ETHICAL

SUBJECTIV
ISM
Esplequera, Airah C.
Felix, John Ray C.
Gamido, Rafael Junar
 TABLE OF
CONTENT: W ha t is e th i c a l
s u b je c t i vi s m ?
W h ere d o e s e t h i c a l s u b je c tiv is m
begin?
W ha t is Fir s t s t a g e : t he the o ry o f
Simp le Su bj e c t i v is m s u bj e c tiv is m ?
Se co n d st a g e : t he t he o ry
o f e m o t iv i s m
T h e s tre ng th s o f E thic a l
Su b je ctiv is m
T h e u n co m fo rta b le
c o n s e q ue n c e s o f th e
th e o ry
T h e ro le o f re as o n in
Eth ic s
Eth ic al s ub je c tiv is m in re a l
life
 TARGET
OUTCOMES:
At the e nd of the le s so n, t he le a rne rs is a bl e to:
• Inc re a se the ir a wa re ne ss and unde rsta ndi ng of Ethic a l Subje c t ivism a nd
it s i mpl ic a tions, incl uding the l imit at ions of the the ory a nd t he pot e nt ia l
c ha l le nge s it pose s for de ve loping a sha re d under sta nding of ri ght a nd
wrong;
• Re c ogniz e the importa nce of e thic a l de c ision-ma ki ng a nd t he ne e d for
individua l s t o ta ke re sponsibili ty f or t he ir m ora l c hoic e s, e ve n in t he
a bse nc e of a n obje c t ive m ora l st a nda rd a nd;
• De monstr at e of c ri tic a l thinking and re fle c ti on on mora l issue s, i nc l uding
e xpl ora t ion of the pe rsonal fa ct ors tha t sha pe individua l mora l judgme nts,
a s w e ll a s the pote ntia l conse que nce s of Et hic al Subje c tivism
TROLLEY PROBLEM
TROLLEY PROBLEM
BEST SOLUTION
 WHAT IS
ETHICAL
SUBJECTIV
 The basic thought behind Ethical Subjectivism

Ethical Subjectivism is the

idea that our moral opinions
are based on our feelings and
nothing more. On this view,
there is no such thing as
ʺobjectiveʺ right or wrong.
WHERE DOES
ETHICAL
SUBJECTIVIS
 The basic thought behind Ethical Subjectivism.
In a form of a philosophical
theory, Ethical Subjectivism
emerged from the words of David
Hume, a Scottish philosopher of
the 18th century. He looked upon
morality as “a matter of
sentiment rather than fact”.

David Hume (1711-1776),

FIRST STAGE:
THE THEORY
OF SIMPLE
SUBJECTIVIS
“One can only approve or disapprove of the thing
he states to be good or bad in aspects of
morality."
 Example:

“X is morally acceptable"
“X is right” all mean: “I (the speaker) approve
“X is good” of X”
“X ought to be done”
 Simmilar example:

“X is morally unacceptable”
“X is wrong”
all mean: “I (the speaker)
“X is bad”
disapprove of X”
“X ought not to be done”
OBJECTIONS
TO SIMPLE
SUBJECTIVIS
Simple Subjectivism Implies that We
are Always Right.
Simple Subjectivism Implies that We
Cannot Disagree
 SECOND
STAGE: THE
THEORY OF
• According to Emotivism, moral
language is neither used to state
facts nor to convey information.
Charles L. Stevenson (1908-1979)
• Instead, it serves as a means of
affecting human behavior and
expressing one’s feelings and
emotions.
 SIMPLE
SUBJECTIVIS
M
VS.
• Simple Subjectivism interprets moral
judgments as statements that can be
true or false, so a sincere speaker is
always right when it comes to moral
judgments.
• Emotivism interprets moral judgments
as either commands or attitudes,
which can be neither true nor false.
• Simple Subjectivism states facts either of
approval or disapproval.
• Emotivism denies stating facts at all.
• In Simple Subjectivism people cannot make
mistakes.
• Emotivism commands and expressions of attitude
don’t have categories of “rightness” and
“wrongness”, so people can’t be infallible.
 THE
STRENGTHS
OF ETHICAL
SUBJECTIVIS
Although this theory is quite controversial, there is a number of strong
points to be singled out:
• Ethical Subjectivism highlights how moral judgments are always
approving or disapproving and reflects their evaluative elements.
• It highlights the subjectivity of morality and in what way it is dependent
upon an individual’s experience and feelings.
• It helps in clarifying what people are discussing (no truths, all attitudes)
and thus may resolve problems.
• It allows us to see convincing intentions behind moral statements.
 THE
UNCOMFORT
ABLE
CONSEQUENC
Based on the mentioned information, we can conclude the main confusing
effects of Ethical Subjectivism:
• If the theory is correct, then two individuals may have different moral
judgments on the same situation and both may be right.
• If the theory is correct, then a person cannot be wrong in their moral
judgments.
• Led by emotions, people can’t have a reasonable discussion on ethical issues,
because Ethical Subjectivism prevents them from it.
• We can’t successfully communicate with other people without understanding
the basic notions of “good” and “bad”.
THE ROLE OF
REASON IN
ETHICS
A moral judgment must be supported by
good reasons.
 ETHICAL
SUBJECTIVIS
M IN REAL
LIFE
Example of hypothetical applying Ethical Subjectivism to real life:

The leaders of the Islamic State believe, that what they are doing is
ethically correct and in accordance with God. On the other hand, the
rest of the world (for the most part) sees them as an Islamic extremist
group that is slaughtering and creating mass chaos. In the eyes of the
rest, what they are doing is nowhere close to being ethically correct,
while IS finds what they are doing is the right thing. Ethical
Subjectivism argues that there is no moral truth and therefore if the
Islamic State believes they are morally correct, then they are morally
correct.