Metaethical prescriptivism Flashcards
RM Hare says that
that I just don’t like stealing, you shouldn’t steal, and I don’t think that anybody else should steal either.
Prescriptivism in the eyes of Hare
Hare thinks that when we make moral statements we are not talking about ourselves but everybody.
Universalisation
Before you say something is good you should imagine what the world would be like if your statement became a rule and everybody had to follow it.
What does it all mean?
Hare is saying that there is more to saying something is good than just our attitude. We are also saying what is good for the world.
Because we are saying what is good for the world, before we say something is good or bad we should think about what would happen if everybody had to follow our rule.
Atrocities
Crit
Hare’s theory permits all kinds of terrible moral theories.
A Nazi could universalise his ideas that Jews should die and it wouldn’t be wrong.
This is because Hare does not believe any moral statements can be true or false.
As long as the statement has been universalised then it is acceptable.
Absurdity
CRIT
Hare’s theory allows any pointless theory to be moral. We can universalise nose picking on Wednesdays if we want to.