Theme 1F Emotivism Flashcards
What is meta-ethics?
It highlights what we mean by words such as ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘right’, and ‘wrong’.
Translate meta-ethics?
Beyond/above ethics
What is meta-ethics the study of?
The NATURE OF ETHICS - so what we mean by certain words.
What is the opposite of meta-ethics?
Normative ethics
What is normative ethics?
The study of ethical/behavioural action
What does this mean?
Normative ethics tells us what we can and cannot do.
Therefore, if normative ethics is opposite to meta-ethics, what does this mean for meta-ethics?
That meta-ethics, does not tell us what we can and cannot do, only what we mean by certain words.
Is emotivism cognitive or non-cognitive?
Non-cognitive
Define non-cognitivism.
A statement that is not subject to truth or falsity/cannot be objectively verified or falsified.
No one can understand moral values.
Define Emotivism.
There are no objective moral values (moral statements cannot be verified or falsified) as they are only an expression of emotion.
Is ethical language meaningful in Emotivism?
No
Why is ethical language not meaningful in Emotivism?
It is not knowable or provable, as it is only an expression of emotion.
That is, an emotion cannot be deemed to be true or false.
MEANING THEY ARE NON TRUTH-APT.
Is emotivism an example of a realist or anti-realist theory?
Anti-realist
Why is emotivism an anti-realist theory?
Because it objects/denies verified or falsified statements. (it goes against objective moral values)
According to Emotivism, what are moral terms?
Expressions of approval ‘hurray’
and disapprovals ‘ouch’ or ‘boo’
