Meta Ethics Flashcards
(38 cards)
What is the problem of the word good
- it has many meanings
- I can use the word good to describe a meal -> I’m not judging it’s moral quality rather I’m saying it causes me pleasure
Who does the moral use of good on,y apply to
-Only applies to human actions and intentions as when I use the word good to describe a human by saying “she is good” -> I am making a judgement about their actions but also their intentions
Can the word good every be factual (cathedral)
- If I say St Paul’s cathedral has 528 steps to climb until you are at the golden library -> this can be tested and therefore proven as a fact
HOWEVER
but can the good be factual as someone can disagree with me and my methods used to define the good
Is the food a factual thing or just merely a private opinion
What is the fundamental problem
Not that there isn’t any certainty on how the good can be defined rather that there is no agreement on how the question can be resolved
What is meta ethics
The study of the meaning and justification of moral ideas -> analysis g underlying concepts
What is the fact/value , is/ought problem
The fact/value problem is a problem of logic which believes that we cannot come to a conclusion on what we ought to do as from facts of the case
What did Hume argue for the fact ought problem and what does he believe about moral judgements
Hume proposed the fact/value problem as he believed in moral discourse, authors stated a fact about something like human nature but then jump to conclusions how we should behave -> however there is no. Justification for this leap
- hume argues that moral judgements of what is good and bad is beyond the possinitly of factual description of the world and human reason
What is an attractive response to the fact ought problem
Naturalism
What is naturalism
Naturalism argues that there is something factual about goodness as it argues that the good is a quality which is inherent in nature making it a natural fact
What is an example of naturalism
- Plato’s form of the goods
How is the Plato form of the good naturalistic
- tries to argue that the good is something spiritual and singular through the form of the goods
- form of the good is argued to have greater reality than the objects in our perception
- Plato argues that the form is necessary as it allows us to know what the good is and keep our perception grounded
- it argues that the good is a natural fact but a fact that is something outside of our world of everyday experiences
What is another form of naturalism (Bentham)
Hedonism
What is hedonism
A form of naturalism which believes that pleasure, a naturally occurring phenomenon, is the good
- believes that good and pleasure are synonyms
This seems like a sensible approach as we naturally seek pleasure and avoid pain
What is a problem with hedonism
Pleasure as the good is not objective as our pleasures change over time
- what I found pleasurable as a kid like cartoons is not pleasureable as an adult
- it is difficult to name something which is pleasurable for everyone, everywhere at all times
What did Epicurus believe
- Epicurus believed that if pleasure is the good then unpleasant is the evil
- due to this he believed we should only pursue true pleasures which cannot contain any mixture of evil
- food and alcohol is not a. True pleasure as it can lead to overindulgence which can lead to pain
- Epicurus believed we should lead simple lives
Who is exodus and what did Aristotle say about him and what does it show about hedonism
- Exodus was a student of Plato and a hedonist
- Aristotle wrote about him in his book nicomanchean ethics and said “he held his views not because he is a pleasure lover but because true pleasure really is the good
- this is important as it shows a important element of the Hendonist claim
- hedonists due to see pleasure as good but rather they believe pleasure is the good
What did Aristotle argue about pleasure tho in his book
- he argued not that pleasure isn’t good but that pleasure isn’t the good
- he argues what we seek is a life of fulfilling activity
- think about an activity which others find pleasurable but u don’t -> it doesn’t matter hwo happy they are the activity just doesn’t appeal to you
- acitivities u do want to do are pleasurable however it is the activities which appeal not the okeasure -> the pleasure is just a reinforcer
What is another problem Aristotle picks up
- That pleasure is also hard to quantify
- we do not calculate pleasure or do an activity as it seems to provide more pleasure
What is the link between naturalism and absolutism
If we adopt naturalism as an meta ethical theory, we are then committing ourselves to absolutism in our normative ethical theories on how we should behave.
- this is because if the good is fixed, e.g pleasure, we should do everything to pursue that fixed good and we have a duty to pursue it
- utilitarians believe this as of pleausre is the good, it is the good for everyone and should be maximised -> utilitarian view
How can naturalism be relativist
Naturalism can also be perceived as relativist quite easily
- if we believe the good is “that is what is approved of in my society” -> this would make what society believes a natural fact
- due to this there is no absolute of what the good is as all are natural facts
Expalin this relativism with the example of cannibalism
If I live in a society where cannibalism is accepted -> cannibalism is the good as it is a natural fact of the society
However in a non cannibalism society it is not approved so it is not the good
What is an example of a relativist naturalistic theory
Cultural relativism as it believes what the society believes in as a fact
Who objected to the idea of naturalism
G.E Moore in his work principia ethica where he identified the naturalistic fallacy
- naturalistic fallacy is the error of assuming the good is identical to some natural quality such as pleasure
What is naturalistic fallacy
The error of assuming the good is identical to some natural quality such a pleasure
