Transcript Meta-Ethics - Denny High School

Meta-Ethics
Emotivism
What is Emotivism?
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Emotivism is a meta-ethical theory associated mostly with A. J. Ayer
(1910-1989) and C.L Stevenson (1908-1979)
Emotivists claim that there is no moral law in the universe
Emotivists claim that there are no objective moral facts
They claim that moral statements are expressions of our feelings
towards a particular issue such as abortion
Emotivism questions the nature and validity of ethical language
It questions what we are doing when we make moral claims such as
‘killing is wrong’
Emotivists such as Ayer say that moral statements are not factual
There are no facts that can be verified as true or false in the
statements ‘killing is wrong’
Emotivism
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They say that value (moral) statements are meaningless because they
are incapable of being verified as true or false
Emotivists claim that factual and value statements are distinct from
one another
Meaningful statements can be true by definition (all cats are feline) or
true by empirical means
Because moral statements do not state facts and fail the verification
test they are meaningless according to Emotivists
They do accept that moral language/statements have a purpose
however
The purpose is to express an emotional response to a situation and to
evince the same feelings in others
“If I think killing is wrong, then so should you”
Boo/Hooray Theory
You go to a football match to support your team, obviously you want them
to win. During the match your team scores and you cheer. You show
support for your team. In the second half the other team score and you
boo them.
The Boo/Hooray Theory is the idea that if you make a moral statement
such as ‘capital punishment should never be legalised’ you are saying
‘boo’ to capital punishment. Or, if you say ‘abortion is wrong’ you are
saying ‘boo’ to abortion.
Emotivists claim that moral statements are the same as saying boo or
hooray; they are a response to a particular issue. According to
Emotivism, moral statements are expressions of our feelings and do
not come from somewhere outside of our own minds.
‘Morality is Subjective’
Emotivists would claim that morality does not exists
outside of our minds. Ayer believed that morality
comes from inside ourselves. A moral statement is a
response that we feel and we make the claim
through language. We may have a strong feeling
about abortion for example, if we express that view
we make a value statement that relates directly to
how we feel, therefore, morality is subjective, it is
subject to how we personally feel.
Summary of Main Points
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Emotivism is a non-cognitive theory
Specifically concerned with the nature and function of ethical language
Questions what we are doing when we make moral claims
Often referred to as a second order theory because its subject matter
is moral philosophy itself
There are no moral objective facts in the world
The world of facts and values are distinct from each other
Meaningful statements can be verified as true or false
Moral statements are meaningless because they are incapable of
being true or false
Moral claims are an attempt to express a feeling or emotion
Moral statements do have a function but they are meaningless