6. Meta ethics: Intuitionism: W.D. Ross

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  • 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
      • 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
    • 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
      • 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
    • 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
      • 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

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