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George Edward Moore 1873-1958 • Began analytical ethical philosophy • The task of the philosopher of ethics is to conduct a “general inquiry into what is good.” • Good is a noncomplex (simple, indefinable, unanalyzable) and nonnatural property of good things. George Edward Moore 1873-1958 • Moore’s opinion about what things are good is of less importance than his metaethical opinions. • Metaethics: The attempt to understand the sources, criteria, meaning, verification, or validation of moral judgments. • Normative ethics: Making, defending, or criticizing moral judgments. William David Ross 1877-1971 • Ross examined the nature, relations, and implications of three fundamental conceptions in ethics: – “right,” – “good” in general – “morally good.” • Some true moral propositions are selfevident truths. William David Ross 1877-1971 • The production of good is not the sole thing that makes an act right. • Prima facie (not absolute) duties— things it is our duty to do unless that duty is over-ridden by some other duty. Utilitarianism and Emotivism • Utilitarians, such as Moore and Ross, claim that moral judgments are a type of factual judgment. • Many analytic philosophers (such as R. M. Hare) thought that the emotivist analysis of moral judgments was not correct. • The emotivists claim that moral judgments have no factual meaning but are linguistic acts by which a speaker expresses his or her feelings about some action. R.M. Hare (1919–2002) • “Preference utilitarianism” -- actions are right if they maximize the satisfaction of preferences or desires, no matter what the preferences may be for. • The function of moral discourse is to guide conduct. • A moral judgment is a universalizable prescriptive judgment. Rejection of the “Naturalist Fallacy” • The so-called “naturalist fallacy,” adopted by many moral philosophers in the first half of the 20th century, reflected Hume’s view that one cannot deduce an “ought” from an “is.” • Now, many philosophers no longer accept the idea that moral evaluations are logically independent of the descriptive premises they are based on. Renewed Interest in Concrete Ethical Issues • Rejection of Emotivism and • Rejection “naturalist fallacy” • Spurred a renewed interest in concrete ethical issues – – – – – sexual morality affirmative action biomedical ethics business ethics the environment. Alasdair MacIntyre (1929- ) and Virtue Ethics • Traits of character are in many ways more fundamental than rules for action. • We possess virtues through inheriting from predecessors. • Virtues are traits that promote human flourishing. • Influenced by Aristotle, rejected Nietzsche. Alasdair MacIntyre (1929- ) and Virtue Ethics • A particular action viewed outside the context of a person’s life is unintelligible. • Each person’s quest for his or her own good or excellence must be undertaken from within that person’s moral tradition. The Objectivism of Ayn Rand (1905-1982) • Pity is a sign of dangerous weakness that has allowed the weak, ignorant, and undeserving to become parasites on those who are strong and productive. • Influenced by Nietzsche • Progress is made by the brilliant few who affirm life and pleasure, who think for themselves, and who are the creative artists of life. The Objectivism of Ayn Rand (1905-1982) • Certainty in morality is possible through an objective understanding of human behavior rooted in knowable principles. • Rights are vested in the individual, never in the group. • Opposed feminism and environmentalism • Believed men were superior to women, though women should not be dependent or obedient to men.