Meta-ethics Questions and Answers 2024
Ethics - ANS-Concerned with whether actions are right or wrong
Morality - ANS-Concerned with the character of people and their behaviour
Ethical Theory - ANS-Analyses methods for making moral decisions
Applied Ethics - ANS-Debates on specific dilemmas eg: abortion
Normative Ethics - ANS-A moral code of behavior, or rules by which we make a
decision. eg: utilitarianism
Meta-ethics - ANS-Branch of philosophy which looks at the language of morals. Asks
what is meant by "good" or "wrong" for example.
Deontological Ethics - ANS-Actions are right or wrong in themselves, regardless of
consequences. This is a universal moral law.
Teleological Ethics - ANS-Rightness of an action is determined by consequences
Ethical Cognitivism - ANS-Moral values can be derived from sense experience. Moral
statements are objectively either true or false (can be proven)
Ethical Non-cognitivism - ANS-Ethical statements cannot be derived from sense
experience. Moral statements are an expression of opinion not fact.
Ethical Naturalism - ANS-The idea that ethics can be drawn from non-ethical
statements. The belief that ethical statements are verifiable.
Emotivism - ANS-The belief that ethical statements are simply assertions of our opinion.
Absolutism - ANS-The belief that there are absolute ethical rules which always apply
regardless of time or place.
Relativism - ANS-The belief that ethics can depend on time, culture or situation.
, Strengths of Cognitivism - ANS-It can be verified empirically,
Objective, absolute and universal,
Moral statements are valued more that opinions
Weakenesses of cognitivism - ANS-Tries to verify all statements including opinions,
Rigid and dogmatic
Strengths of Non-cognitivism - ANS-Flexible as everyone has an opinion,
Realistic and practical,
Admits that opinions cannot be tested.
Weakenesses of Non-cognitivism - ANS-Opinion is subjective and non-universal,
Chaotic as its too flexib`le,
Morality is too important to be based upon opinion,
It cannot be proved or verified.
Naturalistic Fallacy - ANS-The idea that just because nature acts in a certain way, it
does not follow that this is how it ought to be.
What example does G E Moore use? - ANS-The colour yellow
Who came up with Intuitionism? - ANS-G E Moore
G E Moore defining good - ANS-Just like we can see yellow but can't define it. We can
see good but can't define it. Therefore you cannot reduce good.
Intuitionism - ANS-We have infallible intuitive knowledge of good things
Simple ideas - ANS-Ideas we cannot define like yellow or good
Complex ideas - ANS-Ideas we can define by things that make it up
Open-question argument - ANS-If you let something like pleasure = good than
all statements re pointless. Eg: i get pleasure from murder, is it pleasure?
Who develops intuitionism? - ANS-W D Ross
Prima Facie - ANS-At first appearance
Ethics - ANS-Concerned with whether actions are right or wrong
Morality - ANS-Concerned with the character of people and their behaviour
Ethical Theory - ANS-Analyses methods for making moral decisions
Applied Ethics - ANS-Debates on specific dilemmas eg: abortion
Normative Ethics - ANS-A moral code of behavior, or rules by which we make a
decision. eg: utilitarianism
Meta-ethics - ANS-Branch of philosophy which looks at the language of morals. Asks
what is meant by "good" or "wrong" for example.
Deontological Ethics - ANS-Actions are right or wrong in themselves, regardless of
consequences. This is a universal moral law.
Teleological Ethics - ANS-Rightness of an action is determined by consequences
Ethical Cognitivism - ANS-Moral values can be derived from sense experience. Moral
statements are objectively either true or false (can be proven)
Ethical Non-cognitivism - ANS-Ethical statements cannot be derived from sense
experience. Moral statements are an expression of opinion not fact.
Ethical Naturalism - ANS-The idea that ethics can be drawn from non-ethical
statements. The belief that ethical statements are verifiable.
Emotivism - ANS-The belief that ethical statements are simply assertions of our opinion.
Absolutism - ANS-The belief that there are absolute ethical rules which always apply
regardless of time or place.
Relativism - ANS-The belief that ethics can depend on time, culture or situation.
, Strengths of Cognitivism - ANS-It can be verified empirically,
Objective, absolute and universal,
Moral statements are valued more that opinions
Weakenesses of cognitivism - ANS-Tries to verify all statements including opinions,
Rigid and dogmatic
Strengths of Non-cognitivism - ANS-Flexible as everyone has an opinion,
Realistic and practical,
Admits that opinions cannot be tested.
Weakenesses of Non-cognitivism - ANS-Opinion is subjective and non-universal,
Chaotic as its too flexib`le,
Morality is too important to be based upon opinion,
It cannot be proved or verified.
Naturalistic Fallacy - ANS-The idea that just because nature acts in a certain way, it
does not follow that this is how it ought to be.
What example does G E Moore use? - ANS-The colour yellow
Who came up with Intuitionism? - ANS-G E Moore
G E Moore defining good - ANS-Just like we can see yellow but can't define it. We can
see good but can't define it. Therefore you cannot reduce good.
Intuitionism - ANS-We have infallible intuitive knowledge of good things
Simple ideas - ANS-Ideas we cannot define like yellow or good
Complex ideas - ANS-Ideas we can define by things that make it up
Open-question argument - ANS-If you let something like pleasure = good than
all statements re pointless. Eg: i get pleasure from murder, is it pleasure?
Who develops intuitionism? - ANS-W D Ross
Prima Facie - ANS-At first appearance
