Moral intuitionism

• How good is defined

  Good cannot be a natural fact or property because this constitutes the "naturalistic fallacy" (G.E Moore)
• G. E Moore argued that good is not the same as pleasure or any other natural quality, it is just simply "good". It is undefinable. Moore argued that the defining "good" is like trying to define the word "yellow".
• According to Moore, goodness is self-evident. He discovers this in a teleological way and argues that looking at the consequences of an action is not enough to determine whether it is good or bad.
• Intuitionism argues that morality is objective and cognitive. We just know what goodness is
• H.A Prichard - working out right/wrong is our duty, which we can use to guide our actions. Prichard takes a more deontological approach than Moore's teleological approach.
• H. A Prichard - There are 2 kinds of reasoning - reason brought together the facts about a situation, and intuition perceives the right thing to do
• W. D Ross - Moral principles can't be absolute
• W. D Ross - we have prima facie duties: keeping promises, making up for harm done, gratitude, justice, beneficence, self-improvement and non-maleficence
• Weaknesses of moral intuitionism

  Between all the scholars, it is not clear whether or not good is understood in a teleological way or a deontological way: Moore says teleological, whilst Ross and Prichard say deontological
• Weaknesses of moral intuitionism

  Whilst we may recognise the wrongness of some actions, it is difficult to specify exactly why they are wrong
• Weaknesses of moral intuitionism

  The intuitionist points to the existence of a considerable common consensus on moral issues, such as value of human life, as evidence of a common intuition of morality
• Weaknesses of moral intuitionism

  People use intuitionism and reason and reach different conclusions, and there is no way to resolve their differences
• Weaknesses of moral intuitionism

  Saying that we can "just know" if a consequence is right or wrong is subjective and hard to measure
• Weaknesses of moral intuitionism

  How can we be sure that our intuition is correct? Is it a gut feeling? Is it God's direction? How reliable is experience as a guide?
• Strengths of moral intuitionism

  Intuitionism allows for objective moral values to be identified and therefore proposes a form of moral realism. It is not a question of dismissing the possibility of any moral facts.
• Strengths of moral intuitionism 


  Avoids the problems of identifying ethics with a natural property
• Strengths of moral intuitionism

  Intuitionism allows for moral duties and obligations, and so satisfies a moral absolutist
• Strengths of moral intuitionism

  Overcomes issues of Bentham's ethic equating goodness with pleasure
• Strengths of moral intuitionism

  It does not look to define an undefinable concept, it accepts it for what it is
• Strengths of moral intuitionism

  Ross' prima facie duties help us to understand what constitutes moral behaviour, giving us a practical guide to use in everyday life
• Moral intuitionism is a non-naturalist theory
• Introductory paragraph

  Moral intuitionism is a non-naturalist theory, because it states that goodness is simply something we know and understand within ourselves. G.E Moore argues that moral intuitionism is teleological because good is not a matter of opinion, but something that we can all ascertain through reason. Other philosophers such as H.A Prichard believe moral intuitionism is deontological because we have a duty to use intuition to understand what the right thing to do is. W.D Ross agrees, as our intuition leads us to understand and identify the prima facie duties