Metaethics

Metaethics
"Meta" comes from Greek, meaning beyond. 

Normative Ethics (First Order Moral Discourse) - how to choose the morally good action. 
Metaethics (Second Order Moral Discourse) -  meaning and use of language in ethics and the foundations of good/morality

Plato (Form of Good) vs Aristotle (different uses of good)

Semantics: What do moral terms mean?
Psychology: What kind of mental state is involved with accepting a moral claim?
Metaphysics: Is there a moral reality?
Epistemology: Is there such a thing as moral knowledge?

MORAL COGNITIVISM
Moral facts, truth apt, objective basis in natural/non-natural properties/supernatural
> Aquinas in his Natural Law
> Kant: "Moral duties are akin to natural laws, the law of the universe, and, therefore, can know no exception"
> Descartes: moral properties are "Clearly and distinctly true"

MORAL NON-COGNITIVISM

No moral facts; moral statements express non-cognitive states of mind 

NATURALISM

Cognitivist, naturalist: moral facts, identifiable with/reducible to natural properties - moral facts are facts of nature. 
PLATO'S FORM OF GOOD - a factual basis for good, which is a natural fact and rationally necessary to ground our perceptions of reality 
HEDONISM - Good is synonymous with the natural property of pleasure (good because everyone desires it - Mill)
F H BRADLEY - goodness is a property in the natural world because moral judgement necessarily involves reference to the real world, knowing our duties by knowing our place in society. We "function as an organ of social organism".

Fact/Value Problem or Is/Ought Problem -> Naturalistic Fallacy (Moore)
Open Question Argument (Moore)
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