Metaethics Flashcards
naturalism definition
cognitive theory
there are moral truths which are facts that we can observe in the world and measure empirically
ethical language is meaningful because it is factual
absolutist naturalism
there are fixed moral truths which are universal
What did Bradley say about naturalism?
the part that ‘man’ plays in the world is as real as gravity so therefore we ARE able to make moral statements that are FACTS
hedonic naturalist - we observe goodness through pleasure and this governs our ability to know how to act in the world
e.g. it is meaningful to say that murder is wrong because we can see that it is wrong (through pain and suffering)
foot (naturalism)
in the same way we can judge species on their effectiveness and ineffectiveness (e.g. an owl with poor night vision is ineffective) we can do this with humans and actions - we are able to judge moral actions on their qualities
there must be moral truths in place for humans to follow but also to go against - this is the natural order of things which can be observed
What does Mackie say about non-absolute naturalism?
yes we can observe morals, however these are not absolute and they depend on the institution/situation we are in
e.g. to act in accordance with your society is not always to act in accordance with absolute moral values
believes moral truths derive from traditions
strengths of naturalism
uses empirical evidence - morality can be proved
does not require God as a source of authority
hume’s objection to naturalism
hume’s law/fork
did not like the jump from ‘is’ to ‘ought’ - says that naturalists are wrong for saying morals are factual
(just because we can observe something in nature does not mean it is right/ how things ought to be)
What is Moore’s objection to naturalism?
you cannot suggest that you can derive good from what ‘is’ in the world
there is no way of measuring good empirically (this would be measuring something like pleasure instead which is not the same as good)
emotivism definition
non-cognitive theory
says that all moral and ethical language is only an expression of feelings and opinions
there can be no fixed moral truths
significance of the Vienna Circle
verification principle = something is only true if it can be verified by empirical data
What does Ayer propose surrounding emotivism?
only statements that provide truths:
- factual/synthetic - verified by our senses
e. g. the sky is blue - logical - true by definition and true analytically
e. g. all widows are women (true by definition)
moral statements are relative to our emotions and cannot be proven
hurrah-boo theory
hurrah-boo theory (ayer)
when we express a moral statement we cannot be right or wrong - we are expressing our thoughts and emotions
stevenson (emotivism)
yes, moral statements are based on emotion BUT they are a reflection of the society we are in/our social values
moral disagreements are more than just emotional responses as they deal with fundamental beliefs
BUT stevenson was still an emotivist as he thought that ethical language is meaningless in terms of there being ‘right or wrong’
strengths of emotivism
acknowledges the existence of moral diversity - highlights the reason why moral disputes are impossible to resolve decisively
shows the strong connection between morality and emotions
objections to emotivism
devalues the progress that we have made when it comes to morality → would say that our progressing views on racism, homophobia and sexism are just changes in emotions and opinions as opposed to real progressions in our thinking
warnock: emotions change all the time so would this mean that morals do too - this would make ethics dangerously subjective and relative
rachels: moral statements are more than just an expression of emotions as they require justification
e. g. saying I don’t like the colour pink vs. I think murder is wrong
in the case of terrible crimes, it seems inadequate to say that condemnation of these is ‘just emotion’
e.g. surely something like genocide is intrinsically wrong
vardy: criticises ayer’s emotivism for being an ‘ethical non-theory’ - does not really deal with the idea of actions being ethical at all
intuitionism definition
cognitive theory
good cannot be defined in reference to the natural world and empirical evidence
morals can be recognised through out intution
