Emotivism Philosophy PDF

EMOTIVISM Group 2 Guess the _EE__NG_ FEELINGS S U_ _ E _ T _ _I _ M SUBJECTIVISM _ M _ _I _N_ EMOTIONS _UD__M_NT JUDGEMENT P_IL___P_E_ PHILOSOPHERS Table of Contents Background Discussion Example Situations Background Several philosophers and writers that had advocated emotivism....

EMOTIVISM Group 2 Guess the _EE__NG_ FEELINGS S U_ _ E _ T _ _I _ M SUBJECTIVISM _ M _ _I _N_ EMOTIONS _UD__M_NT JUDGEMENT P_IL___P_E_ PHILOSOPHERS Table of Contents Background Discussion Example Situations Background Several philosophers and writers that had advocated emotivism. Popular individuals that pushed this idea and their theories. Origins of Emotivism Charles Leslie Stevenson (1909-1979) American philosopher Best known for his work in meta-ethics, particularly his development of emotivism. He believed that moral disagreements are rooted in both belief and attitude, and that both are important to consider when making ethical judgments. Charles Leslie Stevenson (1909-1979) Distinguished the two types of meaning: 1. Emotive Meaning - which relates a sign to a range of attitudes. 2. Descriptive Meaning - which relates a sign to a range of cognitive states.  Alfred Jules Ayer (1910-1989) English/British philosopher He popularized the logical positivism and contributed to analytic philosophy. Introduced emotivism in his 1936 book Language, Truth, and Logic. Ayer's theory of emotivism claims that when we make moral judgments, we are expressing our emotional reactions to the thing being judged.  Alfred Jules Ayer (1910-1989) Ayer's emotivism, often referred to as the "hurrah/boo theory," asserts that ethical sentences don't express propositions that can be true or false but rather express emotional attitudes. Charles Kay Ogden (1889-1957) and Ivor Armstrong Richards (1893-1979) These philosophers first proposed the theory of emotivism in their 1923 book The Meaning of Meaning. They gave the term "good" a purely emotive meaning.  Axel Hagerstrom (1868-1939) Swedish philosopher Founded the Uppsala School of Philosophy. Had a significant contributions to meta- ethics and legal philosophy. First formulating the Theory of Emotivism in 1911.  David Hume (1711-1776) Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist. Known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He also advocated emotivism.  One way to look at Emotivism is to view it as an improved version of Subjectivism. Considered by its proponents as far more subtle and sophisticated than Subjectivism, Emotivism is deemed invulnerable to many objections. This theory that was developed chiefly by the American philosopher Charles L. Stevenson (1909-1979) has been one of the most influential theories of Ethics in the 20th century. Discussion What does the Theory of Emotivism states? Definition Concepts, Ideas, and Frameworks  EMOTIVISM Emotivism is simply a theory concerning moral judgments. It is a meta-ethical theory that raises concerns regarding the definition of ethical concepts such as "good.” Ethical judgments are not assertions of fact.  EMOTIVISM The most important condition is that a person's attitude toward moral judgments is not cognitive in origin, but rather motivating. Emotivism asserts that moral judgments represent feelings, which can be approved or disapproved, but cannot be described or assessed in the same way that we evaluate claims of fact.  EMOTIVISM It cannot lead to a ’therefore…’ statement because its an interior individual perspective of the world. Those that claim morality is absolute are mistaken. Therefore, Kantian ethics and Utilitarianism are all mistaken and incorrect. Ethical terms are just expressions of personal approval (hurrah) or disapproval (boo); explains why people disagree about morality. Emotivism is often referred to as ‘boo hurrah ethics’.  Key Features of Emotivism: Non-Cognitive Function Expressive Function Persuasive Element Subjectivity  Differences Between Emotivism and Subjectivism: Subjectivism In classical subjectivism, while forming moral judgments, we claim our feelings as well as articulate them, that is, our ethical statements will always be true. This concept does not account for moral disputes, which we experience all the time, and is hence unsuitable for understanding moral issues. Emotivism Emotivism argues that moral judgments are just expressions of emotions or states of mind, rather than proclaiming them. This requires a distinct concept of language usage, not simply expressing our emotions factually.  Weaknesses of Emotivism: No basic moral principles can be established. There is no universal agreement that some actions are wrong. James Rachels criticizes Emotivism for removing reason from moral judgements; in our morality we appeal to reason, as in any other aspect of life.  Weaknesses of Emotivism: Some think that if moral views are simply based on emotion then ethical debates become a meaningless activity. Ethical debate becomes a pointless activity. Lack of rational justification.  EXAMPLE SITUATIONS OF EMOTIVISM 1. "I feel strongly against lying!” 2. "I don't like murder." 3. "Universal suffrage is a good thing.” 4. “Stealing is wrong” 5. “ Helping others is good” 6. “Cheating is wrong” 7. “Animal cruelty is evil!”  Significance of Emotivism in Moral Philosophy: Ethical emotivism is widely recognized as one of the major 20th century ethical theories, emerging as an alternative to Utilitarianism and Kantianism. The dominance of science as well as logical positivism in discourse makes it extremely difficult to understand ethical judgments.Thus, moral judgments, moral sentences and moral words were understood within scientific frameworks.  Significance of Emotivism in Moral Philosophy: Stevenson and many other philosophers didn’t believe that moral judgments, moral assertions, or moral terms should be interpreted via a scientific framework or as statements of fact. Hence, Stevenson took this problem seriously. He developed emotivism, a meta-ethical theory in which he attempted to demonstrate that moral statements, moral judgments, or moral terms are not empirical or scientific realities, but can be understood through emotive meaning.  THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!