Meta-Ethics and Morality Overview
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Questions and Answers

Which of these statements best describes the meta-ethical view of Utilitarianism?

  • Goodness is based on divine commands.
  • Goodness is a matter of individual preference.
  • Goodness is relative to cultural norms.
  • Goodness is the same as pleasure. (correct)

    • Moral anti-realism asserts that moral properties, such as goodness, exist in reality.

    False

    What does the hedonic calculus refer to?

  • A method for determining the moral worth of an action based on its consequences.
  • A philosophical argument for the existence of objective moral values.
  • A system for measuring the intensity and duration of pleasure and pain. (correct)
  • A mathematical formula used to calculate the overall happiness of a society.

    • Ethical naturalism contends that goodness is a ______ property.

    <p>natural</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Aristotle's naturalism identifies goodness with what?

    <p>Flourishing</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Bentham, what is the basis for goodness?

    <p>Pleasure</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Hume's 'is-ought' gap refer to?

    <p>The idea that you cannot derive an 'ought' statement (a statement about what should be) from an 'is' statement (a statement about what is).</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the naturalistic fallacy refer to?

    <p>The mistake of assuming that something being natural automatically makes it good or morally right.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Moore's open question argument demonstrate?

    <p>It challenges naturalist claims by showing that any attempt to define goodness in terms of natural properties ultimately leads to a trivial or uninformative statement.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to William Shakespeare's Hamlet, what is the basis of good and bad?

    <p>Thinking makes them so.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main goal of normative ethical theories?

    <p>To create a system for determining which actions are good and which are bad.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT a form of normative ethical theory?

    <p>Meta-ethics</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Ethical naturalism is a non-cognitivist theory.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main point of Hume's 'is-ought' gap?

    <p>Moral judgments cannot be deduced from facts about how things are.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key criticism of both naturalism and cognitivism according to Hume's is-ought gap?

    <p>They attempt to derive moral judgments from factual observations, which Hume argues is not logically possible.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main point of Moore's 'open question' argument against naturalism?

    <p>It argues that identifying goodness with a natural property, like pleasure, leads to a meaningless tautology because it cannot provide any new information about the world.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Moore, what is the nature of goodness?

    <p>Goodness is a non-natural property that cannot be defined or equated with anything else.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Moore's intuitionism is a non-cognitive theory.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Mackie's main argument against moral realism?

    <p>Mackie argues that the existence of cross-cultural moral disagreement indicates that there are no objective moral properties.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Mackie's main argument against non-cognitivism?

    <p>It fails to account for the role of reason in ethical reasoning.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Mackie believes that ethical language is a combination of cognitivism and non-cognitivism.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT a key characteristic of Hume's non-cognitive moral psychology?

    <p>Reason can directly control emotions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Hume's non-cognitive moral psychology, what is the role of reason in moral judgments?

    <p>Reason is used to rationalize our emotional responses to actions, providing justifications for our beliefs and actions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Haidt, reason can effectively control our emotions over the long term.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the key difference between Hume's view of reason and the view of reason in virtue ethics?

    <p>Hume believed that reason cannot control our emotions, while virtue ethics acknowledges that reason can indirectly control emotions through cultivation of virtuous habits.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Ayer's emotivism, what is the origin of moral judgments?

    <p>Moral judgments are based on feelings and emotions, rather than judgments of reason.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main difference between Ayer's emotivism and Moore's non-naturalist intuitionism?

    <p>Ayer's emotivism rejects the idea of a non-natural property of goodness, while Moore's theory believes in the existence of such a property, which is not reducible to any natural quality.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main idea behind Ayer's verification principle?

    <p>Ethical statements must be empirically verifiable to be meaningful.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Mackie's anti-realist arguments rely heavily on the verification principle.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main point of Mackie's 'error theory'?

    <p>It argues that all ethical beliefs are false because there are no objective moral properties.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main concern of those who criticises moral nihilism?

    <p>It undermines the possibility of a just and ordered society.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Foot, the separation between facts and values is the mistake at the heart of anti-realist theories.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Hare's prescriptivism, what is the main function of ethical language?

    <p>Ethical language primarily serves to express prescriptions or commands, rather than simply stating facts or expressing emotions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main weakness of Hare's prescriptivism according to Mackie?

