Anti-realist - Error theory Flashcards
(17 cards)
What is error theory
Moral judgements are cognitive statements
But properties don’t exist
Cognitivist and anti-realist
What does error theory say ?
Moral judgements are beliefs that are intended to be true/false (Cognitivism)
But - Moral properties do not exist (anti-realism)
so these moral judgements are all false.
‘Murder is wrong’
Expresses a cognitive belief that murder is wrong
‘Wrong’ refers to a non-existent property so the statement is false
Would be same as saying blellow exists and saying grass is blellow
This statement is false as blellow does not exist.
According to error theory - moral properties don’t exist
All moral propositions = false
Murder is wrong = False
Murder is good also = false
Both wrongness/goodness don’t exist.
Arguments for cognitivism - Mackie
Moral philosophy assumes objective moral values (plato/kant) - moral judgements are objectively true/false.
Ordinary language -Assumes cognitivism -
Dilemma whether to engage in research related to bacteriological warfare.
When resolving this you don’t ask how you feel about it you ask if the action is wrong in itself.
Moral judgements = Cognitive - Aim to be true/false
Nature of moral properties = Do not exist
The argument from relativity - Mackie
There are variations in moral beliefs between cultures/time periods
(Some cultures eat certain animals but it say it is wrong in others)
(Historically many people had slaves but in modern cultures its wrong).
P1- If moral realism was correct there would be only one objectively correct answer to these issues.
P2- But there is a lot of disagreement
So either,
1.One culture has discovered objective moral reality and the other hasn’t.
2.Each culture has different conditions/way of life and has developed their own moral beliefs in response to that.
C1- The second option is better -If moral realism were true moral beliefs would not be so diverse.
C2- If there were objective moral properties/facts (moral realism=true) you would expect every culture to at some point discover these moral facts. (No more diverse moral beliefs)
The argument from queerness - Epistemically queer
P1 - If mind-independent moral properties exist then how would we have knowledge of them?
P2 - Natural knowledge can be explained naturally
P3- Moral knowledge requires strange hypotheses (moore’s intuitionism)
The argument from queerness - Metaphysically queer
P1- If mind-independent moral properties exist they must be metaphysically unlike anything else that we have experience of.
P2- Good things = to-be-doneness built in - Bad things= not-to-be-doneness.
Example- The act of stealing would have to have the property of don’t do this.
C1- It is not possible for objective physical objects to relate to human motivations
The argument from queerness - Question how moral facts relate to natural facts
How do moral facts relate to natural ones ?
P1 - Imagine someone stealing from a shop
P2- Imagine someone stealing from a shop and it having the property of wrongness
C1- There is no difference between the cases
C2 - The property of Wrongness does not add anything to the natural facts of the situation (Stealing from the shop).
What are the problems?
The belief problem
Moral Nihilism
Moral progress
The belief problem
If error theory is true, and moral judgments are systematically false, why do people continue to hold and act upon them?
This raises a challenge for error theorists to explain the persistence of moral beliefs, especially if they are considered irrational
Moral Nihilism
If moral anti-realism is true it leads to moral nihilism.
(View that no actions are inherently wrong)
If nothing is true about moral judgements why should we bother to be moral at all ?
Possible response to moral nihilism
Non-cognitivist response
Just because there is no inherent right/wrong people still have moral attitudes/feelings.
Realising that moral values are expressions of feeling does not mean we should/could stop having these moral feelings.
Living as if there are no moral values is an expression itself of a certain attitude/feeling.
Cognitivist anti-realist response to Nihilism
Error theory - Would simply accept it but say that although it is undesirable this does not make error theory any less true.
Practical reasons against moral nihilism
Should behave as if some moral-judgements are true.
If i always stole from my friends they would likely not be my friend for very long.
Moral progress
Moral values have changed over time.
P1- If moral anti-realism =True then there would be no moral progress
P2- But there has been moral progress (Slaves not okay anymore)
C1- Therefore Moral anti-realism = false
Possible response to moral progress
Why should the anti-realist accepts there’s been objective moral progress when they don’t accept the existence of objective morality to start with.
Instead - Could argue that our morality has become consistent over time.
We have adapted our moral values in response to greater knowledge of facts.
