Transcript Subjectivism

The subjectivist account of morality
• Our beliefs about the physical universe and
other objective phenomena are empirically
verifiable.
• Our beliefs about what is good and bad, moral
and immoral, reflect our desires, our
concerns. They describe how we feel or what
we want, not how things are.
• Sentiment versus fact
Moral Conflict
Michele Bachman
Matt Foreman
Advancing the cause of
freedom, justice and
equality for GLBT people
Simple subjectivism
• X is good = I approve of • Emotivism: Moral
x. X is bad =
conflicts do not reflect
disagreement about
I disapprove of x
matters of fact, they are
Denies that moral
conflicts about desires.
disagreement occurs.
Michele wants gay
Implies that no one can
people to stop being
have a false moral belief
gay, and Matt wants
(or a true one).
equal rights for LGBT
people.
Moral Reasoning
• What is the connection
between fact and
sentiment?
• What are desires for?
• What factual claims do
Michele and Matt
disagree about?
• Proving a test unfair.
• What is it to provide
reasons to support a value
claim?
Freedom of religion and
freedom of the press
are values every
modern society should
protect.
The case of homosexuality
• To say that homosexuals
should not act on their
desires is to condemn
them to frustrating lives.
(Rachels)
• Opposition to gay rights:
A danger to society?
• Unnatural?
– Statistically rare?
– Non-procreative?
– Wrong?
Contrary to family values?
Condemned by the Bible?
Moral reasoning is about
weighing reasons and
basing moral beliefs on
those reasons- it isn’t
about following our
feelings.