    <p>It fails to fully account for the role of logic and disagreement within ethical language.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main difference between Hare's prescriptivism and Ayer's emotivism?

    <p>Hare emphasizes the prescriptive nature of ethical language, while Ayer focuses on the emotional expression of moral judgments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to virtue ethics, moral judgments are based on the cultivation of virtuous habits.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Both Hume and Ayer believe that the ability to make moral judgments is a uniquely human characteristic.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main critique of anti-realist moral theories regarding the possibility of moral progress?

    <p>Critics argue that if there are no objective moral values, then the concept of moral progress becomes meaningless, as there is no objective standard against which to measure progress.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Introduction

    • The topic examines whether morality is real or a matter of opinion.
    • Meta-ethics explores the nature of goodness, questioning its existence.
    • Normative ethics establishes systems for determining right and wrong actions (e.g., Utilitarianism, Kantianism, Virtue ethics).
    • Utilitarianism's foundation is a meta-ethical core, defining goodness as pleasure or happiness.
    • Normative theories require goodness to exist, while some meta-ethical theories argue against this.
    • Metaphysical and linguistic perspectives are central to understanding goodness.

    Metaphysical

    • Moral realism posits moral properties (like goodness/badness) exist independently.
    • Moral anti-realism suggests moral properties don't exist independently.

    Linguistic

    • Cognitivism argues ethical language expresses beliefs about reality that can be true or false.
    • Non-cognitivism argues ethical language expresses non-cognitive elements like emotions.

    Ethical Naturalism

    • Ethical naturalism argues goodness is a natural property within the natural world.
    • Aristotelian naturalism links goodness with eudaimonia (flourishing), a natural feature of organisms.
    • Utilitarian naturalism equates goodness with pleasure/happiness, both natural properties.

    Naturalism vs Hume's Is-Ought Gap

    • Aristotle, Bentham, and Mill support naturalism through arguments rooted in human flourishing and/or happiness.
    • Hume's "is-ought" gap argues you can't logically deduce an "ought" (moral obligation) from an "is" (fact).
    • Moral judgements aren't based on facts; instead, they're based on our perceptions and feelings.
    • The is-ought gap suggests problems for naturalistic attempts to define goodness through natural properties.

    Moore's Non-naturalist Intuitionism

    • Moore criticised naturalism. He argued the definition of goodness in terms of natural properties isn't logically sound.
    • Moore's "open question argument'' (e.g., Is goodness the same as pleasure?) demonstrates that naturalism's definition isn't satisfactory.
    • Moore argued that goodness is a non-natural property known through intuition.

    Moore's Naturalistic Fallacy

    • Moore introduced the naturalistic fallacy, arguing that defining goodness through natural properties is a fallacy—it mixes up defining goodness with a description.
    • The naturalistic fallacy challenges the assumption that what is natural is therefore good.
    • Moral statements aren't empirically verifiable; instead, they're derived from an experience of 'goodness'

    Emotivism

    • Ayer's emotivism argues that moral statements express emotions or attitudes, not factual claims.
    • "Boo/hurrah theory" describes how ethical language expresses approval or disapproval rather than facts.
    • Emotivism treats morality as non-cognitive (not a matter of fact).

    Prescriptivism

    • Hare developed prescriptivism as an improvement on emotivism.
    • Prescriptivism posits that moral judgements are prescriptions (commands), not descriptions of facts.
    • Hare argues that moral language is used to prescribe actions rather than merely express feelings.

    Mackie's Error Theory

    • Mackie's error theory is a form of moral anti-realism.
    • It argues that all our moral beliefs are false because objective moral properties don't exist.
    • Mackie argues against the concept of objective moral values and properties. He describes them as being 'queer'.

    The Issue of Moral Progress

    • Moral progress is a concern regarding if anti-realism is incompatible with the idea of progress in moral principles.
    • The defense of moral realism points towards objective standards of moral progress (examples include advancements in civil rights and human rights).
    • A counter to this defense is that moral progress is a result of evolving societal circumstances rather than objective standards.

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    Description

    This quiz explores the foundational concepts in meta-ethics, examining whether morality is real or subjective. It delves into normative ethics, moral realism, and anti-realism, while also considering the linguistic aspects of ethical language. Test your understanding of key theories such as Utilitarianism and the metaphysical implications of moral properties.

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