Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Ethics > Meta Ethics > Flashcards

Meta Ethics Flashcards

1
Q

Cognitive

A

The belief that moral statements are able to be true or false

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Non-cognitive

A

The belief that moral statements are not subject to truth or falsity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Naturalism

A

The belief that moral values can be defined in terms of some natural property of the world

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Naturalistic fallacy

A

The error of reducing goodness to a property that is found in nature

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Intuitionism

A

The belief that moral values can be defined in terms of some natural propoerty of the world
- known through our intuition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Emotivism

A

The belief that ethical terms show approval or dispproval

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Naturalism - Aquinas

A
  • the world has God given natural order that we can discover through observation and reasoning
  • everything has a telos
  • observe the good if its achieveing a purpose
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Naturalism - mill

A
  • based on utilitarianism
  • some actions lead to pleasure others pain - allows us to find right and wrong
  • certain pleasures and goods must mean that is these things are desirable they are good in themselves
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Intuitionsism - moore

A
  • gap between fact and value
  • we can ask open questions - several possible answers
  • ask closed questions - one answer is actually possible
  • problems arise whenever we try to define what is good in terms of something in the world
  • ‘goodness’ can’t be defined but is self evident
  • colour yellow
  • good cannot be broken into properties
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Intuitionism - pritchard

A
  • moral dilemas occur we intuit our primary duty in the given situation
  • there is a difference between reason and intuition: reason looks at the facts behind a situation and intuition establishes what to do
  • intuition is the basis for moral obligations
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Intuitionism - ross

A
  • we intuitively know when something is right but also argued that it is our duty to carry out certain actions
  • prima facie duties (beneficence, fidelity)
  • sometimes duties clash so we must ‘judge to be the most morally incumbernt will present itself’
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Emotivism - Ayer

A
  • a statement is meaningful if it is: analytic or synthetic
  • moral statements are not obviously logical nor can any matter of fact prove them to be true
  • they are meaningless and are statements of emotions
  • boo-hurra
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Emotivism - hume

A
  • it is natural for us to react emotionally

- our emotions and desires motivate our actions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Hare - prescriptivism

A
  • when i say something is ‘wrong’ i am implying that everyone should think the same
  • you are prescribing what others should think
  • recognise that although morality is subjective the individual should do what is morally required and be consistent in their ethical actions
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Are meaningful

A
  • standards of good and bad are similar across cultures - not the case if it is opinion
  • may not demonstrate moral facts but DO demonstrate that human societies when faced with similar issues have responded with similar feelings and attitudes
  • we can speak inteligently about ideas of moral progress
  • no such thing as right or worng then this would require that we tolerate different answers to issues of right and wrong
  • lack of values and the lack of meaning in ethical statements in that nothing ultimately matter
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Are meaningless

A

Mackie

  1. Relativism - there is too much disagreement about what is right and wrong for it to me facutual matter
  2. Empiricism - nothing available to our senses that would give us an idea of right and wrong
  3. ‘Queerness’ - if they were to exist then they would be very unusual things
    - unverifiable so are meaningless
17
Q

Error theory

A

Makie

  • there are no moral facts, merely subjective values
  • when we make moral statements we speak as though the stataements we make are true ot false
  • we are in error
  • objective values are built into moral language but this is false
  • in everyday life we assume and speak in terms of moral facts yet when viewed objectively from the outside these facts do not exist
18
Q

Difficulties of naturalism

A
  • rely on the idea of there being a purpose or telos built into the universe (reject the idea of purpose)
  • the gap between factual ‘is’ statements and value judgements ‘ought’ and ‘ougth not’. Moral judgements are primarily a matter of emotion, nothing factual can be observed that leads to the idea of right or wrong
  • moore, there is a naturalistic fallcay if we claim the pleasure is good
19
Q

Advantages of intuitionism

A
  • avoids problems such as is-ought gap and the naturalistic fallacy, yet still presents morality as objective
  • no fact-value gap there is no attempt to jump to find moral values through observation of the world
  • there is considerable moral agreement in the world
  • it establishes moral facts, they are not just a matter of opinion
20
Q

Difficulty with intuitionism

A
  • peoples intuitions often seem to differ
  • H.A pritchard responded to this saying some people have a better intuition tha others (not convincing
  • there is a significant amount of disagreement in the world
  • seems unscientific and far fetched, it cannot be scientifically analysed
  • ‘just know’ has little different to ‘just feeling’, leans towards emotivism
  • makes ethics become mathematical, truths are self-evident and obviously true. Maths doesn’t argue over answers unlike ethics, maths uses concrete evidence to resolve (not present in ethics)
21
Q

Moore countering naturalism

A
  • saying that moral statements can be defined is a naturalistic fallacy
  • there is a jump from an ‘is’ to an ‘ought;
  • it is not logical to move from facts to judgements
22
Q

F.H.Bradley - naturalism

A
  • all ethical statements are the same as non-ethical ones

- means that they can be verified and falsified

23
Q

Mackie countering intuitionism

A
  • knowing what is good is determined by intuitionism is not proven
  • is intuition different from opinion?
  • intuition is variable
24
Q

James Rachels counter emotivism

A
  • moral judgements appeal to reason
  • they are not expressions of feelings
  • moral statements need reason otherwise they are arbitrary
  • everyone can do
25
Q

Stevenson - emotivism

A
  • moral statements express subjective beliefs

Ethics (20 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions