Naturalism

Question 1

Naturalism revolves around?

Answer 1

empiricism

Question 2

empiricism def?

Answer 2

using the 5 senses to gain knowledge

Question 3

Rachels?

Answer 3

“Ethical naturalism is the idea that ethics can be understood in terms of natural science”… “the moral properties are identical with natural properties.”

Question 4

Jacobs?

Answer 4

Naturalism is an approach to philosophical problems that interprets them as practical to the methods of the empirical sciences, or at least without a distinctively apriori project of theorising.”

Question 5

Hume?

Answer 5

put forth that we are all born is a state of tabula rasa ( blank state)
because of this, we have an absence of preconceptions, predetermined views or anything in our minds
therefore, everything we know and learn comes from the world of sense experience

Question 6

Aquinas quoted?

Answer 6

“Nothing is in the intellect that was not first in the senses.”

Question 7

When considering empiricism?

Answer 7

propositions are put forward which are first assessed by our cognitive faculties based on what we know from our past experience of the world around us
( A Posteriori)

Question 8

Once meaning is established by cognition?

Answer 8

the truth value of the proposition can be assessed and verified

Question 9

What else does Jacobs say?

Answer 9

according to the naturalists, there is only natural order if something is claimed to exist but not described in the vocabulary that describes natural phenomena. it is not something we should recognise as real”
referring to the inherent problems of religious language

Question 10

Cognition def?

Answer 10

the way we think about certain possibilities and come to particular conclusions

Question 11

Cognitivism?

Answer 11

the view that sentences express meaningful propositions

Question 12

About cognivitism?

Answer 12

this perspective asserts that for something to have meaning, it must be verifiable
emphasises the linguistic aspect of the empirical approach - which is crucial for the logical positivists of the vienna circle
The foundational assumption of cognitivism is that the world is objective and real, existing independently of our perceptions.
is belief supports the idea that we can use the external world to establish knowledge and truth. In terms of realism, it holds that the world exists unconditionally and is not merely a figment of imagination, delusion, or psychological projection.

Question 13

Warnock Quoted?

Answer 13

“Naturalism was supposed to explain a way ethics all together by associating ethical concepts such as goodness of duty with non-ethical concepts such as pleasure or utility or the desire that society should be preserved.”

Question 14

Ethical naturalism proposition?

Answer 14

Ethical naturalism posits that moral terms can be understood through the natural world, asserting that ethical statements are cognitivist and can be verified or falsified. It claims that moral propositions reflect objective truths that are universal, determined by objective features of the world. A key example is Mill’s utilitarianism, which derives ethical reasoning from the pursuit of happiness, suggesting that the best actions maximize pleasure. Ethical naturalism emphasizes that objective moral laws exist independently of humans, grounded in empirical reality, and aligns with sciences like social and biological naturalism, as well as evolutionary ethics.

Question 15

F.H bradley idealist moeal philophsy

Answer 15

F.H. Bradley aimed to create an ethical theory that integrated the metaphysical self with a naturalistic approach, emphasizing that ethics relates to the self in a tangible way. While not traditionally seen as a naturalist, Bradley’s work reflects a unique form of ethical naturalism by blending utilitarianism and Kantian ethics into a unified theory. However, he later found this theory deficient due to its incomplete metaphysical end of self-realization. Ultimately, Bradley shifted towards an idealist position, concluding that the best explanation for morality lies in religion.

Question 16

Bradleys ethical naturalism

Answer 16

In “Ethical Studies,” F.H. Bradley presents seven proposals regarding ethical theories, advancing a form of ethical naturalism that combines the naturalistic approach of utilitarianism with Kant’s emphasis on duty. He seeks a theory that integrates the metaphysical self with the physical world, arguing that true self-awareness involves recognizing one’s connection to others. For Bradley, ethics revolves around the self in a way that grounds individuals in their social roles and duties. This process of self-realization helps individuals identify their purpose and function within society, emphasizing that the metaphysical self is crucial to understanding ethical behavior in an empirical context.

Question 17

The concrete universal?

Answer 17

Bradley’s concept of the “concrete universal” posits that the self is shaped by relationships with the world, emphasizing that ethical statements reflect our interactions and connections. Duties are found in the empirical realm, making ethical claims cognitive and verifiable based on real-world facts. The path to realizing our true self involves observing and adapting societal values, while acknowledging a shared sense of moral obligation or conscience. This shared foundation promotes self-realization as a means to serve society, framing morality as an act of self-assertion that transcends mere description of reality to define what ought to be.

Question 18

Bradley and Normativisim?

Answer 18

Bradley’s metaethical theory focuses on explaining the origins of our moral judgments rather than providing normative ethical guidance. He believes that ethical verification can be found in the empirical world but asserts that philosophy cannot dictate specific moral actions. This moral naturalism reconciles individualism and despotism while acknowledging the importance of being aware of the surrounding morality and love. He emphasizes the challenge of identifying one’s duty, referencing Hegel’s notion that wisdom and virtue involve living in harmony with the ethos of one’s community.

Question 19

Challenges?

Answer 19

Challenges to naturalism include the merits of emotivism and intuitionism, particularly Hume’s law, which argues that ethical propositions cannot be derived from empirical observations. Naturalists assert that ethics can be identified through natural phenomena, making ethics observational and descriptive. For instance, while one can observe that donating money improves the life of a less fortunate person, this does not logically imply that it is morally good for the donor to give. The conclusion about what ought to happen cannot be drawn from observations of what is, as the new ethical insight is not inherent in the original empirical data.

Question 20

Hare quote?

Answer 20

naturalism in ethics, like attempts to square a circle ( force to do something) and to “justify induction
( observation of the natural world), “will constantly recur so long as there are people who have not understood the fallacy involved.”
( Hume’s law)

Question 21

Rachels?

Answer 21

Naturalism provides a few from the outside and from that perspective, it provides all sorts of interesting information. But it misses something that can be experienced only from the inside, mainly the normative ( should or ought to do ) force of the reasoning

Question 22

Moore naturalistic fallacy?

Answer 22

Moore focused on the fundamental question of what “good” means, asserting that a clear understanding of this term is essential for meaningful ethical discussions. He claimed that goodness cannot be defined by specific qualities or properties, a concept he termed the “naturalistic fallacy.” According to Moore, good is a simple, indefinable notion that cannot be reduced to other concepts like pleasure, happiness, or love. He criticized utilitarianism for equating good with pleasure, arguing that ethics involves exploring whether any property can define goodness, but ultimately concluded that no such definition exists. Recognizing the indefinability of good is crucial; failure to do so would render ethical inquiry futile. Moore emphasized that while we cannot analyze “good,” we should be able to recognize it when encountered, and he highlighted the importance of understanding the linguistic implications of defining good in naturalistic terms.

Question 23

Open Question argument

Answer 23

The open question argument illustrates the inadequacy of defining “good” through empirical properties. Attempts to define good—such as equating it with pleasure—fail because they leave the question of goodness unanswered. For example, if pleasure is defined as good, asking whether pleasure is good becomes a tautology. The argument highlights that it’s always meaningful to question whether a natural property is good, indicating that good cannot be adequately defined by these complex notions. Stratton-Lake emphasizes that goodness cannot simply be defined as what causes pleasure, as this leads to significant questions about the nature of goodness itself.