A summary of the Edexcel Zig-Zag guide to religion and ethics within the religious studies A-Level, organised by the specification to ensure that all areas are covered. Includes scholars' quotes and the basic knowledge of the meta ethics topic. Got an A in A-Level religious studies.
Meta ethics is the branch of ethics which discusses what ethical language means. Typical questions
include, ‘What does it mean to say something is good?’, and ‘Does ethical language refer to anything
in objective reality?’. It is fundamentally concerned with language, and many of the philosophers
were part of the ‘linguistic turn’ who were concerned with whether moral statements were
meaningful at all.
COGNITIVE AND NON-COGNITIVE USES OF LANGUAGE
Cognitivism and non-cognitivism make claims about language.
Cognitive language is language which makes claims about reality that are true or false, ie language
which states facts. Ethical statements make claims about mind-independent reality and are
objective. Naturalism (ethical language makes objectively true or false facts about features of the
natural world), non-naturalism (ethical language can make objectively true or false claims about
things that are not part of the natural world) and intuitionism (ethical language makes objectively
true or false claims about non-natural, undefinable properties) are species of cognitivism.
Non-cognitive language is language which does not make claims about reality that are true or false,
ie language which does not state facts. Ethical statements do not make claims about mind-
independent reality and are subjective. Emotivism (ethical language expresses feelings, not
objectively true or false facts) and prescriptivism (ethical language expresses desires about how we
wish others to behave, not objectively true or false facts) are forms of non-cognitivism.
REALISM AND ANTI REALISM
Realism and anti-realism make claims about what exists.
Realism holds that moral facts exist and supports cognitivism.
Anti-realism holds that moral facts do not exist and supports non-cognitivism.
LANGUAGE AS FACTUAL OR SYMBOLIC
Factual language states what is the case, ie the earth revolves around the sun.
Symbolic language tries to point beyond itself to something deeper, ie ‘I am the Resurrection and I
am the Life’.
THE NATURE OF ETHICAL ASSERTIONS AS ABSOLUTIST OR RELATIVE
Absolutism and relativism make claims about the nature of morality.
Absolutists hold that the nature of morality is such that it admits of no exceptions; certain actions
are always wrong.
Relativists hold that the nature of morality is relative to each individual (individual relativism) or to a
particular culture (cultural relativism). Relativists maintain that all perspectives are equally valid,
which leads to criticism as some philosophers maintain that it is self-defeating.
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