A.J’s Approach

• What is a weakness of naturalism, from the perspective of ethical non-cognitivists?

  The claim that ethical propositions are factual does not impress ethical non-cognitivists, who argue that moral propositions are not factual.
• Who briefly displays the non-cognitivist approach?

  A.J. Ayer
• How does A.J Ayer briefly show the non-cognitivist approach when identifying a weakness of naturalism?

  • If we take a naturalist claim such as ‘murder is wrong’, this claim (according to Ayer) cannot be verified or falsified, since those who disapprove of murder will accept the claim, whereas those who do not mind murdering others (a sizeable proportion of the human race) will reject it.
  • There is no way that this dispute can be solved by appealing to facts or evidence.
• What is A.J. Ayer’s approach to ethical non-cognitivism called?

  Ayer’s approach is called emotivism, and for him, moral statements reduce to statements of approval or disapproval.
• Explain why for Emotivists and others, morality is subjective, not objective:

  • Morality is an internal feeling and not something that is objective and in the world.
  • Rules and guidelines are largely a matter of convention, as the issue of punishment for non-compliance.
  • If enough people agree, they will make and enforce a rule forbidding murder, for example.