ethics

moral realism

an inflexible view that behaviors are either right or wrong, with no in-between

Moral Anti-Realism

there are no objective moral facts

nihilism

belief in nothing

emotivism

the view that moral utterances are neither true nor false but are expressions of emotions or attitudes

moral relativism

The view that there is no absolute or universal moral law or truth, resulting in a morality determined by cultural factors or personal preference.

propositional attitudes

Propositional attitudes are often assumed to be the fundamental units of thought and their contents, being propositions, are true or false. An agent can have different propositional attitudes toward the same proposition (e.g., "S believes that her ice-cream is cold," and "S fears that her ice-cream is cold").

belief

a propositional attitude of truth

false belief

a propositional attitude that doe not correspond with reality

Error Theory

all moral claims are false

Quasi-realism

ethical claims are not propositions

catholic consensus on metaethics

objective, universal definitions of human dignity exist. good and bad definitions are situational based on context.

the two types of ethics

descriptive and normative

descriptive

the study of peoples beliefs about ethics

normative

the study of how we should act

3 tasks of the moralist

sensitivity, reflection, method

sensitivity:

morality ethics as a matter of the heart, being sensitive to views

reflection

interpretations of information

method

how we choose to act - a strategy which helps us to the do the right thing in the face of conflicting views

2 faculties

intellect and will

deontology

defines actions as right or wrong