Emotivism

• What is emotivism?


  Moral knowledge is discoverable through emotional feelings
• What are the 3 kinds of judgement?

  Logical

  Factual

  Moral
• What did A. J. Ayer say about morals?


  Moral judgements are not knowledge, but are emotional utterances
• What is another name for emotivism?

  The hurrah/boo theory
• What did C. L. Stevenson say about morals?


  People express a moral opinion as an expression of an attitude or belief they have
• What kind of approach is emotivism?

  Relativist - no fixed morals
• What are the positives of emotivism?

  • Doesn’t commit us to a particular view
• What are some negatives of Emotivism?

  • Subjective
  • Reject the idea that morality is beyond ourselves
  • Alasdair McIntyre questions ‘emotive meaning‘ - what gives things meaning is the importance to the people around them
  • Opaque, can’t distinguish feelings and attitudes from other moral feelings