meta ethics

Question 1

meta ethics

Answer 1

Meta-ethics is the branch of ethics that seeks to understand the nature of ethical properties, statements, attitudes, and judgments. Meta-ethics is one of the four branches of ethics generally recognized by philosophers, the others being descriptive ethics, normative ethics and applied ethics.

Question 2

normative ethics

Answer 2

Theories of ethics that give guidance (norms) on how we should behave

Question 3

fact

Answer 3

A fact is an actual state of the world. For example, it is a fact that Mount Everest i taller than Mount Kilimanjaro. It is objectively true.

Question 4

value

Answer 4

A value is something good, or something one believes to be good. For example, freedom is one of the central values of humanity. It is subjective.

Question 5

naturalism

Answer 5

Naturalism is the meta-ethical view that we can identify goodness/value with some natural property or aspect of a particular situation.

Question 6

intuitionism

Answer 6

The belief that the ‘good’ is real but not a natural fact grasped by the intuition of the mind.

Question 7

emotivism

Answer 7

The theory promoted by Logical Positivists that ethical sentences simply indicate emotions

Question 8

naturalistic fallacy

Answer 8

G. E. Moore’s term for the alleged error of assuming that the ‘good’ is some natural quality

Question 9

absolutism

Answer 9

The view that there are some things which are obligatory. Kant, Utilitarianism and Situation Ethics are absolutist as they assume an underlying principle e.g. duty, happiness or agape

Question 10

a priori

Answer 10

Knowledge that is not dependant on sense experience. Knowledge prior to evidence.

Question 11

relativism

Answer 11

The theory that there are no absolutes in ethics and that every judgement is relative to culture or beliefs.