Notes

Chapter 5 Notes Online

Metaethics
. Often divided into two categories: Metaphysical and Psychological
- METAPHYSICAL
- First approach: suggests that moral value may be objectively measured as they exist in nature and or have been issued by God
- Ethics exist outside of us and we must discover, learn, and follow them.
- Second approach: suggests the opposite, skeptical philosophy assumes that moral values are human inventions.
- MORAL RELATIVISM
-(AKA individual relativism) Each person creates their own moral principles.
-(Cultural relativism) principles are shaped by the culture or community an individual is brought up in.

. Psychological
. Examines an individual's motivation to pursue, construct, and understand moral guidelines.
. There are three main approaches.
1. Egoism and Altruism
- According to Thomas Hobbes, human actions are generally guided by selfish objects.
- Measured by individual's commitments to themselves and others
2. Emotion and Reason
- Weighs the contribution of reasoning and emotions to moral decision making
- Kant believed emotions cloud judgement and that reason and rationality should prevail
3. Male and Female Morality
- Traditional metaethics is male dominated represented by patriarchal or male ethic based on division and hierarchy
- Feminist philosophers advocate for a new shift in perspective. They advocate for a more holistic perspective that offers less emphasis on domination, property, and power.

NORMATIVE ETHICS
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