6. Meta ethics: Intuitionism: W.D. Ross
- Created by: Alasdair
- Created on: 25-06-17 21:02
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- 6. Intuitionism: W.D. Ross
- Outline of theory
- Influenced by Moore and Prichard
- He believed terms like 'right' and 'obligation' were just as indefinable as 'good'
- What is right is always unique, depending on what is "morally suitable" for the situation a person is in
- Never know all the facts about a situation
- Base our judgements about what's right and wrong on intuitions
- W.D. Ross was deontologist
- Obvious that certain types of actions were right
- What he called Prima Facie Duties
- Obvious that certain types of actions were right
- Prima Facie Duties
- 1. Fidelity (promise keeping)
- 2. Reparation - done something wrong
- 3. Gratitude
- 4. Justice
- 5. Beneficence - helping others
- 6. Self-improvement
- 7. Non-maleficent - not harming others
- When these duties conflict
- Follow what we think is right in that situation
- First sight duties
- Follow what we think is right in that situation
- Strengths
- Peter Vardy
- points out Ross makes helpful distinction between 'right' and 'good' in his theory
- Which has been important for later understanding of ethics such as Kant
- points out Ross makes helpful distinction between 'right' and 'good' in his theory
- Ross makes important contribution that duties can be overridden by more pressing duties
- Solves the problem posed by absolute duties
- Ross argued that our knowledge of rightness comes from personal introspection
- therefore subjective, like Prichard before him, this underlines moral autonomy
- Peter Vardy
- Weaknesses
- Jonathan Dancy
- Points out main problem with Ross
- Externalism
- Ross believed that our moral beliefs can only motivate us to act with help of something external, like desire
- Dancy asks, how can you know that something is wrong and not act?
- Internalists claim that beliefs are enough to motivate and later Intuitionists such as Nagel have taken this position
- Points out main problem with Ross
- Spin-off from Dancy's problem
- Ross does not solve problem of motivation
- Ross claims that 'rightness' is a fact
- He does not explain really how we come to notice this fact
- Jonathan Dancy
- Outline of theory
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