Prescriptivism

R. M. Hare

Hare discusses the use of ethical language suggests that ethical language is used to persuade people to do things, however he makes a distinction between a moral command and getting someone to do something by using linguistic devices.

• Hare sought to make moral statements objective
  • He argued that ethical language was both prescriptive and universal 
  • role of moral statement is to say what ought to be done, such perscriptions are moral because they are universal 
• He argued that moral statements do more than describe behaviour or express an attitude 
  • they command a persons behaviour e.g. 'abortion is wrong' - guides a persons behaviour as well as influencing others
• He believed moral statements have a 'universal qaulity'
  • e.g. 'all human life is sacred' can be applied to various similar moral situations/ 'love your neighbour as yourself' can be applied to all situations
• Hare argues that universal perscriptivism gives a…