Metaethics - Naturalism Flashcards
What does N think about goodness?
‘good is a natural fact’, which is knowable through nature by using empirical evidence
expressed propositions which are provable
what type of approach is n ethics?
cognitive, subjective and a priori
who is the philosopher and their specific contribution?
FH Bradley and he believed that goodness comes from knowing your station and duties in life by observing the natural world around you to understand your purpose
why did Bradley face criticism?
his own station was very privileged with his station being secure (as a intellectual) and his duty to write and reflect (only responsibility)
who influenced Bradley?
Aristotle who laid the groundwork
what theory did bradley reject?
Utilitarianism as he rejected humans being motivated by pleasure and pain
what is n based upon?
self realisation and empirical evidence to decide whether a statements right or wrong
how are moral truths known?
exist objectively and separately from humans that are verified through the natural world which are universal as everyone experiences them
what does n allow for
discuss ethics meaningfully and establish certain propositions
what is the first criticism and what did this lead too
naturalistic fallacy by GE Moore which says just because somethings natural doesn’t mean its right and should be that way, the leap is too far. moral language is indefinable as moral facts cannot be reduced to natural properties, you cant define goodness through nature and experience. instead he proposed intuitionism
what is the second criticism
humes ‘is ought’ problem, just because something is a way doesn’t mean it ought to be
