prescriptivism

Question 1

prescriptivism basic

Answer 1

Key scholar- r.m hare
Anti realist no moral claims and properties
Non cog claims are not truth apt
Came after emotivism

Question 2

examples of moral rules

Answer 2

Stealing is wrong don’t steal
Lying is wrong don’t lie
It is good to give to charity give to charity

Question 3

Recommending courses of action

Answer 3

In using moral language we are recommending courses of action- do that or don’t do that.

Question 4

what is the difference emotivism and prescription

Answer 4

emotivists claim that we use moral language to influence actions that we are hoping to achieve by using moral language. Whereas prescriptivists claim that we use moral language to guide action in what we are hoping to achieve in using moral language.
Prescriptivist recognizes the role of reason in moral decision-making. Whereas emotivism doesn’t <3

Question 5

moral judgement are universalizable imperatives

Answer 5

For hume, universalizable means the imperatives must be consistently applied by me to everyone else in the same situation including myself.
For hume all that is required for prescriptions to be moral is consistency.
moral judgements are used to guide action

moral judgement are prescriptive universalizable and rational

Question 6

criticism

Answer 6

some moral judgements can be universalised but they could be immoral or have nothing to do with morality.
eg. abuse to bald people
you can universalise this and even apply to your future self if you go bald
but doesn’t seem moral therefore counter intuitive

eg. chew food 32 times
you can universalise this yet this has nothing to with morals

seems like moral judgement requires more than to be universalizable and rational.

Question 7

strengths

list

Answer 7

rational theory
importance of consistency and contradictions
intuition

Question 8

rational theory

Answer 8

could be argued that it recognises the role of rationality in moral decisions making

Question 9

importance of consistency and avoiding contradictions

Answer 9

recognises for a prescription to be moral it needs to be consistent and avoid contradictions between other prescriptions

Question 10

intuition

Answer 10

Strikes a chord with our intuition in recognizing the action-guiding the nature of morality often when we do us the moral language we are trying to get others to do certain things in what we are saying. and it avoids the problems of Moores intuitionism. In giving an account of objective goodness.

Question 11

weakness

Answer 11

key weakness-
there seems to be more required for an imperative to be moral than simply being universalizable and rationality consistent over time. Doesn’t seem to be sufficient to make an imperative moral. You can have consistently applied imperatives that are immoral.
Prescriptivism can universalize trivial imperatives which have nothing to do with morality.

Eg you should chew your food 32 times to aid digestion
That is a universalizable prescript can be consistent. But nothing to do with morality.