Naturalism Flashcards
What is the core definition of Naturalism
“Good is a natural fact”
Good does exist and it’s knowable through nature, you learn theses knowable facts by knowledge gained through the senses
What philosopher is associated with Meta Ethics?
F.H. Bradley who believed empirical evidence of natural around you shows where goodness comes from, your purpose and your place in the world
Why type of view does naturalism take?
A realist view that the world around us exists and can be known
Why type of theory is naturalism?
Cognitive meaning ethical statements or propositions are meaningful and can be verified or falsified
What criticism is made by G.E. Moore?
The naturalistic fallacy, which argues defining goodness as a natural property causes problems as it raises open questions and it’s false to define moral terms by relating them to other states.
He argues just because something is natural and you desire it doesn’t mean it’s good and means the question ‘is it good is always asked’.
A second argument is that trying to define yellow as a natural property is impossible as yellow is yellow, therefore goodness is the same. Goodness is goodness.
What is a second criticism?
The ‘is’ ‘ought’ problem put forward by David Hume. Naturalism makes a false link with the ‘is’ statements about the world and the ‘ought’ statements about morality. A moral imperative is a different type of statement to a descriptive one.
What criticism undermines meta ethics as a whole?
The verification principle, Ayer argues that each ethic only points to an opinion or choice of belief when in reality there is no meaning and they cannot be fully verified or falsified.
What’s a quote from F.H. Bradley?
‘In my station my particular duties are prescribed to me, and I have them whether I wish to or not,’
What do actions have according to Ethical Naturalism?
Objective moral properties which can be experienced or observed empirically, these can be reduced to non ethical or natural properties ie desires or pleasures.
What does inquiry into the natural word do for us?
Increase our moral knowledge and scientific knowledge and ‘ethical value’ is confirmable through the methods of science. Moral facts therefore are facts of nature.
