Meta Ethics

Relativism

Relativism

moral judgements are dependent on the standards and social conditions that exist

cultural relativism

moral rules are an expression of the culture and nothing more

Absolutism

some things are right and some things are wrong and that these things are fixed for all time and all people

moral realism

belief that genuine right and wrong exist

Moral Anti-Realism

there are no objective moral facts

example of absolutism

rape and murder are always wrong they do not change culturally

strength of absolutism

provides a fixed ethical code to measure actions

Weakness of absolutism

individual circumstances

strength of relativism

explains the reasons why everyone has differing opinions

weakness of relativism

you still need some elements of absolutism

intuitionism

when we make moral decision we simply choose the action that brings about more of these good things

Strengths of intuitionism

it has a clear account of the meaning of good in ethics

weakness of intuitionism

takes no account of rights even in life and death situations

ethical naturalism

ethics can be defined using the same natural terms as maths or science

weakness of ethical naturalism

simplistic in its account of moral knowledge

is-ought problem

is = factual, objective statement ought = a statement of ethical value

naturalistic fallacy

theory that critiques naturalistic theories the attempt to define good in terms of something that can be identified in the world

Hume's Law

You cannot go from an "is" (statement of fact) to an "ought" (a moral)