Emotivism

Intro to emotivism

A non cognitive anti realist argument
Non cognitive- non factual claims.
ethical statements are neither true nor false as they are not genuine propositions
statements can be meaningful even if they dont refer to the world and true and false dont apply to them
Anti realist- there exist no objective values
particular aspects of the world do not exist beyond human minds
ethical statements have no real existence
Comes from logical positivisms (Hume) who seek to do away with metaphysical language as it is not verifiable

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Hurrah boo theory
In order for a statement to be meaningful it must pass the verification principle
synthetic and analytic
any other fact such as religious belief and moral opinion cant be verified so it is not meaningful
ethical statements and moral judgements are emotive responses such as expressions of preference, attitude or feeling
simply expresses our feelings- to say lying is wrong is just to say boo to lying
if we say abortion is wrong we are just saying i do not like abortion- it is not a value judgement based on an objective point of reference
Moral arguments therefore serve no real purpose as they are just an expression of feeling

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Stevenson disagreed with Ayer and believed that there was a disagreement in attitudes
Argued that moral judgements contain two elements- expression of an attitude based on a belief (subjectivism) and a persuasive element which seeks to influence others (prescriptivism)
Instead of describing properties of people, moral judgements ecpress approval or disapproval
To say 'this is good' is to say 'I approve of this, do so as well'
Moral statements therefore are not simply expressions of an emotion but the result of attitudes based on fundamental belief
A moral statement tells us about someones beliefs rather than just being a shouting match.
many moral disagreements are not that- doctorsmay disagree about how to treat a patient but they are disagreeing about the best course of action, not the act itself
real moral disputes are when a person considers an act wrong on the moral principle
gave more meaning to moral disputes whereas ayer saw them as shouting matches however moral judgements didnt imply any objective truth or fact
Moral statements are the result of subjective opinion, views or beliefs
Unlike normative theories, naturalism or intuitionism, there is no universal truth or absolute right or wrong

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Highlights why moral disputes are impossible to resolve
History shows many examples of emotivist ways of expressing moral opinions eg. hitler and WBC
It acknowledges moral and cultural diversity

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Even when moral statement are favoured by the public that doesnt give them reason to be followed or make them right.
Prescribes complete freedom of expression on the basis that every opinion is equally valid therefore you can do what you want irrespective of others
Emotional force behind a statement is no recommendation of its value

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