Ethical Cognitivism
Recommend on Google+
ETHICAL NATURALISM
Ethical Naturalism is the theory that moral statements are propositional in the same way that non-moral statements are propositional and can be verified empirically.
We can verify that acid turns litmus paper red by looking at the evidence of a scientific experiment. In the same way, a moral statement can be verified because all propositions are verifiable.
DERIVING AN OUGHT FROM AN IS
For an Ethical Naturalist, It is possible to go from what “is” to what “ought” to be
TWO MAIN PRINCIPLES:
?Ethical terms can be defined using non-ethical terms. For example we can say something is right if it makes the majority of people happy.
?Ethical conclusions can be drawn form non-ethical statements. For example we can say ‘Abortion ends the life of a foetus, therefore abortion is wrong.’
F.H. BRADLEY
F.H. Bradley was an Ethical Naturalist who argued that you can establish ‘good’ by understanding your position in society
“We have found ourselves when we have found our station and its duties, our function as an organ of the social organism.”
Bradley argued that in order to be a good person we must know our own position in society and its duties, and carry out those duties.
G.E. MOORE
G.E. Moore however argued that Ethical Naturalism makes the mistake of assuming that moral statements can be verified simply by looking at the evidence available to the senses. This mistake Moore termed the ‘Naturalistic Fallacy.’
DAVID HUME
Moore’s criticism is based on the work of David Hume. Hume is famous for the ability to recognise when a line of argument defies the rules of logic. Hume argued that an “ought” cannot be derived from an “is;” a statement of evaluation cannot be derived directly from a statement of fact.
“Moving from an objective statement of fact to a subjective statement of value does not work, because it leaves open questions that have not been answered.”
NATURALISTIC FALLACY
Moore argued that ethical language ascribes qualities to actions in the same way that you ascribe the quality of colour to a rose. Goodness as a quality resists definition. Like the colour yellow, it cannot be defined but only described with examples of itself. Moore thus defined it as non-natural, and it is this distinction between natural and non-natural qualities that leads to the Naturalistic Fallacy.
The non-natural qualities cannot be defined in the same way as their natural counterparts, and any attempt to do leads to the naturalistic fallacy.
INTUITIONISM
G.E. Moore advocated the cognitive approach of Intuitionism. This is the argument that although non-natural qualities such as goodness resist definition, we can still intuitively recognise such qualities when we see them just like we can recognise the colour yellow when we see it but are unable to define it.
“If I am asked ‘what is good?’ my answer is that good is good, and that is the end of the matter.” - Moore
Intuitionists believe that when they say something is good they are not merely expressing an opinion or preference, they are making a judgment about something of which they can be certain of.
However, this does not explain why different people in different societies and cultures can come to different moral conclusions in various ethical dilemmas such as abortion and euthanasia. If everyone had an innate moral recognition of good and evil they would surely come to the same conclusions.
PROPONENTS OF INTUITIONISM
H.A. Pritchard
• There are two different types of thinking – intuition and reasoning
• Our reasoning gathers information about a moral issue and our intuition decides what is the right course of action to take
• People come to different ethical conclusions because not everyone is as morally enlightened
W.D. Ross
• Developed the work of Moore and Pritchard
• We face certain duties and obligations called Prima Facie Duties
• When faced with a moral dilemma it is clear what our greatest duty is. The only time we should not carry out the obvious obligation or duty is if there is an over-riding one. Ross thus devised 7 basic prima facie duties to help to deduce what is the moral course of action in an ethical dilemma
• Our reason for motive is what makes an action good or bad. There is a difference between what is good to do and what is right to do – e.g. it is only right to give to charity if your motives are pure.
blog comments powered by Disqus
RELIGIOUS STUDIES TEACHER RESOURCE NEWSLETTER
Sign up for tutor2u's free Religious Studies Teacher Resource Newsletter
