Intuitionism - the contribution of H.A. Pritchard to intuitionism Flashcards
What did Pritchard write in 1912?
Wrote “Does Morality Rest on a Mistake?”
Where did Pritchard agree with Hume?
Agreed with Hume that you cannot derive an ought from an is.
What does Pritchard claim about the apprehension of good?
It is immediate and doesn’t need supporting evidence from the senses or reason.
Pritchard’s is/ought problem
Even if we could find evidence to prove what good is, there is still no reason I ought to do it. We are trying to link what is the case with what we ought to do.
What does Pritchard therefore suggest is our feelings of ought?
They are immediate intuition.
3 points regarding our feeling of ought
- they are basic (cannot be reduced to another thing)
- we cannot produce evidence or reasoning for why we should obey them
- gathering evidence to support intuition results in deeper uncertainty
What is the best evidence then for our intuition?
The bets evidence is if we feel the same obligation in the future.
What is general thinking?
Moral agents use reason to assess the facts of the situation
What is moral thinking?
A moral agent carries out their duty by following their immediate intuition.
What does Pritchard warn against?
Allowing general thinking to take over moral thinking.
Where is Pritchard similar to Moore?
Pritchard also argued that moral intuition was an innate and universal ability.
What does Pritchard recognise on top of his common ideas with Moore?
That some people have a clearer moral intuition than others as their moral thinking had developed more. However Pritchard doesn’t explain how one can develop moral thinking.
