Transcript lesson 4. different ethical approaches

Cognitivist and Non-Cognitivist
LO: I will understand GE Moore’s idea of
naturalistic fallacy.
Write a
definition of
Cognitive
and noncognitive on
your
glossaries
Ethical judgments, such as "We
should all donate to charity,"
then, are mixtures of both
descriptive (cognitive) and
accomplishment-oriented
(noncognitive) components.
Cognitivist and Non-Cognitivist
Non-Cognativism:
Hume – only if something
can be proved true
or false then it can
be discussed using reason.
Stevenson – emotivism
expression of attitudes
based on beliefs
and a persuasive
argument intended
to influence others.
Intuitionism:
Prescriptivism:
What is good?
Hare – moral
Cannot be described, statements are
like ‘yellow’, we
commands. Good is
intuitively know
what can be
what good is.
universalised.
G.E. Moore
criticised naturalism.
Instead he said we
have an infallible
intuitive knowledge
of good things.
Naturalism:
Moral truths are
facts – can
be proved.
Can Ethical Statements
Starter Task:
be proven true or false?
Yes: Cognitivism: Moral statements
Explain whether
purport to state moral facts (aka realism).
The statements
No: Non-cognitivism:There are no ‘moral
Are true or false
beliefs’ (accepted by emotivists and
perscriptivists).
Branches of Normative Ethics
• In contrast, the subject matter of meta ethics is not
moral issues themselves, but rather, with philosophy
itself. This involves an examination of the more
fundamental assumptions and beliefs that normative
theorists might hold.
• There are 3 branches to Meta Ethics:
• Metaphysics (e.g. do words like ‘good’ and ‘bad’ pick
out any objective qualities that we can discover? Is
‘good’ and ‘bad; just a matter of personal taste or
opinion? Ethical objectivism says there isn’t),
• Epistemology – how do we acquire knowledge and
what does it consist in? E.g. How do we learn moral
truths? Is it through our senses or do we gain knowledge
through other means?
• Language – Looking at the nature of moral statements.
E.g. What speech acts (to state a fact, express feeling,
or give a command) do ethical judgments perform?
Background continued…
• These responses tend to fall into two
camps:
– Moral Realism (or cognitivism) which
asserts that moral claims are making
reference to facts about the world. E.g.
in the same way as saying ‘it is raining,’
the statement, ‘killing someone is wrong’
is stating a fact of the matter.
– Moral Anti-Realism (non cognitivism)
says that certain statements (such as
religious, aesthetic and moral) are not
referring to the world at all and so are
not capable of being true or false in any
real sense. There are no moral facts,
and therefore, no moral knowledge.
Recap
Write a definitions for the following:
1. Cognitive
2. Non-Cognitive
3. Naturalism
4. Non-Naturalisim
5. Intuitionism
6. Emotivism
7. Prescriptivism
Speed Dating!
Sit with a partner - one of you must sit facing
the whiteboard and the other facing the
opposite way
The first person has only 30 seconds to
describe the key word(s) featured below before
moving onto their next partner - your teacher
will keep writing down the keyword to be
explained
Your keywords are:
COGNITIVISM
NON-COGNITIVISM
NATUALISM
NON-NATURALISM
INTUITIONISM
EMOTIVISM
PRESCRIPTIVISM
BOO-HURRAH
REALISM
ANITI-REALISM
PRIMA VACIE
OPEN QUESTION
IS OUGHT DEBATE
OBJECTIVE
SUBJECTIVE
Review
Complete your
quick test review
to test your
understanding