META ETHICS REVISION TABLE
Approach Scholars AO1: Knowledge AO2: Strengths AO2: Weaknesses
about approach
Naturalism Aristotle, • The Concept: Moral • Cognitivist approach: moral Hume: Is-Ought Distinction
John Locke, truths are "natural facts" judgments express beliefs and
David Hume that can be discovered are truth-apt—meaning they can • To define a non-natural thing (Good)
through observation of be objectively true or false. It by a natural thing (Pleasure) is a
F.H. Bradley, logical error. Hume argues that no
Aquinas – the world (empirical posits that moral statements
evidence. (e.g., "murder is wrong") function matter how closely we examine the
Natural Moral situation itself we will not be able to
• The good is what is like factual descriptions of the
Law world. observe empirically the
natural. It is known by
Utilitarianism looking at nature and • Naturalism makes morality
rightness/wrongness of an action.
-Bentham, Mill There is a difference between what
what comes naturally to objective rather than subjective. ‘is’ factually the case and what we
JL Mackie us. Therefore, morality is universal. think ‘ought’ to happen (e.g. ‘He killed
Gilbert Ryle • F.H. Bradley: In Ethical This gives morality importance someone’ vs ‘It is wrong to kill
Studies, he argued that rather than just being a matter of someone’).
"good" is found in personal opinion. Naturalism
fulfilling one's concrete gives morality a set of absolutes, • G.E. Moore (Princia Ethica (1903)
station and its e.g. murder is wrong, rape is (Open Question Argument) identifies
duties within society. If wrong. the naturalistic fallacy as the key error
you observe your role in • Naturalism fits with widely used that naturalism makes. Just because
the community, you find normative theories such as Natural something is natural, we should
your moral path. Moral Law and Utilitarianism. It is a not assume it is good. For each
• The Idea: Just as we popular approach to understanding ‘natural’ property, we can ask – is it
can observe that a morality that has real-world really good? (e.g. is pleasure really
"good" watch tells the relevance. good? The fact the answer could be
time accurately, we can • Objective/Scientific: It provides ‘no’ means natural properties are
observe a "good" person an objective basis for morality. We different from good. The distinction:
by their impact on can use evidence to settle moral Moore focuses on definitions (What is
society. disputes (e.g., "Does this law 'good'?), while Hume focuses on
logic/reasoning (How do we get to a
• The Goal: Ethics is a increase happiness?").
'should'?).
branch of
science/sociology
1
, META ETHICS REVISION TABLE
Approach Scholars AO1: Key knowledge AO2: Strengths AO2: Weaknesses
about approach
Intuitionism GE Moore • Good is a simple, • Allows for objective moral values • People’s intuition and moral
(1873-1958), HA indefinable property. to be identified as a form of moral reasoning may lead to different
Pritchard, WD • Known through moral realism rather than a question of conclusions, so there is no
Ross (prima intuition• Developed the dismissing the possibility of any obvious way to resolve these
facie duties Open Question Argument moral facts. differences. People have different
concept) (Moral terms expressed • It does not propose a subjective ideas of the good
through valid or emotive approach to ethics and
argument/questions. avoids the problems of identifying Not everybody has the same idea of
• The idea that moral truths ethics with a natural property (as ‘goodness.’ People’s intuitions seem to
are indefinable and self- under naturalism) differ. This undermines the idea that
evident. We know ‘right’ • Allows for the ability to recognise an objective ‘good’ is intuitively known.
and ‘wrong’ by intuition the wrongness of some actions, Mackie argued this suggests our idea
(not observation). even if it is difficult to specify of ‘good’ is the result of social
• The good is a simple exactly why they are wrong – we conditioning, not intuitionism. How do
notion that is known by interpret this through a m oral we resolve conflicts of intuition?
intuition. sense (intuition) and not by using • How can we be sure our intuitions?
• Intuitionism believes that a list of moral definitions. are correct? Are intuitions simply a gut
moral truths cannot be • We can identify a moral sense in feeling? Is it God’s direction? How
discovered by observation the same way as we might identify reliable is experience as a guide?
of the world. an aesthetic sense in art of • Intuitions may be meaningless as a.
• ‘Right’ and ‘wrong’ cannot literature. concept as they cannot be verified.
be discovered – instead, • Allows for moral duties and • Hume argued that we have a
they are self-evident. obligations and so it is therefore a motivation for acting in certain.
• We know ‘right’ and form of moral absolutism. ways, although intuitionists will reply
‘wrong’ by intuition. • intuitionism protects the idea that to this point by saying that if we feel
• Like naturalism, it is a morality involves normative truths motivated towards a particular form.
moral realist theory and a rather than descriptive of action it is because we have an
cognitivist theory – there statements. innate desire to do so that goes
are moral truths (that are beyond reason.
self-evident).
