Meta-ethical theories (OCR A-Level Religious Studies): Flashcards

Moral truths exist independently, knowable through non-sensory intuition

Ethical language expresses beliefs that can be true or false

Moral properties (good/bad) exist in reality

Mistake to define ethical terms in relation to something else

Goodness is real but not a natural property

Simple notion, like yellow - you know it when you see it

No, 'good is good', cannot be defined

We have moral duty to do the good thing we intuit

Good apart from any results it produces

Fidelity, reparation, gratitude, non-injury, beneficence

Involve motivation to act, cannot be caused by reason

Intuitions vary so much between people

Can be reduced to feeling/emotion

Cross-cultural agreement doesn't prove universal intuition exists

Agreement suggests core moral principles in all societies