Meta-ethics: Naturalism Flashcards
What is naturalism?
The belief that values can be defined in terms of some natural property in the world
What does naturalism claim?
Ethical statements can be verified/falsified in the same way as scientific statements, using some natural property in the world
What type of approach is naturalism?
A cognitive approach
What is the ethical naturalist approach?
They use evidence observed in the world around us and from our observations we can know how we ought to live
How is Natural Law a naturalist approach?
Aquinas was a theological naturalist and looked to nature to know right and wrong
How is Utilitarianism a naturalist approach?
We can measure how much happiness is brought about by an action/person through evidence in the natural world
How is Situation Ethics a naturalist approach?
Goodness is linked to how love is best served