2
Approach Scholars AO1: Knowledge AO2: Strengths AO2: Weaknesses
about approach
Naturalism Aristotle, • The Concept: Moral • Cognitivist approach: moral Hume: Is-Ought Distinction
John Locke, truths are "natural facts" judgments express beliefs and
David Hume that can be discovered are truth-apt—meaning they can • To define a non-natural thing (Good)
through observation of be objectively true or false. It by a natural thing (Pleasure) is a
F.H. Bradley, logical error. Hume argues that no
Aquinas – the world (empirical posits that moral statements
evidence. (e.g., "murder is wrong") function matter how closely we examine the
Natural Moral situation itself we will not be able to
• The good is what is like factual descriptions of the
Law world. observe empirically the
natural. It is known by
Utilitarianism looking at nature and • Naturalism makes morality
rightness/wrongness of an action.
-Bentham, Mill There is a difference between what
what comes naturally to objective rather than subjective. ‘is’ factually the case and what we
JL Mackie us. Therefore, morality is universal. think ‘ought’ to happen (e.g. ‘He killed
Gilbert Ryle • F.H. Bradley: In Ethical This gives morality importance someone’ vs ‘It is wrong to kill
Studies, he argued that rather than just being a matter of someone’).
"good" is found in personal opinion. Naturalism
fulfilling one's concrete gives morality a set of absolutes, • G.E. Moore (Princia Ethica (1903)
station and its e.g. murder is wrong, rape is (Open Question Argument) identifies
duties within society. If wrong. the naturalistic fallacy as the key error
you observe your role in • Naturalism fits with widely used that naturalism makes. Just because
the community, you find normative theories such as Natural something is natural, we should
your moral path. Moral Law and Utilitarianism. It is a not assume it is good. For each
• The Idea: Just as we popular approach to understanding ‘natural’ property, we can ask – is it
can observe that a morality that has real-world really good? (e.g. is pleasure really
"good" watch tells the relevance. good? The fact the answer could be
time accurately, we can • Objective/Scientific: It provides ‘no’ means natural properties are
observe a "good" person an objective basis for morality. We different from good. The distinction:
by their impact on can use evidence to settle moral Moore focuses on definitions (What is
society. disputes (e.g., "Does this law 'good'?), while Hume focuses on
logic/reasoning (How do we get to a
• The Goal: Ethics is a increase happiness?").
'should'?).
branch of
science/sociology
1
, META ETHICS REVISION TABLE
Approach Scholars AO1: Key knowledge AO2: Strengths AO2: Weaknesses
about approach
Intuitionism GE Moore • Good is a simple, • Allows for objective moral values • People’s intuition and moral
(1873-1958), HA indefinable property. to be identified as a form of moral reasoning may lead to different
Pritchard, WD • Known through moral realism rather than a question of conclusions, so there is no
Ross (prima intuition• Developed the dismissing the possibility of any obvious way to resolve these
facie duties Open Question Argument moral facts. differences. People have different
concept) (Moral terms expressed • It does not propose a subjective ideas of the good
through valid or emotive approach to ethics and
argument/questions. avoids the problems of identifying Not everybody has the same idea of
• The idea that moral truths ethics with a natural property (as ‘goodness.’ People’s intuitions seem to
are indefinable and self- under naturalism) differ. This undermines the idea that
evident. We know ‘right’ • Allows for the ability to recognise an objective ‘good’ is intuitively known.
and ‘wrong’ by intuition the wrongness of some actions, Mackie argued this suggests our idea
(not observation). even if it is difficult to specify of ‘good’ is the result of social
• The good is a simple exactly why they are wrong – we conditioning, not intuitionism. How do
notion that is known by interpret this through a m oral we resolve conflicts of intuition?
intuition. sense (intuition) and not by using • How can we be sure our intuitions?
• Intuitionism believes that a list of moral definitions. are correct? Are intuitions simply a gut
moral truths cannot be • We can identify a moral sense in feeling? Is it God’s direction? How
discovered by observation the same way as we might identify reliable is experience as a guide?
of the world. an aesthetic sense in art of • Intuitions may be meaningless as a.
• ‘Right’ and ‘wrong’ cannot literature. concept as they cannot be verified.
be discovered – instead, • Allows for moral duties and • Hume argued that we have a
they are self-evident. obligations and so it is therefore a motivation for acting in certain.
• We know ‘right’ and form of moral absolutism. ways, although intuitionists will reply
‘wrong’ by intuition. • intuitionism protects the idea that to this point by saying that if we feel
• Like naturalism, it is a morality involves normative truths motivated towards a particular form.
moral realist theory and a rather than descriptive of action it is because we have an
cognitivist theory – there statements. innate desire to do so that goes
are moral truths (that are beyond reason.
self-evident).
2
