7. Meta Ethics

Question 1

Naturalism

Cognitivism definition

Answer 1

Ethical sentences express propositions and can therefore be true or false.

Question 2

Naturalism

Non-cognitivism defintion

Answer 2

Ethical sentences do not express propositions and thus cannot be true or false.

Question 3

Naturalism

Naturalism definition

Answer 3

Moral terms can be understood by analysis of the natural world.

Question 4

Naturalism

Cognativist or non-cognativist?

Answer 4

Cognativist

Question 5

Naturalism

F.H Bradley dates

Answer 5

1846-1924

Question 6

Naturalism

F.H Bradley key quote

Answer 6

“Starting from and on the basis of animal nature, humanity has worked it out by gradual advances of specification and systemisation.”

Question 7

Naturalism

F.H. Bradley - Social Naturalism

Answer 7

• People socialise their children according to how evolved society is (inheritence).
• One distinctive thing that society passes on, gives each person “station and its duties”
• Such morality is relaive as its derived from a specific place and time = progressive.

Question 8

Naturalism

F.H. Bradley key ideas

Answer 8

• Objective features of the world makes propositions true or false.
• Verified moral statements are objective and universal.
• Moral language rests on propositions.

Question 9

Naturalism

David Hume, who + dates

Answer 9

Scottish philosopher, 1711-76

Question 10

Naturalism

David Hume - Matters of fact

Answer 10

Synthetic truths, contingently true, can only be known through a posterori, without certaintly.
* we are born in total ignorance.
* “Tabula rase” = no understanding
* “nothing is in the interlect that was not first in the senses.”

Question 11

Naturalism

David Hume - Relation of ideas

Answer 11

Analytic truths, necessarily true, apriori (deductively) with certainty.
e.g. 2+2=4, don’t need experiments with objects to prove it

Question 12

Naturalism

Strength - Philipa Foot

Answer 12

Moral evil is natural defect “The fact an action or disposition is good of a kind.”

Question 13

Naturalism

Others strengths

Answer 13

• Explains social character of morality but still allows for indivudual self-realisation.
• Moral person has qualities as to why they carry out certain actions - can be observed.
• Moral judgements say something about the action of any individual - main reason to do or not, whether or not he recorgnised that.

Question 14

Naturalism

Criticism - Humes fork/is-ought gap

Answer 14

• That which ‘is’ is not the same as that which ‘ought’ to be.
• One’s societally-defined duty and what is morally ‘good’ are not automatically the same thing.
• e.g. because human nature finds pleasure good, doesnt mean good = pleasure.

Question 15

Naturalism

Criticism - GE Moore

Answer 15

Naturalistic fallacy
* Its an error to assume that something natural means that its good.
* Doesn’t mean pleasures good.

Question 16

Naturalism

Criticism - others

Answer 16

• Works in a society with fixed narrow societal expectations + etiquette recommends passive acceptance of status quo.
• Morally corrupt societies - how can an individual become ethical and reduce themselves in one.
• doesn’t offer a moral transformation.

Question 17

Intuitionism

Cognativist or non-cognativist

Answer 17

Cognativist

Question 18

Intuitionism

A.J. Pritchard dates

Answer 18

1871-1947

Question 19

Intuitionism

A.J. Pritchard key ideas

Answer 19

• claims ‘ought’ cannot be defined in a moral sense but we recorgnise its properties.
• everyone recorgnises when we ought to do a certain obligation.
• if conflicted in moral obligations - says to look at situation as decide which is greater.
• recorgnises problem that people have diferent morals = some have more developed moral thinking ~ doesn’t explain why.

Question 20

Intuitionism

A.J. Pritchard - 2 types of thinking

Answer 20

• reason = looks at facts of situation.
• intuition = decides what to do.
  e.g. euthanasia

Question 21

Intuitionism

G.E. Moore dates

Answer 21

1873-1958

Question 22

Intuitionism

G.E. Moore - key ideas

Answer 22

• Criticised naturalism, instead we have infallible intuitive knowledge of good (don’t need to observe murder to know its wrong)
• argues moral judgements cannot be proved empirically, can’t observe pleasure and conclude = good.

