Essay
An essay on the Meta-ethical approach of naturalism
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- Meta-ethics
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- WJEC
An essay on the Meta-ethical approach of naturalism
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Essay on the Meta ethical approach of naturalismNaturalism is one of the earliest meta-ethical approaches. It started off with the Greek thinker,
Aristotle. Naturalism states that we know what is good and bad from the world around us. They
state that meta-ethical terms can be defined by the same “natural” terms that we would use to
define maths and science. They are a moral-realists, cognitive approach. They agree that you can go
from what is happening to what ought to happen.
Being a moral-realist cognitive approach means that naturalists believe that there are objective
moral truths which are truth-apt (can either be verified or falsified. These can be proven by empirical
means such as observation. They believe these truths can be universalised. They also believe that
you can go from descriptive to prescriptive statements. For example, you can go from “ David is
dead” to “you ought not to kill” Naturalists believe you can do this through observation and looking
at the consequences of an action. For example, killing is bad as it promotes painful feelings ,
therefore it ought not to be done. Naturalists also believe that moral statements are as factual as
non-moral statements. For example, “Donald Trump was the American president in 2019” is as
factual as “Donald Trump was a good president”. This is because moral agents can look at evidence,
and assess both of them.
Aristotle was one of the first naturalist thinkers. He is called a classical thinker He came up with 4
causes. He says that if something can be seen as good then it will fulfil the last of these, the final
cause which is purpose. Aristotle would say that if something doesn’t fulfil it’s purpose it is not good.
For example, a tables purpose is to hold objects. Aristotle would say that unless it does this then it
cannot be considered a good table. Another classical thinker is Aquinas. He states that an action is
good if it supports the will of God . For example, he would consider killing bad as is goes against
God’s will. There are also classical thinkers such as Bentham. He states that an action is good if it
meets social standards. Bentham created utilitarianism and believes that an action is good if it brings
the greatest good to the the greatest number of people. An example of this is stepping away from a
violent situation . Bentham would see this as good as it means you leave happy, and the other
person will have no guilt, meaning that they are also happy.
Another contemporary thinker is F.H. Bradley. He believed that utilitarianism is too individualistic.
Bradley focused on the meaning of human life. He stated that our existence was to realise our true
self, and fulfil the duty society sets for us. He states that we learn our true self by observing our
family and culture. We should also use these to find our place in society. An example of this is found
in Hinduism in Varnashrama Dharma . Bradley states that a good person does this. He is a naturalist
because he believes ethical statements can be proved by empirical means and are universal.
In summary, naturalism is a moral-realist cognitive approach. They say that we can get from
descriptive to prescriptive statements.
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