two kinds of meaningful statements: analytic and synthetic. Define these.

Answer 10

Analytic: the truth is found by understanding the terms used in the statement. These are statements of maths and logic. E.g. all bachelors are unmarried men.
Synthetic: the truth is found by checking the facts. These are statements about science, history and ordinary life.

Question 11

What is emotivism also know as?

Answer 11

The Boo/Hurrah Theory.

Question 12

C.L. Stevenson is an emotivist who suggested that when someone makes a moral statement they are not only showing their _________, but also trying to _________ others’ _________. Ethical statements are not just based on _________, but stem from our beliefs and ___________ of the world

Answer 12

1. feelings
2. influence
3. attitudes
4. emotions
5. experiences

Question 13

Who criticizes emotivism by saying that moral judgements appeal to reason and aren’t just expressions of feeling? E.g. ‘I like chocolate needs no reason, but moral statements do otherwise they’d be arbitrary.

Answer 13

Rachels

Question 14

Hare argued that ethical statements are precriptive. What does this mean?

Answer 14

They say what ought to be done, and they are universal.

Question 15

Hare would argue that to say ‘stealing is wrong’ is the same as saying….

Answer 15

‘you ought not to steal, and neither will I’