Question 23

Intuitionism

W.D. Ross - dates and key ideas

Answer 23

1877-1971
* accepted Moore and added that in any situation, moral duties or obligations become apparent = “prima facie duties” e.g. gratitude, justice, promises.
* have a moral obligation to keep them.

Question 24

Intuitionism

G.E. Moore - open question arguement

Answer 24

if you define good = pleasure, this is wrong as not all pleasure is good.
Therefore if good = pleasure - its been reduced
e.g. pleasure from poisening the water system, utilitarianism = wrong.

Question 25

# Intuitionism G.E. Moore - Simple vs Complex

Answer 25

e.g. yellow cannot be broken down more, whereas horse = its characteristics. ∴ good = simple as its undefinable and unanalysable concept, cannot be brokwn down any further.

Question 26

# Intuitionism Strengths

Answer 26

* Self interested duties, if identified can be excluded as non-moral. * moreal facts can exist objectively, you can be wrong about morality in the same way you can be wrong about maths - both are objective not queer - not in empirically verifiable way. * True intuition always exists, go with strongest one, face to face with situation, out thinking may have become 'infected'

Question 27

# Intuitionism Criticisms/Weaknesses - J.L. Mackie

Answer 27

1. metaphysical = how could such moral qualities exist, too objective. 2. epistemology = what special ability would we have to have to detect moraility, brain sensor? 3. motivational = even if we could detect good, why would it motivate us to do anything, if it does - only because somethings been added.

Question 28

# Intuitionism Weaknesses - others

Answer 28

* Without any standards of moral duties, only intuitions, people would still be very confused about what was right to do - differ widely to develop correct ones. * No way to resolve moral conflicts, Moore says intuitions are basis and should not be doubted, but how do we know who has right intuitions.

Question 29

# Emotivism Cognitivist or non-cognitivist

Answer 29

Non

Question 30

# Emotivism Emotivism

Answer 30

Claims when we use ethical language, we are just expressing our emotions

Question 31

# Emotivism Logical positivism

Answer 31

applying science to question of meaning, only valid meaningful language is that which is empirically verifiable.

Question 32

# Emotivism Verification principle

Answer 32

* from logical positivism * = statement only meaningful if its analytic or empirically verifiable.

Question 33

# Emotivism A.J. Ayer dates

Answer 33

1910-1989

Question 34

# Emotivism A.J. Ayer - boo/hurrah theory

Answer 34

= expression of opinion. muder is wrong = "boo"

Question 35

# Emotivism A.J. Ayer - key ideas

Answer 35

* Influenced by Hume * emotional outburts cannot be true or false as they are not claims about reality. * so ethical language cannot be analytic or synthetic = meaningless.

Question 36

# Emotivism C.L. Stevenson - key ideas

Answer 36

* added to Ayer * language - 2 principle uses = descriptive and dynamic. * when we make moral statements, we aren't only expressing emotional response but also trying to pursuade others to have the same response.

Question 37

# Emotivism Strengths

Answer 37

* using emotional language is effective in changing attitudes of others. * still have worth even if not verifiable. * people make decisions based on emotions anyway, describes workings of the world accurately.

Question 38

# Emotivism Weakness - R.M. Hare

Answer 38

* We are too complex to reduce morality to this - against reductionism. * too simplistic. * morality involves use of reason, cannot accept terrible acts. * e.g. holocaust reduced to "i believe killing is wrong"

Question 39

# Emotivism Weakness - James Rachels

Answer 39

Removal of reason * Wrong of Ayer to make connection between 'ouch' response when stubbing a toe and 'thats wrong' response when you see details of muder on the news. * if they lack reason, they become arbitrary.

Question 40

# Emotivism Weakness - Peter Vardy

Answer 40

its a moral 'non-theory' because its not an ethical theory in the classical sense.

Question 41

# Emotivism Weakness - MacIntyre

Answer 41

* Misconcieved theory of ethics, doctrine obscured modern life which is characteristed by social emotivism in which alll judgements are expressions of opinion. * Stops us from seeing importance of human qualities, causes others "are always means, never ends" in themselves.

Question 42

# Emotivism Weaknesses - others

Answer 42

* Morality is meaningless = 9/11 * If all morality is emotions, who's should we follow. * Undermines all ethical theories that say right and wrong are derived from reason/logic.