Meta Ethics
- Created by: Phoebe
- Created on: 22-10-13 20:10
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- Meta-Ethics
- Cognitive
- Intuitionism
- Realism
- Concepts have a value within themselves that are independant of the human mind, opinions or feelings
- Belief that Ethical propositions are true or false based on intuition (gut feeling)
- W.D. Ross (1877-1971) G.E. Moore (1873-1958)
- "we know that what yellow is... but we cannot actually define yellow" G.E. Moore Principia Ethica
- 'Good ' or 'Bad' are properties we cannot define But we intuitively know what they mean
- We know Murder is Wrong without the experience
- We done need to analyse events for example 'you shall not kill' does not reference actual murders
- Intuitionism is a rationally analysed form of belief derived from the self evidence of moral truths
- We know Murder is Wrong without the experience
- Intuitionism is a rationally analysed form of belief derived from the self evidence of moral truths
- Foundation Moral Principles
- W.D. Ross - Prima facie
- 6. Promise keeping
- 4. Justice
- 7. Self improvement
- 2. Failthfulness
- 5. Non- Maleficence
- 1. Beneficence
- 3. Gratitude
- Intuitionists would argue these are self evident but a criticism would be that core values of a gut feeling cannot be found as it is based in instinct
- A recent academic study on a Jury demonstrated that peoples moral concepts were very different suggesting there aren't intrinsic moral values
- W.D. Ross - Prima facie
- Strengths
- It does not require God
- Explains why different societies share moral values
- Weakness
- Can Intuition be trusted
- Not everybody has the same level of intuition
- There is no link between instinctively knowing what to do and doing the right thing - J.L. Mackey
- It cannot be the basis of Ethics - nothing wrong with contribution
- Just as there are similarities there are vast differences between societies nd similarities and such can be explained through the study of History rather than intuition
- Realism
- Ethical Naturalism
- Realism
- Concepts have a value within themselves that are independant of the human mind, opinions or feelings
- Moral laws exist and can only be experienced and understood through analysis of the natural world or human nature
- Utilitarianism
- 'Murder is wrong' because it prevents happiness and promotes pain
- Natural Law
- 'Murder is Wrong' as it is against the primary precepts and prevents a natural purpose being fulfilled
- Once verified by Nature, Moral statements are objectively true
- David Hume
- 'Murder is Wrong' because self-preservation is a key feature in human nature
- For Hume it becomes a universal moral law subject only to the meaning or 'murder'
- 'Murder is Wrong' because self-preservation is a key feature in human nature
- Utilitarianism
- Both Cognitivists and Non-Cognitivists oppose Ethical naturalism making it a weak theory
- Non- Cognitivists use the Naturalistic Fallacy as a weakness
- The naturalistic Fallacy was originated from Hume and used to attack his own theory
- Illogical to go from Is to Ought
- David Hume
- 'Murder is Wrong' because self-preservation is a key feature in human nature
- For Hume it becomes a universal moral law subject only to the meaning or 'murder'
- 'Murder is Wrong' because self-preservation is a key feature in human nature
- The naturalistic Fallacy was originated from Hume and used to attack his own theory
- Non-Cognitivists assert that it is impossible to take moral laws from nature or the workings of the universe as Moral laws are concepts where as the universe is Physical
- Non- Cognitivists use the Naturalistic Fallacy as a weakness
- The naturalistic Fallacy was originated from Hume and used to attack his own theory
- Illogical to go from Is to Ought
- The naturalistic Fallacy was originated from Hume and used to attack his own theory
- Non- Cognitivists use the Naturalistic Fallacy as a weakness
- Cognitivists argue it is impossible to reduce the concept of Good to a simple law - thus rejecting Natural Law as it is a single, empirical basis to morality
- Non- Cognitivists use the Naturalistic Fallacy as a weakness
- Realism
- Moral Truths Exist and Ethical Statements can be verified Empirically
- Intuitionism
- Non-Cognitive
- Prescriptivism
- Anti-Realism
- Rejection of Realist that things have an intrinsic value independent of the mind
- Richard Hare
- AN ethical system that prescribes what people should do actin like a doctors prescription
- When somebody states you shall not murder they have to be able to universalize this principle
- Follows the Golden rule
- Four Basic ideas
- Ethical action has to be consistent
- People constantley change their moral ground
- What about children?
- Moral belief must be harmonious
- One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter
- A moral expression has to fulfill what is morally required
- The nazis idea of what is morally required was wrong
- The moral agent cannot be hypocritical
- Ethical action has to be consistent
- One step further than emotivism in that we should use these ethical expressions to direct how we act
- Anti-Realism
- Emotivism
- Anti-Realism
- Rejection of Realist that things have an intrinsic value independent of the mind
- Developed out of Logical Positivism - The Vienna Circle
- The Verification Principle A.J. Ayer
- Goodness cannot be verified and therefore ethical statements are meaningless
- The Verification Principle A.J. Ayer
- However the existance of Morals couldnt be denied
- As a solution A.J. Ayer created an unverifiable nature of moral language EMOTIVISM
- The idea that Moral Judgments are the expression of a persons feelings rather than statements of fact
- The claim murder is wrong is just an expression of i dont like murder
- It cannot be reduced to an analytic or synthetic statement
- The claim murder is wrong is just an expression of i dont like murder
- The idea that Moral Judgments are the expression of a persons feelings rather than statements of fact
- As a solution A.J. Ayer created an unverifiable nature of moral language EMOTIVISM
- Charles Stevenson 'Ethics and Language' (1908-1979)
- Moral statements are more than an expression of feeling they are also persuasive
- Stealing is wrong = you shouldn't steal
- Moral statements are more than an expression of feeling they are also persuasive
- Strengths
- A scientific approach to language
- stops ethicists from claiming ethical statements are self evident
- Stresses autonomy and individual feelings and thought
- Weaknesses
- Emotions cannot always be trusted
- Many different emotions and irrational feelings
- Just because they express emotions Moral statements do not become Moral
- There is no reason for other people to agree with statements
- There is more to language than verifiability
- Anti-Realism
- Moral Truths are Relative - Of personal choice and do not exist separate from human experience
- Prescriptivism
- What is meant by Morality?
- Cognitive
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