Meta-ethics Introduction

• What is meta ethics?

  Attempts to examine the meaning of ethical language. What is meant by good or bad?
• What did G. E. Moore say about the difference between good things and goodness itself?

  An action may be good because it is one acted out of love, but good isn't always the most loving thing. For example, if a burglar smashes a window to break into the house but notices the woman lying on the floor and runs away, but the woman had only fainted because of carbon monoxide poisoning and the broken window saved her life, would the burglar be good for that.
• What is ethical naturalism?

  Morality is defined by facts about human nature
• What is ethical non-naturalism?

  Moral knowledge is fact known through intuition or God's commands
• What is ethical non-cognitivism?

  Morality is non-cognitive but more about emotional outbursts
• Which theories align with ethical naturalism?

  Utilitarianism, situation ethics, virtue ethics and natural moral law
• Which theories align with ethical non-naturalism?

  Intuitionism and the Divine Command Theory
• Which theories align with ethical non-cognitivism?

  Emotivism and prescriptivism