2/10/14

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Moral hllosophy
LLhlcal 8easonlng

Crlucal Lhlnklng abouL eLhlcs
Cood reasons for behavlor
ArgumenLs
Self-awareness
arLs of hllosophy
ollucal hllosophy

AesLheucs
LplsLemology
MeLaphyslcs
normauve LLhlcs
1heorles of rlghL/wrong

A Lheory of whaL ls good, rlghL
Lx. uullLarlanlsm

vs. !"#$"#%&'(

Lheorles abouL moral language/concepLs
!"#$%&%'"#()$ LLhlcs
Pumanlsuc orlenLauon

vs. rellglon and dlvlne command

Secular goal of relylng on shared reasons, crlucal
evaluauon, dlscusslon among bellevers and
nonbellevers, and shared values
[usuce, falrness, eLc.
Can Lhese be shared among dlverse rellglous bellevers?
uescrlpuve v. normauve
uescrlpuve clalms (emplrlcal [udgmenLs)

CaplLal punlshmenL ls a deLerrenL"

vs. normauve clalms (moral [udgmenLs)

CaplLal punlshmenL ls [usuable"
2/10/14
2
naLurallsuc lallacy
*+,"-( .$/: you cannoL slmply
move from an ls" Lo an
oughL"

C.L. Moore: good" names a
*%*+,'#-#()$ '-%'+-/0 LhaL
cannoL be reduced Lo some
oLher naLural Lhlng

Socloblology
01'&12&13145: explaln
human behavlor ln
evoluuonary Lerms

Lx. alLrulsm evolves Lo help
specles (or our genes
-selsh gene") Lo survlve

8u1: should we be alLrulsuc
uoes Lhe ls" lmply an oughL?
1he naLurallsuc roblem
Pume's example: lncesL
naLural for anlmals-buL ls lL good?
Would lL be morally permlsslble for humans?
Why/why noL?

Pume on Anlmal lncesL
l would faln ask any one, why lncesL ln Lhe human
specles ls crlmlnal, and why Lhe very same acuon,
and Lhe same relauons ln anlmals have noL Lhe
smallesL moral LurplLude and deformlLy? lf lL be
answer'd, LhaL Lhls acuon ls lnnocenL ln anlmals,
because Lhey have noL reason sumclenL Lo
dlscover lLs LurplLude, buL LhaL man, belng
endow'd wlLh LhaL faculLy, whlch %12"/ Lo
resLraln hlm Lo hls duLy, Lhe same acuon lnsLanLly
becomes crlmlnal Lo hlm, should Lhls be sald, l
would reply, LhaL Lhls ls evldenLly argulng ln a
clrcle.
Pume's Concluslon
ln every sysLem of morallLy, whlch l have hlLherLo meL wlLh, l have
always remark'd, LhaL Lhe auLhor proceeds for some ume ln Lhe
ordlnary way of reasonlng, and esLabllshes Lhe belng of a Cod, or
makes observauons concernlng human aalrs, when of a sudden l
am surprlz'd Lo nd, LhaL lnsLead of Lhe usual copulauons of
proposluons, #&3 and #& *%/3 l meeL wlLh no proposluon LhaL ls noL
connecLed wlLh an %12"/3 or an %12"/ *%/4 1hls change ls
lmpercepuble, buL ls, however, of Lhe lasL consequence. lor as
Lhls %12"/3 or %12"/ *%/ 3expresses some new relauon or
amrmauon, 'us necessary LhaL lL shou'd be observ'd and explaln'd,
and aL Lhe same ume LhaL a reason should be glven, for whaL seems
alLogeLher lnconcelvable, how Lhls new relauon can be a deducuon
from oLhers, whlch are enurely dlerenL from lL
LLhlcal 1erms are rescrlpuve
8lghL/wrong
CughL/oughL noL
Cbllgauons (duues, responslblllues)
ermlsslble/lmpermlsslble
ralseworLhy/uesplcable
!usL/un[usL
vlrLuous/vlclous
8lghLs
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MeLaeLhlcs
knowlng/Lxplalnlng eLhlcs: "%5 6% 5+ 7*%5
5")/ #& -#2"/ )*6 5-%*28
67#+&817&(,: we lnLulL rlghL/wrong or good/
evll
9,18:&(,: we express an emouonal reacuon
wlLh
Sub[ecuvlsm
Cb[ecuvlsm
MeLaeLhlcs
67#+&817&(,: we lnLulL rlghL/
wrong or good/evll

Moore: lnLuluon of non-
naLural properLy
8oss: crysLal-clear lnLuluons"
as ln maLhemaucs
2+2=4"
8u1: are our lnLuluons crysLal-
clear?
eople's lnLuluons dler

MeLaeLhlcs
9,18:&(,: we express an
emouonal reacuon wlLh
Lerms llke good/evll

SLevenson: moral pralse ls
expresslon of approval and
recommendauon Lo oLhers
SmlLh: moral senumenLs
mauer
Pume: reason ls Lhe slave of
Lhe passlons
kass: wlsdom of repugnance
MeLaeLhlcs
;2<"'8:&(,: good exlsLs
ln Lhe world-we oughL
Lo deslre Lhlngs LhaL are
good

laLo: 1he Cood" exlsLs
ln Lhe realm of ldeas
ulvlne Command: Cood ls
ln Cod's mlnd/wlll

MeLaeLhlcs
0+2<"'8:&(,: good ls a
mauer of sub[ecuve
oplnlon

1hls becomes relauvlsm:
Lhe good ls relauve Lo our
LasLe, oplnlon, culLure,
eLc. (and ls noL ob[ecuve)
LLhlcal 8easonlng
Sound ArgumenLs (valld and Lrue premlses)
lallaclous ArgumenLs (unLrue premlses or wrong
lnferences)
lallacles lnclude:
Ad homlnem
8egglng Lhe quesuon
8ad analogles
lacLs mauer (ln Lhe premlses)-how do we know
Lhe facLs?
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LLhlcal 8easonlng
Lxplanauons vs. 8easonlng

8easons for bellef: an argumenL ln suppory

vs. psychologlcal/hlsLorlcal explanauons of why
people belleve Lhlngs
1ypes of value
67#=&7(&' :$3+": a value ln lLself-good wlLhouL
reference Lo anoLher end

67(#=+,"7#$3 :$3+": valuable as a means for
obLalnlng some oLher good
normauve 1heorles
!18:" based (kanL)
>'# based (naLural law/dlvlne command)
?17("@+"7'" based (uullLarlan/Mlll)
A"=(17 based (vlrLue eLhlcs/ArlsLoLle)

?17("@+"78$3&(#/1eleologlcal (Mlll and uullLarlan)
vs. B"17#1314&'$3 (non-consequenuallsL = kanL/naLural
Law)
lemlnlsL eLhlcs: care??