Meta: 1.Metaethics Intro Flashcards
(15 cards)
What is metaethics?
The philosophical study of what morality is, enquiring into the meaning of moral language, the metaphysics of moral values, the epistemology of moral judgments, and the nature of moral attitudes.
Metaethics does not provide guidance but questions the nature of morality.
What does normative ethics focus on?
Which actions, motives, and traits are good.
Normative ethics deals with ethical standards and principles.
What is applied ethics?
Applying principles to real issues.
Applied ethics involves practical application of ethical theories.
Does metaethics state facts?
No, it questions the nature of moral statements and whether they can be true or false.
It inquires into the meaning of moral language.
What motivates moral judgments?
If moral views express feelings, then they are attitudes that may or may not motivate actions.
An example is whether stating ‘murder is wrong’ prevents someone from committing murder.
What is cognitivism?
The view that moral judgments are objective and express beliefs that can be true or false.
Cognitivism aims to describe how the world is.
What is non-cognitivism?
The view that moral judgments are attitudes and preferences that cannot be true or false.
Non-cognitivism does not aim to describe the world.
What is the direction of fit for beliefs?
Mind-to-world.
We change our beliefs to fit the world.
What is the direction of fit for desires?
World-to-mind.
We change the world to satisfy our desires.
Fill in the blank: Cognitivism is the view that moral judgments express 1.__________, can be 2.____ or 3._______
[beliefs], [true], [false]
What do non-cognitivists claim about moral judgments?
They are expressions of attitudes rather than beliefs.
Non-cognitivism denies that moral judgments can be true or false.
What is the issue with non-cognitivism?
It risks leading to moral nihilism, the belief that morality is meaningless.
This raises concerns about the meaningfulness of ethical claims.
What is a key challenge for cognitivism?
How can moral judgments be objectively true or false?
Cognitivism must justify the existence of objective moral properties.
True or False: Beliefs are intrinsically motivating.
False.
Moral judgments are considered to be intrinsically motivating in non-cognitivism.
What is the ultimate origin of moral judgments compared to factual beliefs?
Factual beliefs can be objectively justified; moral judgments are harder to justify beyond psychological and societal influences.
For example, ‘The Sun is 93 million miles away’ can be scientifically validated.
